Alaska Airlines flights have been grounded across the country due to an “IT outage,” as passengers complained of being stuck on planes waiting for more information.
A temporary ground stop was issued by the Federal Aviation Authority Thursday evening as the IT glitch impacted the Seattle-based carrier.
It is the second time this year the airline has been impacted by an IT outage, following a similar incident in July where flights were grounded for three hours.
“Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologize for the inconvenience,” the airline said in a statement posted on social media. “If you're scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport.”
Flight-tracking site FlightRadar24 noted that there were 100 fewer Alaska Airlines planes in the air compared to a week ago.
“Some flights are now departing, but delays will be felt for some time to come,” the website warned.
Passengers complained on social media that they had been stuck on aircraft in airports across the country for two hours, while others were waiting at gates for further information.
“Stuck in NOLA boarded, still at the gate. Pilot says at least another hour before next update,” said one passenger.
“The gates at @AlaskaAirNews are jammed. 80% of our flight headed to #PDX has disembarked,” another passenger said. “Crews here still with no update only to say that nothing has been officially canceled and they're still counting on system to come back up...soon.”
“Just hit the 2-hour mark sitting on board at the gate in #AUS. Passengers have been given the option to offload, and many have grabbed their bags and moved to the boarding area,” said another. “Still no update as to resolution or next steps…”
The airline apologized to a handful of passengers on social media about the delays. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing an error on our system, but our IT team is working to get this resolved as soon as possible,” they said.
Alaska Airlines also operates Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.
Elsewhere on Thursday night, three major U.S. airports issued ground stops because of staffing issues due to the government shutdown.
The FAA said that flights were delayed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C., LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because of staff shortages.
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