Alaska Airlines Resumes Operations After IT Outage

Alaska Airlines has resumed flight operations after a significant IT outage caused a temporary, system-wide ground stop. The three-hour grounding, which began late on a Sunday evening, was a precautionary measure as the airline grappled with the unexpected failure of a critical piece of hardware in its data centers.

The airline confirmed that the outage was not a cybersecurity incident and was unrelated to other recent events. The hardware failure impacted several key systems that enable the airline to run various operations, prompting the ground stop to keep aircraft in position.

While operations have resumed, the airline has cautioned that residual delays and cancellations are likely to continue as it works to reposition aircraft and crews across its network. The disruption affected more than 200 flights and thousands of travelers since the outage began. Passengers who were affected have been advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

According to a Department of Transportation rule, an IT outage is considered a controllable event. This means that passengers who experienced a significant delay or cancellation are entitled to certain compensation, including rebooking at no additional cost, and potentially meal vouchers or hotel stays for overnight delays.