Alaska Airlines flights have been grounded across the country due to an “IT glitch” as passengers complained about being stuck on planes waiting for more information.
A temporary ground stop was issued by the Federal Aviation Authority on Thursday evening as the IT outage affected the Seattle-based airline.
It is the second time this year that the airline has been hit by an IT outage, following a similar incident in July that saw flights grounded for three hours.
“Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage impacting operations. A temporary ground stop has been implemented. We apologize for the inconvenience,” the airline said in a statement on social media. “If you have to fly tonight, please check your flight status before going 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 departing now, but delays will be felt for some time,” the website warned.
Passengers complained on social media about being stuck on planes at airports across the country for two hours, while others stood at the gates waiting for more information.
“Stuck in NOLA on board, still at gate. Pilot says at least another hour for next update,” said one passenger.
“The gates at @AlaskaAirNews are blocked. 80% of our flight to #PDX disembarked,” another passenger said. “Crews here still don’t have an update, just to say nothing has been officially canceled and they’re still counting on the system coming back up soon.”
“Just hit the 2 hours while boarding at the gate in #AUS. Passengers have been given the option to unload, and many have packed their bags and moved to the boarding area,” said another. “Still no update on the solution or next steps…”
The airline apologized on social media to a handful of passengers for the delays. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing an error on our system, but our IT team is working to get this resolved as quickly as possible,” they said.
Alaska Airlines also operates Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.
Elsewhere on Thursday evening, three major US airports issued ground stops due to staffing issues caused by the government shutdown.
The FAA said 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 due to staffing shortages.
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