Alaska Airlines outage causes brief ground stop in Seattle

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines issued a brief ground stop in Seattle caused by a technology problem Sunday night.

The issue was resolved by about 10 p.m., but an airline spokesperson told Rueters there could be some residual effects.

According to the Associated Press, customers took to social media to complain about delays and problems with Alaska’s app and website.

Alaska said the problem wasn’t the result of a cyberattack or unauthorized activity, but a certificate problem that affected several systems.

“If you are traveling today, please check your flight status before leaving for the airport. If your schedule allows, please change or cancel your flight,” the airline said on its home page. “We apologize for the inconvenience and are working quickly to resolve the issue.”

In April, the airline had to ground flights nationwide because of a technology issue related to a weight and balance system.

And less than a month ago, systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were taken down in a ransomware attack. Screens that directed passengers to their flights and baggage went down, along with other operations.

The Airline issued the following statement:

Last night, we experienced an IT issue that caused significant disruption to our operation - including delayed flights. We also requested a ground stop at SEA so we could clear the aircraft congestion on the ground. The issue has been resolved, but we expect residual impacts to our operation. We sincerely apologize to our guests who are impacted and are working to get all our guests to their destinations.

Last week, the Port of Seattle, which operates the SEA, said hackers demanded $6 million to keep documents stolen from the airport off the dark web.

When the Port refused to pay, eight stolen files were posted online, with threats to post the rest if the ransom was not paid.

The Port has not said what information was stolen in the attack.

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