Alaska Airlines Resumes Flights After IT Outage

Alaska Airlines has resumed operations after a nationwide IT outage grounded all of its flights for approximately three hours on the evening of July 20, 2025. In a statement posted on X on July 21, the airline confirmed that the technical issue had been resolved and normal flight operations had restarted.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and encourage guests to check your flight status before heading to the airport,” the airline stated. While the root cause of the outage was not disclosed, the disruption triggered a temporary ground stop affecting both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, its regional subsidiary serving the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) verified the ground stop, which began around 20:00 local time and was lifted by 23:00. Though flights have resumed, Alaska Airlines cautioned that residual delays and cancellations would likely continue as the system recovers.

According to FlightAware, the outage led to 66 flight cancellations and 308 delays on July 20. As of July 21, the airline had already logged 54 additional cancellations and 49 delays. Passengers reported long waits, with some stuck onboard planes for hours. Videos shared on social media showed crowded terminals at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), one of Alaska’s key hubs.

The incident comes amid growing concern about cybersecurity threats in the aviation industry. Just weeks earlier, on July 2, Qantas revealed that attackers had gained access to a third-party customer platform, potentially exposing the data of nearly six million customers. Security experts have also warned about the activities of the Scattered Spider hacking group, which has shown increasing interest in targeting airlines.

While Alaska Airlines has not linked the outage to a cyberattack, the timing of the disruption has heightened scrutiny around airline IT resilience. The company said it is working to fully stabilize operations and minimize further disruptions for affected travelers.

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