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By Chloe Mayer
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Alaska Airlines has warned of ongoing flight disruptions after it grounded its entire fleet after an IT outage on Sunday.
Flights of all the company's aircraft, including planes that fly under its Horizon Air brand, have been temporary halted until the issue can be resolved.
Newsweek emailed the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) outside of regular working hours, seeking further information and comment.
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Why It Matters
Large numbers of people will have been affected by Sunday night's grounding and the knock-on effects in the form of delays into this week. Millions of passengers fly with with Alaska Air each year, with number-crunching website Statista revealing the airline carried some 41.5 million flyers in 2022.
What To Know
Alaska Airlines updated its passengers with a series on posts on social media after the IT problems beset the airline from around 8:00 p.m.
On X (formerly Twitter), the airline said: "We are currently experiencing an IT outage that's impacting our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop until the issue is resolved. We sincerely apologize to our guests for this inconvenience. If you are traveling tonight, please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport."
Around three hours later, the carrier took to X to say: "Alaska Airlines has resolved its earlier IT outage and has resumed operations. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and encourage guests to check your flight status before heading to the airport.
A fuller account of the situation was posted to the Alaska Airlines News account on X: "At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on July 20, we experienced an IT outage that resulted in a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights.
"As of 11 p.m. Pacific, the ground stop has been lifted, and our operations have resumed."
The airline said it would take some time to get operations back to normal and apologized for the inconvenience.
It is not the first time that Alaska Airlines has been forced to ground planes. Back in January 2024, the airline was forced to ground its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX-9 planes after a mid-flight blowout left a gaping hole in the fuselage of one of its aircraft.
However, the airline was internationally recognized earlier this year as being one of the safest in the world.
In January, Alaska Airlines was the only American-based carrier to make the top 10 in an annual list of the world's safest airlines. The safest airline in the world was Air New Zealand, while Alaska Airline took ninth place globally, with AirlineRatings.com using various criteria for the assessment, including pilot training, the age of an airline's fleet, and the number of safety incidents reported.
What People Are Saying
In a statement on Sunday night, Alaska Airlines said: "At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on July 20, we experienced an IT outage that resulted in a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights.
"As of 11 p.m. Pacific, the ground stop has been lifted, and our operations have resumed.
"As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal.
"We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage guests to check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport."
What Happens Next
Passengers are advised to check their flight's status before heading to the airport and should regularly check Alaska Airlines' social media accounts for the most up-to-date news.
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