Flights resume for Alaska Airlines following a nationwide halt due to an IT failure.
Alaska Airlines Suffers Nationwide IT Outage on July 20, 2021
An unexpected failure of a critical piece of multi-redundant hardware at Alaska Airlines' data centers, manufactured by a third party, led to a nationwide grounding of flights for the airline on July 20, 2021. This hardware failure disrupted the airline's IT systems, causing widespread delays and cancellations, particularly affecting Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where over 400 flights were impacted.
The outage, which lasted from about 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific Time, forced Alaska Airlines to request a temporary, system-wide ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon Air flights. There were no official confirmations pointing to issues such as cloud services or software updates; instead, the hardware failure is consistently cited as the root cause. Flights resumed in the early hours of the next day, but residual operational impacts continued for some time.
Passengers affected by the outage are urged to check their flight status before leaving for the airport. They can rebook via the airline's app or website. Passengers who experience disruptions may be eligible for compensation or travel vouchers. To inquire about this, they can contact Alaska Airlines customer service.
The airline has pledged to review and reinforce its IT systems to prevent future disruptions. It is worth noting that this incident is the latest in a series of tech-related airline disruptions that have affected U.S. carriers.
Despite this incident, Alaska Airlines serves over 120 destinations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica. The outage was not related to a cybersecurity breach.
[1] Alaska Airlines Statement: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/alaska-airlines/en_US/news-and-info/newsroom/news-releases/2021/07/21/alaska-airlines-statement-on-technical-issue.html [2] Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Statement: https://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Media-Center/News/2021/07/21/seattle-tacoma-international-airport-statement-on-alaska-airlines-technical-issue [3] FAA Notice: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/ATP_Chg_07-101.pdf [4] Alaska Airlines Flight Status: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/alaska-airlines/en_US/flights/flight-status.html [5] CNN Report: https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/21/business/alaska-airlines-technical-glitch/index.html
- Alaska Airlines is reviewing and reinforcing its digital infrastructure to prevent future IT system failures, following the nationwide grounding of flights on July 20, 2021.
- The logistics of travel were seriously disrupted on July 20, 2021, as over 400 flights were impacted by an unexpected hardware failure at Alaska Airlines' data centers.
- The aviation industry in Africa might benefit from enhanced digital infrastructure and technology, learning from incidents such as the Alaska Airlines IT outage in July 2021.
- Passengers who faced disruptions due to the Alaska Airlines IT outage in July 2021 can check their flight status, rebook, and potentially receive compensation or travel vouchers through the airline's website, app, or customer service.
- This general-news story about the Alaska Airlines IT outage in July 2021 also involves ports, as the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is a significant hub for travel and logistics.
