Alaska Airlines has issued a ground stop for all its mainline and Horizon Air flights throughout the United States. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) updated its status page on Sunday to reflect the unusual request, which stemmed from a widespread IT system outage.
The ground stop reportedly began at 10:50 p.m. EST and was initially expected to end at midnight. However, the order was extended at the last moment to at least 12:30 a.m., with a moderate possibility of further delays. The original ground stop applied only to Alaska Airlines' mainline fleet, but the extension sometime later added a separate request to halt all Horizon Air flights as well.
Sudden Stop
While the restriction does not affect aircraft already in flight, it does stop any scheduled departures during the specified timeframe, potentially causing widespread travel disruption with delays and long lines.
Alaska Airlines runs a fleet of at least 238 aircraft, all of which are Boeing models. "At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that's impacting our operations," the airline said in a statement Sunday evening.
"We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved."
"We apologize to our guests for this inconvenience."
The airline has warned that there may be ongoing disruptions to its operations throughout the night, raising concerns about extensive travel delays. "If you are traveling tonight, please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport."
According to the FAA status page, the ground stop affecting Alaska Airlines' mainline fleet impacted all destinations.
Passengers Troubled
This incident comes weeks after a scathing report revealed serious mistakes by Boeing were responsible for a door plug detaching mid-flight from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max, endangering the lives of 175 passengers and crew members.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the near-disastrous event was the result of poor manufacturing practices at Boeing and a lack of adequate regulatory oversight.
"An accident like this only happens when there are multiple system failures," NTSB chairman Jennifer Homendy said.
The NTSB has been investigating the events that went terribly wrong just six minutes into a January 2024 flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.Their initial investigation revealed that four essential bolts, designed to secure the door plug, were missing from the aircraft.
It was later confirmed that the door panel left Boeing's Renton, Washington factory without these critical bolts in place.
Even a single properly installed bolt would have been enough to hold the door securely, while the remaining three served as extra safety measures.
Investigators found no issues with Alaska Airlines' flight crew training or preflight checks.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy credited the quick-thinking and heroic actions of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 crew with ensuring the safety of everyone on board.
