Alaska Airlines Grounds All Flights Nationwide After a Widespread IT Outage

Alaska Airlines was forced to ground all flights Sunday night due to a significant IT outage that disrupted its internal systems and affected its entire fleet, including Horizon Air flights, as reported by the New York Post.

The system-wide halt lasted nearly three hours before flight operations resumed early Monday morning.

According to a statement posted by the airline on X at approximately 11 p.m. ET, the outage led to a “temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights.” The ground stop was lifted around 2 a.m. ET.

Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

“The ground stop has been lifted, and our operations have resumed,” the airline stated. “As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights.”

Alaska Airlines urged customers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. “We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage guests to check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport,” the company added.

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…

— Alaska Airlines News (@AlaskaAirNews) July 21, 2025

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

The cause of the outage has not yet been confirmed. The airline has not released additional technical details, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not commented further.

Passengers departing from Portland International Airport were among those affected. Some reported being instructed to save hotel and rental car receipts for reimbursement. Others were told they would be rebooked for flights scheduled for Monday.

Passenger Jaclyn Martin told KOIN 6 News she was seated on a plane for about an hour before being asked to deplane. “I don’t fly a lot. So, you know, I guess we’ll see what happens,” Martin said, adding that the incident left her confidence “a bit shaken.”

Another traveler, Ben DeCarlow, described confusion among Alaska Airlines staff. “They just saw a network system error, and they couldn’t figure out any more than we could,” DeCarlow said.

“So they said, maybe try the 1-800 number and see if that helps. And it was a 2.5-hour wait time for that.”

The incident follows other recent IT-related disruptions involving Alaska Air Group. In June, the company’s Hawaiian Airlines subsidiary reported a hack affecting some of its IT systems.

Alaska Air Group confirmed at the time that it was still assessing the financial impact of the breach, which occurred on June 26.

Additionally, in April 2024, Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded flights due to an issue with a system that calculates aircraft weight and balance.

The FAA released a statement in June following the Hawaiian Airlines hack: “There has been no impact on safety, and the airline continues to operate safely. We are monitoring the situation.”

The latest outage comes as cybersecurity experts from firms like Google and Palo Alto Networks have issued warnings regarding “Scattered Spider,” a hacking group believed to be targeting the aviation industry.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.