Alaska Airlines grounds all flights in US due to 'IT outage'

Alaska Airlines and its subsidiary, Horizon Air, have temporarily halted operations of their entire fleet across all airports in the United States. The airline reported on Thursday at approximately 10 PM Eastern Time that it had experienced an “IT outage,” which resulted in the grounding of flights. This would include the airline's international routes to countries like Mexico and Canada.

This is the second IT-related grounding for Alaska Airlines this year, following a similar incident in July. The Federal Aviation Authority has issued a temporary ground stop for the airline at its request. However, flights for Hawaiian Airlines, a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group, are operating on schedule.

The outage has resulted in the cancellation of 39 Alaska Airlines flights, and 241 others are delayed. Alaska Airlines is one of the largest aircraft carriers in the country, with operations across 140 destinations across 37 states in the US and 12 countries.

The airlines, in a social media statement issued on Thursday at around 11.30 PM Eastern Time, announced that a flexible travel policy is in place for those affected by the outage.

The airline is offering a travel waiver for eligible tickets. Passengers with non-refundable tickets are allowed to change or cancel their ticket without a fee through October 27, provided the tickets are issued by Alaska Airlines only.