Alaska Airlines Grounds Flights Amid IT Outage

Alaska Airlines faced an IT outage, leading to a system-wide ground stop for all flights.
This incident, impacting operations, marks the carrier’s second fleet grounding in just over a year.
The cause remains unspecified.

On Sunday, Alaska Airlines experienced a significant IT outage, compelling the carrier to implement a temporary, system-wide ground stop. This measure affected both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights, causing widespread disruptions to operations. The incident began around 8 p.m. Pacific time, and its full impact on the airline’s systems remains under investigation. While Alaska Airlines acknowledged the issue, specific details regarding the nature of the outage have not been disclosed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) status page confirmed that all destinations served by Alaska’s mainline aircraft and Horizon’s operations were subject to the ground stop. This marks the second time in just over a year that Alaska Airlines has grounded its entire fleet due to a technical issue. Previously, in April 2024, an problem with the system calculating aircraft weight and balance led to a similar grounding. The airline’s operational fleet comprises 238 Boeing 737 and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft.

Broader Cybersecurity Concerns

This latest IT disruption at Alaska Airlines occurs amidst increasing concerns about cybersecurity threats targeting the aviation sector. Both Google and Palo Alto Networks have recently issued warnings about the “Scattered Spider” hacking group, highlighting their interest in this industry. This comes after several other airlines have reported cyber incidents in recent months.

For example, Canada’s WestJet Airlines experienced an unspecified cyber incident in June, which impacted some of its systems. Additionally, Australia’s Qantas disclosed a data breach in July, where a cyber hacker accessed personal information belonging to millions of its customers. Earlier in June, Hawaiian Airlines, owned by Alaska Air Group, also reported that some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack, with the financial implications still being assessed. These incidents collectively underscore the growing vulnerability of the aviation industry to cyberattacks and system failures.

Unconfirmed Connections

It is currently unclear whether Alaska’s IT outage is connected to a recent announcement from Microsoft. On the same Sunday, Microsoft stated that “active attacks” were targeting its server software, which is widely used by government agencies and various businesses. This correlation raises questions about a potential link, but Alaska Airlines has not yet responded to inquiries regarding any connection between its outage and Microsoft’s disclosure. The ongoing nature of the investigation means further details are likely to emerge as the airline works to restore full functionality and determine the root cause of the system failure.

Additional Information

The “Scattered Spider” hacking group, also known as UNC3944, has gained notoriety for its sophisticated social engineering tactics and its focus on bypassing multi-factor authentication. They often target telecommunications and technology companies, but recent warnings suggest an expansion of their focus to include critical infrastructure sectors like aviation. Their methods typically involve impersonating IT staff or support personnel to gain initial access, then leveraging that access to conduct data exfiltration or disruptive activities.