Alaska Airlines restarted departures late on July 20, 2025, after a three-hour IT outage triggered a rare, system-wide ground stop that halted every Alaska and Horizon Air flight. The carrier cautions that schedule disruptions will ripple into Monday as crews and aircraft return to position. The incident marks the second technology-driven grounding for the Seattle-based airline in a little over a year, underscoring rising Cybersecurity and systems-reliability concerns across the aviation sector.
Key Points
- Ground stop ran 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Pacific on July 20.
- Around 300 Alaska and Horizon flights affected.
- Carrier cites unspecified IT systems failure.
- April 2024 weight-and-balance glitch caused similar halt.
- Why it matters: travelers face residual delays and potential missed connections.
Snapshot
Alaska Airlines ordered an immediate nationwide ground stop at 8 p.m. Pacific after an internal IT outage disrupted critical operational systems. The freeze covered the 238 Boeing 737s and 87 Embraer 175s operated by Alaska and regional affiliate Horizon Air. By 11 p.m. Pacific, engineers restored functionality, allowing flights to depart. Alaska advised customers to monitor flight-status alerts and arrive early, noting that aircraft and crews were scattered across the network.
Background
The carrier's technology stack came under scrutiny in April 2024 when a software fault in its weight-and-balance program grounded the fleet for several hours. Industry analysts called that event a wake-up call, prompting investments in redundancy and cyber defenses. Yet aviation remains a high-value target: the "Scattered Spider" hacking collective has probed airlines worldwide, while recent breaches at WestJet, Qantas, and Hawaiian Airlines show the sector's exposure. Regulators now press operators to beef up incident-response plans and real-time data backups.
Latest Developments
Alaska's operations center spent the overnight hours rebuilding crew pairings and aircraft rotations.
Ground Stop Timeline
- 8 p.m. PT - System failure detected; ground stop requested.
- 9 p.m. PT - Gate holds expand as dispatch loses live performance data.
- 11 p.m. PT - Software restored; FAA lifts ground stop.
- After 11 p.m. PT - Limited departures prioritize long-haul transcontinental routes, then West Coast shuttles.
Cybersecurity Context
While Alaska has not linked the outage to a cyberattack, Microsoft simultaneously warned of "active attacks" on its Windows Server ecosystem used by many airlines. Analysts note that overlapping timelines raise legitimate questions, especially after June's hack of Alaska-owned Hawaiian Airlines. Cyber forensics teams will comb log files to confirm or rule out malicious activity.
Customer Impact
Sunday night's cancellations stranded hundreds of travelers in hub cities such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Portland International Airport (PDX). Alaska is waiving change fees and fare differences for trips scheduled through July 22. Travelers holding onward connections on partner airlines should recheck itineraries, as minimum-connection windows may be breached. Lounge and call-center queues have lengthened, so Alaska urges customers to self-serve through its mobile app whenever possible.
Analysis
Aviation's growing dependence on complex, interconnected software stacks means that a single fault-whether internal coding error or external breach-can ground an entire airline within minutes. Alaska's quick three-hour recovery shows progress since 2024, yet the recurrence highlights lingering vulnerabilities. For travelers, redundancy is personal: always allow buffer time between flights, keep critical medications and chargers in carry-ons, and sign up for carrier text alerts. Travel advisors should proactively rebook clients on early-morning departures, as midday operations may absorb aircraft rotations. Insurers will watch claim volumes closely; policies that cover trip interruption due to carrier IT failure may become more attractive.
Final Thoughts
Alaska's latest IT outage ended swiftly, but the episode reinforces a clear message: robust digital resilience is now as vital as airworthiness checks. Travelers booked on Alaska Airlines over the next 24 hours should monitor flight status closely, pack patience, and prepare for rolling delays related to the Alaska Airlines IT outage.