Alaska Airlines Orders Top-to-Bottom IT Audit After Dual Outages

Published on Nov 2, 2025, 7:48 pm CST

5 min read

Key points

Alaska Airlines will partner with Accenture on a full audit of its technology systems
An October 24 outage canceled more than 400 flights and disrupted nearly 50,000 passengers
A Microsoft Azure incident on October 29 impacted Alaska's website and app
Alaska Air Group will re-forecast Q4 in early December after assessing the disruptions
The carrier had already trimmed its 2025 profit outlook on higher fuel costs and weather

Impact

Expect Periodic Glitches: Website and app functionality should be improving, but travelers should still plan for intermittent slowdowns
Use Multiple Check-In Options: Add boarding passes to wallet, print backups at kiosks, and monitor gate screens in case the app is unstable
Build Cushion Into Connections: Leave longer layovers for through-Seattle and West Coast hubs while reliability stabilizes
Watch For Waivers: If delays cascade, check Alaska's travel advisories for change-fee flexibility
Track December Guidance: Revenue-sensitive travelers and corporate planners should watch Alaska's early December re-forecast

Alaska Airlines said it will work with Accenture on a comprehensive audit of Alaska Air Group's technology environment following a difficult week of disruptions. An internal IT failure on October 24 led to more than 400 cancellations and nearly 50,000 affected passengers. Five days later, a separate global Microsoft Azure incident hindered the airline's website and mobile app, compounding traveler frustration. Executives said the review will assess systems, standards, processes, and overall health, with near-term recommendations prioritized for quick implementation.

The company also told investors it will update fourth-quarter guidance in early December, once the financial impact of the October disruptions is better understood. That disclosure follows an October 23 move to trim its 2025 profit outlook, citing higher fuel costs and earlier weather-driven operational challenges. For travelers, the practical message is that Alaska is in "stabilize and harden" mode, with a focus on reliability across check-in, day-of-travel tools, and airport operations while the audit proceeds.

What changed and why it matters

Two separate events drove the turbulence. First, on October 24, an airline-side technology outage grounded operations and forced cancellations through the day as teams worked to recover schedules and rebook passengers. Second, on October 29, Microsoft's Azure platform experienced a widespread setback that rippled through dependent services. Alaska's website and app were among the affected systems for several hours, limiting access to mobile boarding passes and live flight updates. Azure's disruption centered on Azure Front Door and related identity and networking services before Microsoft deployed fixes and availability returned toward normal.

From a traveler's perspective, these incidents hit different parts of the journey. The October 24 outage primarily disrupted flights themselves, creating cancellations and misconnects. The October 29 incident, while external to Alaska, degraded customer-facing tools, which can slow bag-drop, security, and boarding if many guests cannot pull up barcodes or status updates. Microsoft reported recovery the same day, but Alaska advised guests to use alternate check-in options as needed.

Latest developments

Alaska confirmed it has engaged Accenture for a top-to-bottom technology audit. The scope includes infrastructure, application resiliency, monitoring, change-management practices, and disaster-recovery posture. The airline characterized the work as part of a broader reliability push after "two major IT outages in recent months." While timelines were not disclosed, management said actionable recommendations would be implemented quickly, with additional projects feeding the 2026 planning cycle.

On the financial side, Alaska Air Group said it will re-forecast the fourth quarter in early December to incorporate the costs of cancellations, reaccommodation, overtime, and any make-good credits or loyalty gestures. Investors should not expect a complete 2026 view until after year-end close, but near-term guidance should clarify the magnitude of IT-related headwinds on unit revenue and margin.

Analysis

Airline IT depends on a layered stack that spans flight-operations control, crew scheduling, reservations, departure control, and customer-facing apps. Failures in one tier can cascade into others, particularly when identity systems, API gateways, or network edge services are impaired. In Alaska's case, October 24 was an internal fault that directly halted operations, while October 29 was an external cloud incident that temporarily limited customer access. Engaging an outside firm signals a readiness to scrutinize change controls, redundancy, and incident response across that stack.

For travelers over the next several weeks, the most useful strategy is redundancy. Add boarding passes to a wallet app when they first generate, take a screenshot as backup, and keep a photo ID ready for manual lookups at kiosks or counters. If you are connecting through Seattle, Washington, or West Coast spokes, build longer connection buffers and avoid tight last flights of the day when possible. If disruptions resurface, Alaska typically posts fee-waiver details and reaccommodation steps on its travel-advisory pages and pushes updates via email or text.

Background

Microsoft's October 29 Azure disruption was broad, affecting Microsoft 365, Xbox, and third-party customers that rely on Azure Front Door and related services. Microsoft deployed mitigations the same day, with availability returning to normal levels as traffic was re-routed and services restarted. This context explains why multiple airlines and retailers saw simultaneous web and app issues even though their core systems remained intact.

Final thoughts

Alaska's decision to bring in Accenture is a candid acknowledgment that reliability is now as much a software challenge as it is an operations one. Travelers should see incremental improvements as quick wins roll out, but the safest play in November is to prepare for occasional glitches and to keep multiple check-in and boarding options handy while the longer-term fixes move from audit to action.