Alaska Airlines LIVE: Tourists stranded as ALL planes halted amid technical glitch

A reminder that, in July, Alaska grounded all of its flights for about three hours after the failure of a critical piece of hardware at a data centre.

There has been a history of computer problems disrupting flights in the industry, though most of the time the disruptions are only temporary.

In 2023, the UK's air traffic control systems experienced a "major failure" that hit "hundreds of thousands" of people flying into and out of the UK.

Passengers fed up with waiting more than two hours on one flight at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport in Texas have decided to "offload".

One man on the plane tweeted: "Passengers are offloading. Many appear to be done waiting on board. Don't blame them. Still no word on progress."

He earlier said communication had been slow and tourists were getting anxious.

Passengers are offloading. Many appear to be done waiting on board. Don't blame them. Still no word on progress.

— Mike Cully (@MikeDCully) October 24, 2025

An information technology outage has prompted Alaska Airlines to ground its planes, the airline said on Thursday.

The company said in a post on the social media site X that it imposed a "temporary ground stop." It recommended that passengers check their flight status before heading to the airport.

“We apologise for the inconvenience,” post said.

The airline didn't immediately respond to an email - sent by Associated Press - requesting more information.

Despite recent incidents, including the two IT outages this year alone, Alaska Airlines is set to serve Europe from early 2026.

It will fly to and from London Heathrow, Reykjavík and Rome, expanding its long list of destinations.

But it has scrapped destinations over the years, such as LaGuardia Airport in New York City and Magadan in Russia.

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said in the last few moments: "Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting its operations, leading to a temporary ground stop for all flights. Users have also reported an outage impacting Alaska Airlines services.

"More than 70 flights have been delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona alone due to the outage. A ground stop extension has been issued for Alaska Airlines."

Alaska Airlines has several regional partners and it has been confirmed at least one is affected by the mayhem.

Horizon Air planes have been halted at airports due to the IT issue, US media understands.

Purchased by Alaska Airlines in 1986, Horizon Air operates flights to 45 destinations across the US and Canada.

Hawaiian Airlines, also owned by the same people as Alaska Airlines, is unaffected by the glitch.

It is unclear at this stage what has led to the technical glitch.

We know the the airline has requested the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for the ground stop.

"We apologise for the inconvenience. If you're scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport," the airline said in a statement.

It is the second outage in three months. Alaska Airlines ordered an immediate ground stop for all of its mainline aircraft ion July.

This left passengers stranded and flights suspended from coast to coast. Only in June, an alarming story emerged of a door blowing off mid-flight.

The FAA's status page confirmed the airline’s request to ground all mainline flights nationwide, though the reason for the emergency action was not immediately disclosed in the summer.

Alaska Airlines is a major player in the US and Mexico travel markets, so much so it is expanding to serve European destinations - including London Heathrow - next year.

As of 2024, when measured by scheduled passengers carried, Alaska Airlines was the fifth-largest airline in North America. It has regional partners, such as Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines, though it is unclear if these are affected today.

With a fleet size of 328 planes and more than 20,000 employees, this Alaska Airlines disruption has potential to be very severe indeed.

Other Alaska Airlines passengers are upset with the communication - or lack of it.

One man said he had last heard any updates on his plane one hour ago.

Another X user said he eventually heard off the pilot - and was told he and the other passengers needed to disembark because it was unclear when they'd get the go ahead to leave Cabo San Lucas Airport in Mexico.

Passengers have shared their anger at the delays.

Writing on X, one woman said: "Sitting on the tarmac supposed to leave an hr ago. Told we would have an update in 15 more minutes..."

Another passenger said: "Sitting at #ATX on the tarmac." He referred to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is in Texas.

A further tourist posted: "Yep, sitting in a full plane on the tarmac at SeaTac…for the past 45minutes…" SeaTac is short for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, which is in Seattle, Washington.

Alaska Airlines has now tweeted to confirm the issue.

It says passengers should check before they travel.

The tweet reads: "Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologise for the inconvenience. If you're scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport."

Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you're scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport.

— Alaska Airlines News (@AlaskaAirNews) October 23, 2025