Alaska Airlines faced another IT outage on Cyber ​​Monday, resulting in a temporary grounding at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport that impacted flights to Hawaii. The 40-minute ground stop, implemented to deal with aircraft congestion, began late morning and was lifted just before noon.

The disruption coincided with the highly anticipated Cyber ​​Monday sale in Alaska and frustrated passengers who reported they were unable to book flights due to concurrent problems with the airline’s website and mobile app.

This latest incident added to a series of disruptions for Hawaiian Airlines’ Seattle-based parent company in 2024 and raised concerns about IT reliability for travelers, including those flying to and from Hawaii.

The importance of Alaska Airlines to Hawaii travel cannot be overstated, not only because of its role as a major connecting airline from the West Coast, particularly through its hub in Seattle, but also as the owner of Hawaiian Airlines. Overall, this makes it the main player in interisland and transpacific flights in Hawaii.

Cyber ​​Monday chaos impacts Hawaii flights.

Alaska needed a brief ground stop to “clear the aircraft jam on the ground.” They later said: “We sincerely apologize to our affected guests and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.” Despite the airline’s assurances, remaining delays and operational disruptions were felt throughout the day.

Regarding the website glitch, the airline placed a warning banner on its homepage that read: “There are issues booking flights on alaskaair.com, the mobile app and the contact center.” This was later removed.

While the exact number of Alaska flights affected is uncertain, up to seven one-way flights and 12 one-way flights between Seattle and the islands could be affected.

Hawaiian Airlines flights were indirectly affected.

Although Hawaiian Airlines was not directly involved in Alaska Airlines’ IT outage, data suggests that 60% of Hawaiian Airlines flights at Sea-Tac were also delayed on Monday. It is not clear whether this was a secondary effect caused by the general congestion and cascading delays caused by the Alaska Airlines flight operations that dominate the airport.

Hawaiian Airlines’ on-time performance Monday may have been impacted solely by the broader disruption at its busy Northwest hub. The airline will still operate separately from parent company Alaska Airlines, pending the joint certificate of operation that will officially merge the two next year.

A repeat of unusual IT failures.

This represents the third major technology-related disruption at Alaska Airlines this year and highlights recurring vulnerabilities in its IT infrastructure. In April, a malfunction in updating the weight and balance system resulted in a one-hour ground stop, causing system-wide delays to flights. Then, in September, another IT issue of unknown origin caused significant disruption and resulted in late-night flights being grounded in Seattle. These incidents impacted Alaska Airlines’ entire network, including its increasingly important routes to Hawaii.

Hawaii travelers are feeling the effects.

Disruptions like this were a major concern for travelers returning from Hawaii on Monday. Passengers heading to Hawaii often plan their trips well in advance, and any delay – especially one after the extremely busy Thanksgiving holiday here in Hawaii – can significantly impact tightly planned itineraries.

To make matters worse, Cyber ​​Monday is a peak season for booking Hawaii vacations. The timing of this IT outage was particularly unfortunate for Alaska Airlines, which was currently advertising Hawaii deals starting at around $75.

What’s next for Alaska Airlines?

Alaska Airlines is committed to identifying and addressing the root causes of its technical issues. However, repeated incidents in 2024 indicate systemic challenges that urgently require resolution. The stakes are particularly high for Hawaii travelers, as the islands rely on smooth and reliable flight connections through Alaska’s Seattle hub to meet their travel plans and avoid disruptions.

Plan your Alaska flight to Hawaii.

IT problems like these and those of other airlines that fly to Hawaii underscore the unpredictability of modern air travel. Passengers should remain vigilant, check flight status regularly and opt for more flexible booking options than basic economy tickets. Alaska Airlines customers, particularly those traveling to Hawaii, will be watching closely to see whether the airline can take steps to restore confidence in its future operations.

Were you affected by Alaska Airlines’ technical issues on Cyber ​​Monday?