(UNITED STATES) Alaska Airlines faces fresh scrutiny after an IT outage on October 23, 2025 triggered a nationwide ground stop and disrupted travel for nearly 50,000 passengers, the carrier said. The failure began around 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time at the airline’s primary data center and, according to the company, was not a cyberattack. At Alaska’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop that was lifted at 11:30 p.m. Pacific (2:30 a.m. Eastern) the same night. The company has since said it will bring in outside IT experts to assess its full technology setup and recommend fixes aimed at preventing a repeat failure.
This marks Alaska Airlines’ second major technology breakdown of 2025, following a similar event in July. The carrier said earlier work to harden its systems after that first incident fell short, and this latest disruption “underscores the work that remains to be done to ensure system stability.” Over 400 flights were canceled on October 24 as the airline moved aircraft and crews back into position. Operations have mostly returned to normal as of October 26, though some delays and cancellations continued during the recovery period.
The outage affected Alaska Airlines and its regional partner Horizon Air; Hawaiian Airlines flights were not impacted. Alaska apologized to travelers, increased guest care staffing, and rolled out a flexible travel policy to help people rebook. The company also postponed its scheduled quarterly earnings call to keep staff focused on operations and customer support.
Alaska Airlines operates about 1,500 daily flights to destinations across the United States and 12 countries. When a carrier that large suffers a system failure—twice in one year—the ripple effects reach far beyond its home hubs. Families miss connections, workers miss shifts, and travelers on tight timelines face hard choices. For people flying for immigration-related needs, such as connecting to biometrics appointments, study program start dates, or family emergencies, a multi-hour shutdown can be more than an inconvenience; it can upend careful plans built around fixed deadlines.
Operational failure, cause, and immediate response
Alaska’s public statements stress that the IT outage stemmed from a failure at its primary data center. The airline says it is “immediately bringing in outside technical experts to diagnose our entire IT infrastructure to ensure we are as resilient as we need to be.”
- By calling in outside IT experts, the carrier seeks a fresh, independent audit across systems that run crew scheduling, aircraft assignment, reservations, and airport operations.
- The stated goal is a sturdier setup that can handle spikes, hardware issues, or software conflicts without taking the network down.
The timeline of the event:
1. Failure began at ~3:30 p.m. Pacific Time at the primary data center.
2. Alaska requested a ground stop; the FAA issued it.
3. Ground stop lifted at 11:30 p.m. Pacific (2:30 a.m. Eastern) the same night.
4. Rolling recovery continued into the next day as crews and planes were repositioned.
Important: The outage was not described as a cyberattack by the carrier.
Operational fallout and recovery actions
The airline reported more than 400 cancellations on October 24, causing many customers to face overnight stays or route changes. Alaska says it expanded call center and airport support and enacted a flexible travel policy to allow rebooking without standard change penalties.
- Actions Alaska took:
- Increased guest care staffing at airports and call centers
- Rolled out a flexible travel policy to ease rebooking
- Postponed the quarterly earnings call to prioritize operations and customer support
- Promised ongoing updates as external specialists evaluate systems
The second outage of the year raises questions about redundancy and the depth of earlier fixes. Airlines typically operate large, interconnected platforms; when a core system stalls, manual workarounds and safety validations slow recovery.
Impact on travelers and advice
The outage affected Alaska and regional partner Horizon Air; Hawaiian Airlines was not impacted. However, shared airport operations and network congestion can still slow recovery.
Key traveler concerns:
– Rebooking and time-sensitive commitments (e.g., biometrics appointments, study start dates, family emergencies)
– Connections on partner carriers remained uncertain until flights were reflowed
– Congestion at airports: longer check-in and bag-drop lines, longer taxi times, fewer open seats on busy routes
Practical steps for travelers:
– Build extra time into connections, especially on routes that filled up during the recovery
– Use Alaska’s self-service tools to rebook if your flight shows a long delay
– Keep receipts for extra expenses if you need to adjust plans while the schedule resets
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, disruptions of this size often produce uneven recovery across the network: morning flights tend to stabilize first, while late-day departures remain at risk as aircraft and crews catch up.
Regulatory context and official updates
For official aviation updates during ground stops and similar events, consult the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA issues ground stops at a carrier’s request for airline-specific events but also coordinates national airspace decisions that can affect restart sequencing.
What to watch next
In the coming weeks, many customers and observers will expect:
– Clear timelines and plain-language explanations from Alaska about findings from the outside IT experts
– Visible improvements such as faster recovery tools, better redundancy, and improved customer alerting
– Evidence that fixes address both hardware and software layers, not just short-term patches
Warning: Repeated outages—like those in July and October 2025—increase scrutiny from regulators, customers, and partners. Delivering on promised fixes will be essential to restoring trust.
Summary points
- Outage date and scope: October 23, 2025; impacted nearly 50,000 passengers; ground stop lasted about eight hours.
- Cancellations: Over 400 flights canceled on October 24; operations mostly back to normal by October 26, with some lingering delays.
- Response: Alaska brought in outside IT experts, increased guest care staffing, enacted a flexible travel policy, and postponed its earnings call.
- Network size and stakes: ~1,500 daily flights across the U.S. and 12 countries—system failures have wide ripple effects.
- Traveler advice: Check flight status before heading to the airport, use self-service tools, build buffers into itineraries, and retain receipts for extra expenses.
The next real test for Alaska Airlines will be whether the promised technology review and subsequent fixes can prevent future outages and keep planes moving when systems come under strain. As of October 26, the carrier reports operations are mostly stable but continues to advise passengers to check flight status before travel.
This Article in a Nutshell
An IT outage at Alaska Airlines’ primary data center on October 23, 2025 began around 3:30 p.m. PT and led the airline to request an FAA nationwide ground stop, lifted at 11:30 p.m. PT the same night. Nearly 50,000 passengers were disrupted and more than 400 flights were canceled on October 24 as Alaska repositioned aircraft and crews. The carrier stated the failure was not a cyberattack and is bringing in outside IT experts to audit systems and recommend fixes. Alaska increased guest care staffing, launched a flexible travel policy, and postponed its quarterly earnings call. Operations were mostly restored by October 26, but the repeat outage—following a July incident—raises concerns about redundancy and whether long-term technical fixes will prevent future disruptions.
