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# Alaska Airlines Faces Major IT Outage: 400 Flights Canceled and 49,000 Passengers Affected
- URL: https://venture-block.com/alaska-airlines-faces-major-it-outage-400-flights-canceled-and-49000-passengers-affected/
- Published: 2025-10-25T01:00:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T11:15:04.000Z
- Author: Venture Block
- Tags: Tech

A major IT system failure at Alaska Airlines’ primary data center led to widespread disruptions on Thursday, forcing the cancellation of over 400 flights and impacting approximately 49,000 passengers. The eight-hour ground stop affected both Alaska Airlines and its subsidiary Horizon Air operations.

This marks the second significant IT outage for the Seattle-based carrier in recent months, following a similar incident in July that was attributed to critical hardware failure. The latest disruption was severe enough to cause the airline to postpone its scheduled quarterly earnings call, contributing to a more than 6% decline in the company’s share price.

While working to restore normal operations, Alaska Airlines emphasized that the outage was not related to any cybersecurity breach. The company acknowledged that despite implementing system improvements after the July incident, more work is needed to ensure reliable operations. In response, Alaska announced it would bring in external technical experts to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of its entire IT infrastructure.

The airline currently operates using a hybrid infrastructure model, combining its own data centers with third-party cloud platforms. Since 2015, Alaska has been gradually shifting workloads to Microsoft Azure while maintaining critical operations within its own data centers. The company has also recently collaborated with Google Cloud on AI-powered search capabilities.

The disruption’s impact was particularly visible at Sea-Tac Airport, where extensive passenger queues formed and luggage accumulated in the baggage claim area. While Alaska Airlines has not yet calculated the financial impact of this latest outage, the July incident was estimated to have reduced earnings by approximately $12 million, or $0.10 per share.

In its latest financial report, Alaska Airlines recorded third-quarter revenue of $3.8 billion, representing a 1.4% increase year-over-year, though profit decreased 69% to $123 million. The company noted that its Hawaiian Airlines subsidiary was unaffected by the technical issues.

This recurring infrastructure challenge highlights the critical importance of technological reliability in modern airline operations, with Alaska Airlines now facing increased pressure to strengthen its systems and prevent future disruptions.