Alaska Airlines experienced significant operational disruptions on Cyber Monday due to IT issues affecting its website and flights departing from Seattle. The airline, which had previously faced similar challenges in September, struggled to maintain operations at its main hub, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA). As a result, a temporary ground stop was issued to manage congestion.
The disruption coincided with the airline's Cyber Monday flight sale when users began reporting problems with the website and app. Many passengers missed flights or experienced delays. Alaska Airlines acknowledged these issues through a message on its website.
A similar incident occurred in September when Alaska Airlines requested a ground stop at Seattle due to IT outages. This resulted in average delays of 45 minutes for departing flights, affecting 94% of the carrier’s departures from Seattle.