A Frontier Airlines Airbus A320neo found itself immobile on a taxiway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which led to significant delays for several flights. The aircraft, identified as N330FR, was set to depart for Las Vegas on flight F94830 but did not leave the ground, causing a disruption at the airport.
Several other aircraft, including those belonging to American and Alaska Airlines, were caught in the congestion. An American Airlines Airbus A321neo and an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER were among the affected planes. A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-900ER, supposed to fly to Detroit, had to adjust its path to avoid the stationary plane. The Delta flight, DL533, managed a slight delay, departing at 14:04 instead of the expected 13:35 but arrived in Detroit ahead of schedule.
Throughout this incident, the Federal Aviation Administration issued status alerts highlighting delays at Seattle-Tacoma due to the stranded aircraft. Initially, delays were reported between 16 and 30 minutes, but extended to up to two and a half hours. "A departure delay has been issued for Seattle–Tacoma International #Airport (#SEA). Current delays are 16-30 minutes and increasing," stated the AirportStatusBot.