Flights continued, but reservation check-in systems and flight screens reportedly went down. Also, at least one airline reported disruption affecting the baggage sorting system.
The Port of Seattle — which owns the airport — is experiencing an “Internet and web systems outage,” according to the airport on X. The Port isolated critical systems Saturday, in response to outages. As of Sunday, there was no estimate of when everything would be restored to normal, according to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The airport urged flyers to check in online and get boarding passes before arriving, as terminals for doing so in-person were down. Flyers were advised to ask their airlines for gate information because this could not be displayed on airport screens. Alaska Airlines warned customers that checked luggage would likely be delayed at their end destinations, due to issues with the airport’s baggage systems. Those checking bags were told to add labels with their names and phone numbers.
As for the Port of Seattle’s other operations, a Port spokesperson told the Seattle Times that phone and email systems were down as of Saturday. The agency posted alternate phone numbers for reaching maritime facilities during the outages.
This isn’t the only recent IT incident to cause trouble for airlines: last month’s faulty CrowdStrike update disrupted flights worldwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration, too, has been paying attention to cyber concerns in the sector. It proposed rules last week that would set certain common cybersecurity obligations for manufacturers of propellers, engines and aircraft.
