Alaska Airlines Grounds Flights Due to Power Outage

Alaska Airlines' operations are back up and running after a brief power outage in the Seattle area caused the airline to ground all flights. The airline, which is based in Seattle, grounded operations between 4:20am and 5:15am. Multiple flights were delayed and a few flights were canceled as a result of the system-wide outage.

The Seattle area experienced unusually strong winds early this morning. The wind gusts, which are reported to have exceeded 60 mph, prompted the local National Weather Service office in Seattle to issue a High Wind Warning. Wind gusts picked up sometime around 1am and continued through the early morning hours. Residents throughout the Sea-Tac area lost power as a result of the high winds.

Alaska Airlines' headquarters and main operations center was also affected, experiencing a complete outage beginning around 3:30am. Roughly 30 minutes later, the airline made the decision to ground all flights until the outage could be resolved.

Alaska Airlines operates a rather slim schedule during the early morning hours, with a handful of flights operating along the West Coast, throughout Alaska and transcon. Still, Business Insider is reporting that 27 flights were delayed and five were canceled as a result of the outage. A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines also confirmed to Business Insider that the Seattle Aaea power outage was the cause for the outage.

Operations are back up and running as of 8am local time. Passengers who were affected by the outage were compensated and accommodated on alternate flights.

H/T: Business Insider