Alaska Airlines, one of the most important airlines in the USA, recently faced a massive IT crisis. On "Cyber Monday", December 2, 2024, a technical problem led to significant operational disruptions that affected passengers and the flight schedule alike. The incident occurred during a sensitive period, immediately after the Thanksgiving weekend, which is traditionally one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Alaska Airlines launched a sales campaign on Cyber Monday that received an overwhelming response. However, the resulting exceptionally high demand overwhelmed the airline's IT infrastructure. On the morning of December 2, Alaska Airlines' website began to stop functioning. Customers reported difficulties accessing the booking page, using the mobile app and contact centers.
The technological glitch not only led to booking restrictions, but also affected regular flight operations. Outbound flights from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) hub were particularly affected. For a short time, the airline shut down all operations in Seattle to prevent aircraft overloading and further safety risks.
airline's reaction
Alaska Airlines responded quickly with a public apology and ensured that affected customers were continuously informed via social media and the company website. "We sincerely apologize to our guests who have been affected and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. The airline advised travelers to regularly check the status of their flights and offered easy rebooking or cancellation options.
Although operations were stabilized within a few hours, the booking system remained unstable until the afternoon of the same day. Many customers had difficulty accessing their existing bookings or reserving new flights.
A recurring problem
The recent events are not the first technological difficulties Alaska Airlines has faced this year. Back in September 2024, the airline suffered a similar IT outage that also resulted in service interruptions. At that time, flights to and from Seattle were affected for several hours, and customer service also suffered significantly. These repeated problems raise questions about the stability and resilience of Alaska Airlines' IT infrastructure.
Cyber attacks as a possible background
It is worth mentioning that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a major hub for Alaska Airlines, was the target of a large-scale cyberattack in August 2024. The hackers demanded a ransom of six million US dollars in Bitcoin for stolen documents. Even though the Port of Seattle officials did not comply with the extortion attempt, the incident caused widespread disruption to airport operations. Experts suspect that such incidents reveal the general vulnerability of IT systems in the aviation industry and may have also affected Alaska Airlines' systems.
consequences for the future
The repeated IT outages pose a significant challenge for Alaska Airlines. In an industry where reliability and customer trust are key, such technical problems can cause lasting damage to the company's image. It remains to be seen whether the airline can make its IT systems more robust in the future to avoid such incidents. The incidents also underscore the urgency of investing in cybersecurity and system stability in order to meet the increasing demands of the digital age.
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