Alaska Airlines grounds flights across the nation due to IT outage

On Thursday evening, thousands of Americans hoping to fly found themselves stranded on the ground as Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that prevented any planes from taking off.

“There is a temporary ground stop,” the airline said on social media at 16:20. “We apologize for any inconvenience. If you are planning to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport.”

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the carrier is based, reported 82 delays and 17 cancellations on Alaska Airlines flights, according to Flight Aware. Meanwhile, Los Angeles International Airport reported eight delays and one cancellation for Alaska Airlines flights.

The outage marks the second time in recent months that IT issues have prevented Alaska Airlines from flying. The airline canceled all its flights for a three-hour period in July following a similar outage.

As of 19:00, the outage was still ongoing and the airline announced that it was actively working to restart operations. No details were given as to what caused the technical issues.

Customers also reported having trouble accessing the airline’s website and app.

The airline flies to 40 destinations worldwide, including 37 states and 12 countries, according to its website.