Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Faces System Outages After Potential Cyberattack

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is still experiencing system outages that may be affecting flights after the Port of Seattle was hit by a potential cyberattack on Saturday.

The airport posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the potential attack shortly after 9 a.m. PT on Saturday and stated that it had "isolated critical systems" but did not provide a timeline for restoration in an afternoon update.

As of 11 a.m. PT Sunday, the airport's website remained offline.

"Port teams continue to make progress on returning systems to normal operations, but there is not an estimated time for return," the airport said Sunday on X.

Potential Cyberattack Possibly Causes Delays

There were 165 flights delayed and six cancelled on Saturday, with 116 flights delayed and four canceled as of 11:30 a.m. PT Sunday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. It is unclear if the outages were the cause of the delays.

The airport suggested that travelers check with airlines on flight statuses, check in for flights online, and avoid checking luggage if possible.

Representatives for Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which use Seattle-Tacoma as a hub, told the Seattle Times that their operations had not been affected on Saturday.

Alaska Airlines told USA TODAY its systems are not impacted, but "the one area where we are starting to see some impacts today is with the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system, so we are proactively warning guests who are flying out of Seattle to avoid checking a bag if possible."

Delta Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

The outages follow the Crowdstrike outage in July that disrupted some airlines' reservation and scheduling systems, resulting in the cancellation of thousands of flights across the country.