Summary

  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) has been hit with a service outage, with a potential cyberattack being suspected by the executives and local officials.
  • The service outage has continued since August 24, with officials being unable to provide a timeline when they would resolve the problems affecting the airport.
  • Some airlines were in particularly affected by the service outage.

The Port of Seattle, which is the operator of

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

, has continued addressing the current system outage that it has suffered for three days now.

The system has affected the operator and the airport so badly that the pair’s websites are currently inaccessible, with the Port of Seattle providing updates using a page on the site of Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA).

Services outage

In an update on August 26, the Port of Seattle said that it has been experiencing “certain system outages, including a possible cyberattack.”

Attempting to counter the potential attack, the operator of SEA isolated critical systems and has been working to restore full service with the aid of industry experts.

 A view of Sea-Tec Seattle Tacoma International Airport from the international Arrivals area on a clear summer morning with Delta and United aircraft visible and the tarmac

Photo: Davslens – davslens.com | Shutterstock

However, the Port of Seattle was unable to provide a timeline for the complete restoration of its systems.

“We are working closely with our partners to help travelers who may be impacted. If you are traveling today, please check with your airline for flight and baggage information.”

Labor Day travel peak

According to the authority, the airport will be busy with early Labor Day travel, which is why passengers should give themselves an additional time buffer when flying out of SEA.

Furthermore, the Port of Seattle warned that the outage has affected Frontier Airlines,

JetBlue

, Spirit Airlines,

Sun Country Airlines

, and all international carriers in particular, pleading with the passengers to add even more time to their journey when departing the airport.

Alaska Airlines aircraft at the gates at SEA shutterstock_1766083010
Photo: Bill Roque | Shutterstock

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed that on the day of the outage, August 24, and subsequently until Labor Day on September 2, airlines have scheduled a total of 6,330 flights.

August 25 and August 30 were the days with the most flights, with 677 and 671 scheduled itineraries from SEA on the two days.

Meanwhile, the four US-based carriers that were outlined as the airlines most affected by the outage had 150 departures from the airport, including 17 flights leaving SEA on August 26.

In total, non-US-based carriers have scheduled 372 departures during the time period, with

Air Canada

, WestJet, and Icelandair leading the pack with 80, 35, and 30 flights out of SEA, respectively.

Possible cyberattack

On August 26, Greg Hawko, the Federal Security Director for Washington of the

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

, reiterated that the security of passengers and airlines has not been affected by the outage.

Hawko added that the TSA’s systems have remained operational at SEA, with the agency continuing to screen passengers as they go through the airport.

Both Hawko and Perry Coopper, the Senior Media Officer of the Port of Seattle, pleaded with passengers that if they could travel without checked bags, they should do so, while also requesting that passengers print their boarding passes or use mobile applications to have them ready before going through security.

In a media briefing on Sunday 25, Lance Lyttle, the Managing Director of Aviation of SEA, stated that the airport believed this was a cyberattack, with the executive adding that the airport was working with federal partners to investigate the incident, as reported by The Seattle Times.

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