Chaos as FAA grounds all Alaska Airlines flights due to problem with weight calculation system then lifts it an hour later
- The airline reported a problem with a system that calculates weight and balance
- The FAA has ordered a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon flights
Travel chaos ensued after the US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Alaska Airlines flights due to technical problems.
The agency issued a grounding advisory to the airline around 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time, writing: “All mainline and subcarrier flights in Alaska have been grounded.”
Although the agency declined to give a reason for the advice, Alaska Airlines reported that a problem occurred while updating the software.
“This morning we encountered an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance,” the airlines said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“A ground stop was initiated for all flights to Alaska and Horizon at approximately 7:30 a.m. PT. The problem was resolved and the ground stop for flights to Alaska and Horizon expired at 8:30 a.m. PT.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Alaska Airlines flights on Wednesday (file photo)
According to the airline, the problem stemmed from a software update to a weight and balance calculation system on the planes
Alaska confirmed the advisory was lifted at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, but delays were expected
Furious customers took to social media to express their frustrations about the unexpected delays
One man exclaimed: ‘@SpiritAirlines sounds better now’
The airline confirmed it had started clearing flights, although residual delays were expected throughout the day.
Flights for SkyWest, which provides regional flights for Alaska Airlines, among others, were excluded from the ground stop.
Customers took to social media to rail against the unexpected service disruptions.
‘Crew in plane; You can get off, just stay close to the gate. Gate crew: you cannot leave the plane. Back and forth,” one woman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Everyone has been running talkies and still no communication between plane and gate. We get back in and the pilot says to the passenger: ‘You can go get coffee.’
Another man tagged the airline and demanded they provide a reason for the delays.
‘I’ve been on this plane for 2 hours! It would be a three hour flight,” he wrote. ‘@SpiritAirlines sounds better now.’
Alaska’s fleet of 314 aircraft consists of 231 Boeing 737 aircraft and 83 Embraer 175 aircraft.
Earlier this year, the airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights after a door plug on a 737 Max 9 blew off shortly after takeoff.
After a thorough inspection, the vessels were cleared to resume flying. Earlier this month, Boeing paid out $160 million to make up for the airline’s losses.