The Port of Seattle, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac Airport), reported in a post on Saturday shortly after 9 a.m. X There is an internet outage affecting some airport systems.
A contribution from the Sea-Tac Airport X-Account, @flySEAalso urged passengers to check with their airline for the latest information on their flights.
The Port of Seattle, including SEA Airport, is experiencing an internet and web system outage affecting some systems at the airport. Passengers are asked to check with their airline for the latest information regarding their flights. pic.twitter.com/GY6fbAHBg8
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (@flySEA) 24 August 2024
The initial announcement from the Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport did not indicate that the internet outage could have been caused by any kind of cyberattack. However, just before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sea-Tac Airport’s X-Account posted another X-Post and stated that there had been “certain system failures at the port that indicate a possible cyber attack.”
We are working closely with relevant authorities and partners to assist travelers who may be affected. If you are traveling today, please check with our airline partners for travel information and allow additional time to get to SEA and your gate.
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (@flySEA) 24 August 2024
At this time, the airport stated that it did not yet have an estimated time for systems to be restored.
KIRO 7 reported that it spoke with a Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson who said there is currently no estimated timeframe for recovery.
Sea-Tac Airport also wrote on X that it is “working closely with appropriate authorities and partners to assist potentially affected travelers.”
According to FlightAware, a website that tracks the status of flights and their departure and arrival times at airports, as of 6:45 p.m. Saturday, there were 272 delays at Sea-Tac Airport and six flights were canceled. There were more departure delays (162) than arrival delays (110).
A spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told the Seattle Times on Saturday that they are working with the Port of Seattle and there is currently no impact on TSA operations.
The extent of disruptions at the Port of Seattle is not yet known. The port’s websites, including Sea-Tac Airport’s pages, were unavailable to users as of 6:45 p.m. Saturday.
The telephone systems of the Port of Seattle’s maritime facilities were down as part of the outage, according to a post published on X shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Recommendations for travelers to Sea-Tac Airport
Since the publication of the X-post about a possible cyberattack, Sea-Tac Airport has also issued the following recommendations for travelers on Saturday:
- Please check with the airport’s airline partners for your trip and allow additional time to get to the airport and your aircraft gate.
- To make navigating the airport easier, passengers should use airline apps to access their mobile boarding passes for flights and checked baggage before arrival.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
Steve Coogan is the editor-in-chief of MyNorthwest. Read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on Xor send him an email here.
