SEATTLE (AP) — An apparent cyberattack disrupted internet, phone, email and other systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for the third straight day Monday as Port of Seattle officials worked to investigate the outages and restore full operations.
“We are working around the clock to bring the necessary systems back online and mitigate the impact on our passengers,” the airport’s aviation executive director, Lance Lyttle, said at a press conference on Sunday.
Lyttle said the airport is investigating the incident with the help of outside experts and is working closely with federal partners, including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection. Authorities have not released details on the full extent of the outage, but Lyttle said the TSA’s ability to screen passengers was not affected.
Some airlines, including Delta and Alaska Airlines, reported no service disruptions caused by the outage. Both airlines use Sea-Tac as a hub. However, the outage impacted the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system, prompting airlines to warn passengers not to check bags if possible to avoid potential delays, as well as its lost and found system.
The airport also advised travelers to allow extra time at the airport and, if possible, to use airline mobile apps to obtain boarding passes and baggage tags.
Still, many travelers had to wait longer than usual at security and endured long waits at baggage claim and check-in. Additionally, terminal screens were down throughout the airport, making it difficult for some to find their assigned gate. A Facebook post from the airport said passengers should contact airport staff in green for assistance.
Among those affected were Thai Un, 46, and his family. He described the harrowing scenes at the airport when he arrived Sunday with his wife and four young children before their flight to Maui.
They waited in line for 45 minutes to drop off their checked baggage, then discovered further into the airport that none of the screens displaying flight information were working. The screens next to each gate showing the next flight were also not working, he said, so flight crew relied largely on the intercom to tell passengers where to go.
On the plane, the pilot told passengers there would be a delay because the crew would have to manually check baggage tags, Un said. After landing in Maui, two of his family’s bags did not arrive, while another family was missing all of their luggage, including car seats for their young children, Un said.
“We had to go to customer service,” he said. “And sure enough, we turned around and there were about 30 people in line, all in the same boat as us. It was just chaotic.”
Although Un’s family received their two missing pieces of luggage later that day, navigating the travel chaos was still stressful, he said.
“Every airline and every airport should have a backup procedure,” he said.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the airport said port teams were making progress but there was no estimated time when systems would return to normal operations.
