A suspected cyberattack on Saturday is still slowing operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac Airport) and all Port of Seattle operations.
“There is currently no estimated time for the resumption of affected services,” Sea-Tac Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said at the start of the press conference. He reminded travelers to rely on their airline’s website, apps and other sources for information, as the airport’s relevant services are still unavailable.
Alaska Airlines, Delta and other major airlines that do not have shared counters in the terminal area are less affected than airlines such as Frontier, Sun Country and Spirit, Cooper said.
Some airlines, such as those that use shared workspaces at Sea-Tac Airport, have to rely on pen and paper to track baggage because their companies have not purchased their own computers and therefore rely on the airport’s computers, Cooper added.
“International flights are challenging,” Cooper told KIRO Newsradio before the press conference. That’s because they share counters with other airlines, have fewer staff and have to handle baggage handling with handwritten notes.
The Sea-Tac Airport X-Account, @flySEAreported on Monday afternoon that Visitor Pass and Airport Lost and Found are not accessible at this time.
Cooper said at Monday’s press conference that the TSA systems were not affected because they use independent systems from the port. He also confirmed to KIRO Newsradio that there were no problems or difficulties with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic control.
The investigation is still ongoing, but so far he has seen “no evidence” of compromised transmission of passenger data.
Cooper says Sea-Tac Airport is working with federal agencies, including the FBI.
The extent of disruption at the Port of Seattle is not yet known. Port websites, including Sea-Tac Airport’s pages, were unavailable to users as of 5:15 p.m. Monday. A temporary website has been set up for those who want regular updates on what’s happening at the airport.
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.
Trouble for travelers at Sea-Tac Airport
Some arriving passengers at Sea-Tac Airport are still having trouble getting their luggage quickly following the suspected cyberattack. An airport employee told KIRO Newsradio on Monday that the barcode scanner in the conveyor belt system is not working, so extra staff is being deployed.
The carousels in the baggage claim area were operating on Monday morning, but some information screens did not show which flight was going where, so families wait for updates over the PA system and then rush to the carousel.
An Alaska Airlines spokesman said staff were manually sorting through more than 7,000 bags because “the majority” of checked luggage missed its flight over the weekend, the Seattle Times reported.
KIRO Newsradio also discovered problems on the ground floor of the airport. Self-service check-in terminals give the Windows “Blue Screen of Death”, with the message: “Your PC encountered a problem and needs to restart.”
More problems on the ground floor. Self-service check-in terminals cause a “Blue Screen of Death” on Windows.
The picture at airline check-in counters is mixed. Some airlines, such as Alaska, appear to be operating. Spirit, Frontier, WestJet and others have their screens turned off. pic.twitter.com/bUCUsrap8U
— Sam Campbell (@HeySamCampbell) 26 August 2024
Meanwhile, several Spirit Airlines passengers told KIRO Newsradio that the employees’ computers crashed and they waited 2 1/2 to 3 hours at check-in. Those people were probably about halfway to the front.
In the international area, passengers bound for Frankfurt had to wait an hour and a half to get through about 15 meters from the front of the line. By 3:30 p.m., they were about two-thirds of the way through trying to catch a 5:00 p.m. flight.
Despite the problems some customers have faced, Cooper praised airlines for hiring extra staff and catching up, saying he did not see as many delays on Monday as he did over the weekend.
“We are doing better today than we have been in the last few days,” Cooper told KIRO Newsradio.
The numbers on FlightAware, the website that tracks the status of flights and their departure and arrival times at airports, seem to confirm Cooper’s claim, as since 5:15 p.m. Monday, 218 flights have been delayed and seven have been canceled at Sea-Tac Airport.
On Sunday, Sea-Tac Airport experienced 503 delays and five flights were canceled, FlightAware reported. The number of delays had steadily increased throughout the day, with a peak in the afternoon and another at night, as 375 delays were reported at 8 p.m., 322 delays around 5 p.m., 144 delays at noon, 73 delays at 9 a.m. and 23 delays at 5:10 a.m.
On Saturday, Sea-Tac Airport reported 342 delays and six canceled flights. This number rose steadily throughout the night. There were more delays for departures (197) than for arrivals (145).
A passenger stands and talks on the phone at the Lost and Found office at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Monday, August 26, 2024. This area was closed due to the cyberattack on the Port of Seattle. (Photo: Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio)
This is how it happened: “Potential cyberattack” hits Sea-Tac Airport
Cooper said investigators were still trying to determine the nature of the cyberattack. He said airport staff noticed “nefarious characters” in the system early Saturday morning and administrators decided to shut down the entire system.
Shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, the Port of Seattle and the airport began to raise public awareness of the problem. At that time, the Port of Seattle first described the problems in a post on X. A contribution To @flySEA urged passengers to contact their airline for the latest information on their flights.
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.”
This morning, the Port of Seattle experienced system outages that indicate a possible cyberattack. The port has isolated critical systems and is currently working to restore full operations, but no exact time for restoration is yet available. (Cont.)
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (@flySEA) 24 August 2024
Sea-Tac Airport also previously wrote on X that it is “working closely with appropriate authorities and partners to assist potentially affected travelers.”
Recommendations for travelers to Sea-Tac Airport
Sea-Tac Airport has been actively issuing several recommendations for travelers during the disruption. KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest have compiled the following tips:
- Customers should use the app of the airline they are flying with instead of the airport app.
- Passengers who do not need to check baggage should not do so.
- International travelers should arrive early to check in and drop off their baggage.
- Passenger reminder: Standard TSA rules apply, including the 3-1-1 liquids rule.
- Travelers receive assistance with @flySEA social media and on this Customer Care Connect website.
Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. Read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on Xor send him an email here.
Steve Coogan is the editor-in-chief of MyNorthwest. Read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on Xor send him an email here.
