A cyberattack on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s systems occurred over the weekend, causing headaches for airline staff and long queues for travelers.
On Tuesday – just days before one of the busiest travel weekends of the year – airport systems were still down and there was no clear timetable for when the disruptions would be resolved.
Airport officials are not releasing further details about what happened because the incident is still under investigation, but spokesman Perry Cooper said Monday that the outage occurred after “malicious characters” were discovered in the airport’s computer system early Saturday morning, prompting officials to shut down the entire system.
Cooper said the airport is working with federal authorities to investigate the cause of the incident and declined to comment on possible motives behind a cyberattack.
This has led to major baggage congestion in the airport and long lines at some ticket counters, among other things. Here’s what travelers can expect when flying through SeaTac in the next few days.
Which systems are affected?
Since Tuesday, there have continued to be outages on the airport’s website and app, on the ticket computers of smaller and international airlines, and in baggage sorting.
In addition, the airport’s Wi-Fi and telephone systems, departure and arrival boards, and the airport’s lost property tracking system have failed.
Computers at “shared” check-in counters, or ticket counters shared by multiple airlines, are turned off. Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country and all international airlines are particularly affected because they don’t have their own system within the airport, Cooper said.
The airport’s largest airlines, such as Delta or Alaska, are not affected because they have their own computer systems, he said.
Airlines experiencing computer outages have begun hand-filling boarding passes and baggage tags for passengers checking in in person.
Because airport baggage screening computers are down, airport and airline employees must manually assign bags to the correct gates and baggage claim areas, causing delays in both departures and baggage arrivals at their destinations, Cooper said.
In a post on Tuesday The airport said progress was being made in restoring parts of its baggage system and that staff were “using various methods to ensure that baggage reaches the aircraft.”
Are there long queues at security?
No, the queues at security checks remained at normal levels.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) systems at airports across the country run on their own secure system that is not affected by the outage, said Greg Hawko, TSA’s federal security director in Washington.
He urged all travelers, especially those who choose to carry a bag instead of checking it, to remember TSA rules for luggage.
What can travelers do to have a smooth experience?
Travelers usually have to expect long queues at the ticket counters and possible flight delays as staff must ensure that all passengers and their luggage get onto the plane.
Queues at security checkpoints have been smooth, Cooper said, with most of the wait time concentrated in the check-in area.
He advised travelers to avoid going to the ticket counter if possible. That means downloading a mobile boarding pass via an airline app or printing a physical ticket at home and leaving their checked baggage at home.
“If you can travel without luggage, with hand luggage only, please do so now,” he said.
If a traveler does need to visit a ticket counter, they should allow extra time. Those traveling on affected airlines should arrive at least three hours early, Cooper said. Those traveling internationally and planning to check luggage should allow as much time as possible, he added.
What about cruise ships?
The Port of Seattle’s maritime phone systems and website are down, but cruise ship operations are continuing as normal, Cooper said.
More information
While airport systems are unavailable, those seeking up-to-date flight and gate information should check individual airlines’ mobile apps or websites.
The airport also publishes updates on the Washington Ports website And his YouTube channel periodically.
