An apparent cyberattack disrupted internet, phones, email and other systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a third day Monday as Port of Seattle officials worked to investigate the outages and restore full service. “We are working around the clock to get the necessary systems back online and to mitigate the impact on our passengers,” the airport’s director of aviation Lance Lyttle said during a press conference on Sunday.
Lyttle said the airport is investigating with the help of outside experts and working closely with federal partners, including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection. Officials did not release details on the full extent of the outage, but Lyttle said it did not impact TSA’s ability to screen passengers.
Some airlines, including Delta and Alaska Airlines, reported no service disruptions due to the outage. Both airlines use Sea-Tac as their hub. Still, the outage affected the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system, prompting airlines to warn passengers not to check their bags if possible to avoid potential delays, as well as the lost and found system.
The airport also warned travelers to allow extra time at the airport and to use airline mobile applications to obtain boarding passes and baggage tags when possible.
Still, many travelers faced longer security lines than normal and long wait times at baggage claims and checks. Terminal screens were also in place throughout the airport, making it difficult for some to determine their assigned gate. In a Facebook post, the airport said passengers should look for airport staff in green for assistance.
Thai Un, 46, and his family were among those affected. He described crazy scenes at the airport when he arrived there Sunday with his wife and four young children ahead of their flight to Maui. They waited in line for 45 minutes to drop off their checked bags and discovered as they walked through the airport that none of the flight information screens were working. The screens next to individual gates that indicate the next boarding flight were also not working, he said, and as a result airline staff relied largely on the intercom to inform passengers where to go.
Once on the plane, the pilot told passengers there would be a delay because the crew had to manually check baggage tags, Un said. After landing in Maui, two of his family’s bags did not survive, while another family lost all their luggage, including car seats for their young children, Un said.
“We had to go to customer service,” he said. “Sure enough, we turn around, there’s about thirty people in line, all in the same boat as us. It was just chaotic.” While Un’s family received their two missing bags later that day, navigating the travel chaos was still stressful, he said. “Every airline or airport should have a backup process in place,” 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 operation.
