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Sprint network outage leads to delays for Alaska Airlines passengers (update: service restored)

Sprint network outage leads to delays for Alaska Airlines passengers (update: service restored)

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Alaska Airlines FLICKR
Alaska Airlines FLICKR

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is experiencing delays due to a Sprint outage from a cut fiber network cable. The downed network has temporarily shut down the airline's online reservation and check-in system, leading to the delays. The Alaska Airlines website cites an issue in Wisconsin as the source of the outage, however a Sprint spokesperson informed us that a fiber cut in Seattle was the source of the issues. In a statement released to TechCrunch, Sprint said that customers in Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon may encounter problems with both phone and data services.

Alaska's automated system went down at approximately 7:30AM PST, and the company has switched to a manual check-in process until the issue is resolved. A Sprint spokesperson told us "We're working aggressively to resolve the issue and restore service," and Alaska Airlines president and CEO Brad Tilden told the Associated Press that he hopes for a full resolution by 5:00PM PST.

Update: Service has been restored within the estimated timeline, and Alaska Airlines operations returning to normal.