Winter weather is impacting our flights in Seattle

November 30, 2022
Stories
Alaska Airlines
4 min read

UPDATE Dec. 1

No additional snow is expected for the Seattle area, though there may be residual delays across our operation. We apologize to our guests who were inconvenienced, and we are working hard to get everyone to their destinations.

All restrictions on unaccompanied minors and pets in the cargo hold have been lifted. If you still need to adjust your travel, the flexible travel policy is in place through Thursday, Dec. 1.

UPDATE Nov. 30

Additional snow is expected for the Seattle area beginning Wednesday afternoon/night. While Tuesday was challenging for many guests, who experienced long taxi times and deicing delays, our strategy of proactively thinning our flight schedule worked to mitigate the worst impacts from the storm. We’re implementing a similar strategy for this next snowfall.

Guests whose flights are pre-canceled will be contacted and reaccommodated on another flight. A flexible travel policy remains in place for guests to be able to adjust their flights themselves. Please use the Alaska Airlines app or visit alaskaair.com for more information.

We’re also enacting travel restrictions on flights to and from Seattle. Restrictions are now in place for animals in the cargo hold (AVIH) and unaccompanied minors (UMs) to protect the safety of everyone. Employees across our system are working hard to care for each and every guest and get you where you need to go. Guests traveling through Seattle should expect delays and extended taxi times. Thank you for your patience as we navigate these conditions together.

Nov. 29

The Seattle area is seeing wintry conditions today with varying amounts of snow forecasted throughout the region. Light to moderate snow started falling early this morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and is expected to continue throughout the afternoon. As part of our winter weather protocol, we proactively reduced our flight schedule today to get ahead of the conditions and to keep our operations running as smoothly as possible at our main hub. Here’s why and how we do that:

With safety always top of mind, our operations are intentionally slowed down to allow time for the extra steps required during snowy or icy conditions.
Reducing (in airline terms “thinning”) the number of flights helps ease congestion at the airport and allows us to maintain a steady flow of aircraft instead of creating traffic jams.
A reduced number of flights allows us to focus on deicing our aircraft, which requires extra time and staffing. It can take up to 30 minutes to deice one plane, longer in moderate snow.
With potential snowy conditions and decreased visibility, it takes longer for aircraft and other equipment to move around at the airport, much like driving on the interstate during similar conditions.
It’s always a possibility that ground delay programs could be implemented for the entire airport (like what the Federal Aviation Administration instituted in Seattle this morning). Ground delay programs and ground stops require more spacing between aircraft or even a cessation of operations during challenging conditions.
Additional cancellations are possible as we assess the weather’s impact on our operation today and tomorrow.

Snowy conditions at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Tuesday, November 29.

How does deicing work?

Whenever there’s any snowfall or ice on our aircraft, we begin deicing procedures as part of our safety protocol. That takes time. We have a full fleet of trucks, equipment and personnel in Seattle ready to do that work, along with a well-stocked amount of deicing solution. They’re working as quickly as the airport and weather conditions will safely allow.

What should I do if my flight is impacted?

We’ve pre-canceled roughly 100 Alaska, Horizon Air and SkyWest flights today, representing less than 9% of our schedule. Additional cancellations are possible as we assess the weather’s impact on our operation today and tomorrow.

Guests whose flights are impacted have been contacted and reaccommodated on other flights. We’ve also activated a flexible travel policy for guests who want to adjust their travel plans themselves. Please visit alaskaair.com or the Alaska Airlines app to make your adjustments. If traveling through Seattle, please allow extra time to travel to the airport and navigate security.

We are grateful for the extra care our teams are applying to get our guests where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible.