‘No estimated point of return:’ Cyberattack continues to plague Sea-Tac Airport

A suspected cyberattack Saturday is still slowing down services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac Airport) and all Port of Seattle operations.

“There’s currently no estimated point of return,” for affected services, Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said, opening the press conference. He reminded travelers to rely on their airline’s website, apps and other sources for information as the relevant services from the airport are still down.

Alaska Airlines, Delta and other major airlines who do not share counters in the terminal area are less impacted than airlines like Frontier, Sun Country and Spirit, Cooper said.

Some airlines — like the ones using shared working space at Sea-Tac Airport — are having to resort to using pen and paper to track baggage, as their companies have not brought in their own computers so they rely on airport’s, Cooper added.

“International is a challenge,” Cooper said to KIRO Newsradio before the press conference. This is because they share counters with other airlines, they have lower staff and they are having to handle baggage operations with handwritten notes.

Sea-Tac Airport’s X account, @flySEA, reported Monday afternoon that Visitor Pass and Airport Lost and Found are not accessible at this time.

Cooper said at the press conference Monday TSA systems are unaffected because they use independent systems from the port. He also confirmed to KIRO Newsradio there have been no issues or trouble with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic control.

The investigation is still ongoing but, to this point, he has seen “no indication” of compromised passenger information.

Cooper says Sea-Tac Airport is working with federal agencies, including the FBI.

The level of disruption on the Port of Seattle still isn’t known. The port’s websites, including the Sea-Tac Airport pages, remained unavailable for users as of 5:15 p.m. Monday. A temporary website has been created for those interested in getting regular updates about what’s happening at the airport.

The Port of Seattle Maritime Facilities phone systems are down as a part of the outage, according to a post published on X just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Trouble for travelers at Sea-Tac Airport

Some arriving passengers at Sea-Tac Airport are still dealing with issues getting their bags quickly after the suspected cyberattack. An airport official told KIRO Newsradio Monday the barcode scanner inside the conveyor belt system isn’t working, so extra staff are picking up slack.

Carousels in the baggage claim area were running Monday morning, but some of the information screens aren’t showing which flight goes where. So, families are listening for updates over the PA system and then they’re hurrying to the carousel.

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said staff was manually sorting over 7,000 bags, because “a majority” of checked bags missed their flights over the weekend, The Seattle Times reported.

KIRO Newsradio also discovered issues on the main floor at the airport. Self-service check-in terminals are giving the Windows “blue screen of death,” noting that “Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart.”

More issues on the main floor. Self-service check-in terminals are giving the Windows “blue screen of death.”

It’s a mixed bag at airline check in counters. Some airlines, like Alaska, appear to be running. At Spirit, Frontier, WestJet and others, screens are off. pic.twitter.com/bUCUsrap8U

— Sam Campbell (@HeySamCampbell) August 26, 2024

Meanwhile, multiple Spirit Airlines customers said to KIRO Newsradio agents’ computers are down and they have been waiting at check-in for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Those people were probably about halfway to the front.

In the international area, passengers headed to Frankfurt had waited 1 1/2 hours to move about 50 feet from the start of the line. They had about 2/3 of the way to go, around 3:30 p.m., while trying to make a 5 p.m. flight.

Despite the issues some customers faced, Cooper has credited the airlines with bringing in extra staff and playing catch up. He was not seeing as many delays Monday as over the weekend.

“We’re doing better today than last couple days,” Cooper said to KIRO Newsradio.

The numbers seen on FlightAware, the website that tracks the status of flights and when they’re leaving and arriving at airports, appears to be backing up Cooper’s assertion as 218 flights at Sea-Tac Airport have been delayed and seven have been canceled as of 5:15 p.m. Monday.

On Sunday, 503 flights were delayed at Sea-Tac Airport and five flights were canceled, according to FlightAware reported. The number of delays had risen steadily through the day with a spike in the afternoon and another one at night as there were 375 delays reported at 8 p.m., 322 delays reported at around 5 p.m., 144 delays at noon, 73 delays at 9 a.m. and 23 delays at 5:10 a.m.

On Saturday, 342 flights were delayed at Sea-Tac Airport and six flights were canceled. That number rose steadily through the night. More were delayed leaving the airport (197) than arriving (145).

A passenger stands at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Lost & Found station on the phone on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. That area was shut down due to the cyberattack that hit the Port of Seattle. (Photo: Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio)

How we got here: ‘Possible cyberattack’ hits Sea-Tac Airport

Cooper said investigators are still trying to determine the nature of the cyber attack, he said airport personnel noticed “nefarious characters” in the system early Saturday and administrators decided to shut the whole system down.

Just after 9 a.m. Saturday is when the Port of Seattle and the airport began publicly alerting the problem to potential issues. That is the time the Port of Seattle first detailed the issues in a post on X. A post on @flySEA at that time encouraged passengers to check with their airlines for the latest for their flights as well.

The initial communication from the Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport did not indicate the internet outage may have come from any sort of cyber attack. However, just before 1:30 p.m. Saturday, the Sea-Tac Airport X account published another X post stating the port “experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack.”

Earlier this morning the Port of Seattle experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack. The Port isolated critical systems and is in the process of working to restore full service and do not have an estimated time for return. (Cont.)

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 24, 2024

Sea-Tac Airport also previously wrote on X it is “working closely with appropriate authorities and partners to help travelers who may be impacted.”

Recommendations for travelers going to Sea-Tac Airport

Sea-Tac Airport has been active about providing various recommendations to those who are traveling while this outage is happening. KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest have compiled the following tips:

• Customers should use the app for the airline they are flying instead of the airport app.
• For passengers who don’t need to check a bag, don’t do it.
• International travelers should arrive early for checking in and checking their bag.
• Reminder for passengers: The standard TSA rules apply, including the 3-1-1 Liquids Rule.
• Travelers can get assistance on @flySEA social media and on this Customer Care Connect website.

Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.