Alaska Airlines flights resume after FAA's temporary ground stop

Ground stop affected Alaska, Horizon flights but not SkyWest

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday lifted a temporary nationwide ground stop advisory for all Alaska Airlines flights.

The FAA said in a statement that "operations are normal" after Alaska Airlines asked the agency to pause departures nationwide as it worked to resolve an issue with its weight and balance system "as quickly as possible." 

Alaska said it's already begun releasing flights and that "residual delays" are expected throughout Wednesday.

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The ground stop was issued around 7:30 a.m. PT for all Alaska and Horizon flights. The "issue was mitigated and the ground stop for Alaska and Horizon flights expired" an hour later, Alaska said.

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SkyWest flights were excluded from the advisory. SkyWest and Horizon Air are both regional carriers. 

Alaska Airlines plane takes off in San Diego

An Alaska Airlines airplane takes off at San Diego International Airport in 2013.  (Sam Hodgson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"This morning we experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance," Alaska said in a statement.

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Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900ER plane

A Boeing 737-900ER aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines on its way to San Francisco is seen before takeoff at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Jan. 8, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Alaska is advising travelers to check the status of their flights online or through the carrier's app before heading to the airport.