Alaska Air Group has announced a partnership with global consulting firm Accenture to conduct a comprehensive audit of its information technology systems following a major outage earlier this week that grounded flights across the United States. The disruption, caused by a global failure in Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, crippled several of Alaska Air’s key systems, including its websites and flight operations network. The airline confirmed that more than 400 flights were canceled, affecting travel plans for over 49,000 passengers nationwide.
In a regulatory filing on Friday, the carrier said it would revise its fourth-quarter forecast in early December once the full financial impact of the IT disruptions is assessed. Alaska Air emphasized that the audit with Accenture will focus on strengthening the airline’s digital resilience and ensuring that similar incidents do not disrupt operations in the future. The airline has yet to provide a detailed breakdown of compensation or recovery measures for stranded passengers.
The outage came just days after Alaska Air lowered its annual profit outlook and reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter earnings, primarily due to higher fuel costs. The company’s adjusted profit fell short of Wall Street expectations, underscoring broader industry pressures tied to volatile energy prices and operational challenges. The airline also canceled its scheduled earnings call and has not announced plans to reschedule it, citing the need to prioritize system restoration and internal reviews.
Industry analysts say the incident highlights the aviation sector’s growing dependence on cloud-based infrastructure and the potential vulnerabilities that accompany it. Alaska Air’s decision to bring in Accenture signals a commitment to restoring investor confidence and rebuilding trust among travelers after one of the most significant technology-driven flight disruptions in its recent history