Sea-Tac Airport has resorted to using pen and paper to communicate baggage carousel information to passengers after a cyberattack on the Port of Seattle caused digital displays at the airport to go offline. This outage, which began on Saturday and continued through Wednesday, impacted various information systems at the airport, including flight times and luggage carousel locations. Port staff, who were locked out of their email accounts as a result of the cyberattack, have been manually writing flight numbers and carousel locations on large sheets of paper to assist passengers with navigation.
In response to the cyberattack, employees from the Port of Seattle who do not typically work at the airport have been assisting with passenger support and guidance at Sea-Tac Airport. Among them are Vy Donnelly, the senior manager of aviation finance and budget, and Eileen Francisco, the director of aviation project management, who have been helping passengers and answering questions in the absence of digital displays. The outage is being closely monitored, and updates are being provided on the Port’s website. As of Wednesday, some baggage services were still impacted, but security screenings at the airport were not affected and there were only a few flight cancellations reported.
Travelers are advised to consider carrying on their luggage if possible, as some airlines, such as Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country, JetBlue, and international carriers, have been impacted by the outage. These airlines use a “common use” check-in space operated by Sea-Tac Airport, which is currently affected by the cyberattack. Passengers who must check their luggage are encouraged to arrive early at the airport to allow for extra time due to the manual processes in place. The severity of the incident has not been disclosed by airport officials, who are working with the FBI and other partners to investigate the cyberattack and restore normal operations at the airport.
As the outage continues to impact Sea-Tac Airport, airport officials are expressing gratitude for passengers’ patience and understanding during this disruptive period, particularly as the busy Labor Day weekend approaches. The use of pen and paper to convey essential information to passengers highlights the resilience and adaptability of airport staff in the face of unexpected challenges. Despite the inconvenience caused by the cyberattack, efforts are being made to ensure that the security of the airport and passenger services are maintained while the investigation continues to determine the cause and extent of the incident.
