Alaska Airlines briefly grounded Wednesday morning; Pullman flights unaffected

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines briefly grounded all flights Wednesday due to a technical issue.

The Seattle-based airline said in a statement it requested a ground stop for all Alaska and Horizon air flights out of an abundance of caution after it “experienced an issue while performing an upgrade to the system that calculates our weight and balance.”

The ground stop lasted from about 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. PDT, when flights began resuming. The airline said it expected residual delays throughout the day and recommended that travelers check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Flights out of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport weren’t affected by the temporary grounding, said Airport Director Tony Bean. The airport offers flights to and from Seattle and Boise, both of which are operated by Alaska Airlines.

The grounding came as Senate committees held dual hearings Wednesday examining allegations of major safety failures at Boeing, which has been pushed into crisis mode since a door-plug panel blew off a 737 Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.