Apparent Cyberattack Could Complicate Holiday Travel In Seattle

The incident happened last Saturday.

In the meantime, airport officials say they are prepared to go back to old-fashioned times.

“We’re working around the clock to get necessary systems back online and to mitigate impacts for passengers,” aviation managing director Lance Lyttle said.

The Port of Seattle operates the airport and was the target of the attack. Several online communications were affected, including the airport’s ability to advise passengers of flight status and the baggage processing system.

But how did this happen?

“That is the question that is on everybody’s mind, and all of our staff are working to figure out what exactly occurred,” airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said.

Most airlines handle their own check-in process, but smaller airlines and international carriers rely on the airport. Airport officials reacted quickly and placed many workers around the facility to help passengers navigate any problems. Seattle is one of the busiest airports in the country and a gateway for international flights going to Asia and beyond.

Fortunately, delays and cancellations were limited.

“It’s crazy with all of the signs being down from the cyberattack and all of the crew that are out here having to manually do things that normally would be done electronically,” one passenger said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing new standards for cybersecurity.