Sea-Tac, Wash. — Hundreds of flights were canceled at Sea-Tac International Airport on Friday as an ice storm arrived in western Washington and closed runways.
“Around 2:00 a.m., the airfield was hit with freezing rain that quickly hardened on the surface,” Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper told KIRO 7 at 3:30 a.m.
At 6:57 a.m., the airport tweeted that one runway had reopened after deicing.
Other runways will remain closed indefinitely until the airport closes. Tweet after 3:30pm. The second runway was reopened.
Alaska Airlines said throughout the night that most flights had been canceled and would be available for rebooking in the next few days, allowing anyone whose flight was canceled who lives near Seattle to “go home.” announced with a loudspeaker.
“It’s better to actually rebook and try to get the system online than to be at the counter,” says Cooper. “If you live here, go home and try it online.”
“Since midnight, we have canceled more than 270 scheduled flights in Portland and Seattle, with more cancellations and delays expected. It may take several days to respond. Our contact center faces long hold times as we try to support thousands of guests and work around the clock to reunite guests and bags. Due to limited availability, we strongly encourage you to re-evaluate your travel plans,” the airline said in a post.
Meanwhile, as of 1:06 PM, FlightAware showed 554 flights canceled and 212 delayed.
Some airlines pre-cancelled flights before the storm.
The runway (16L) and adjacent taxiway will be cleared by snow crews and the runway will continue to be secured for safety. We’ve seen some action as airline operations trickle in and out. We will tackle more runways as the weather warms and improves. Check with your airline! pic.twitter.com/6EsyCIBS8K
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (@flySEA) December 23, 2022
The SEA runway is currently closed indefinitely as operations continue to de-ice the surface. Safety is our number one priority before we reopen the runway. Please contact the airline for up-to-date information on specific flights.5:10 am pic.twitter.com/X6WWaLHlyM
— Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (@flySEA) December 23, 2022
©2022 Cox Media Group