Alaska Airlines is bracing for frost and snow in Seattle Thursday, after blaming mechanical failure and airport congestion for delays in de-icing on Monday.

Alaska Airlines blamed rapid growth in Seattle air travel and mechanical failures in some of its de-icing trucks for stranding hundreds of travelers on the tarmac Monday morning and the cancellation of dozens of flights.

Alaska, which by far had the most cancellations and delays at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, said the de-icing trucks have been repaired — in time for predicted frost and snow Thursday.

In hindsight, the airline says it should have delayed takeoffs from other cities so arriving passengers wouldn’t have to wait while other planes were de-iced and moved from the gate.

“We should have kept them in their original cities. If we had delayed them in San Francisco or any other West Coast city, they could have stayed there, until we knew they could deplane (at SeaTac),” Alaska spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said Tuesday.

Dozens of planes waited for a gate to open, though the backlog began to subside by midday Monday.

In the past, jets typically were de-iced at a separate space at the north end of the airport, she said. But other planes were parked there Monday, so de-icing had to be done at the gates.

“All of this came to a head at the worst time,” Egan said.

Seattle-based Alaska said it canceled 48 flights overall, serving 6,300 passengers, as of 1 p.m. Monday.

“We fell short today and I apologize,” Chief Operating Officer Ben Minicucci said in a statement Monday. “We pride ourselves on running a reliable airline and that didn’t happen today. We’ve staffed up and are working to get our customers to their final destinations as quickly as possible.”

There were a total 24 cancellations by Alaska leaving Sea-Tac on Monday, one on Spirit Air, and one on Southwest, said airport spokesman Brian DeRoy. Delta had no cancellations but experienced some delays.

Monday and Tuesday, airport staff kept the runways and taxiways clear and there were no problems with those that would have caused a cancellation, DeRoy said.

“Our runways were free and clear, there was no weather conditions at SeaTac whatsoever,” he said.

Typically, de-icing requires 12 to 20 minutes, to spray a glycol solution onto the aircraft. A second coating is often needed in heavy snow.

Alaska customers affected by this week’s weather can change their tickets or request refunds, if they make arrangements by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, provided the new trip is completed on or before Dec. 11.

The reservations number is 1-800-252-7522 or people can go to www.alaskaair.com. </s> Dozens of flights were canceled Tuesday in Seattle as icy conditions continued to grip Sea-Tac Airport.

Thirty-five cancellations were from Alaska Airlines, and a total of 87 flights were canceled.

While plane de-icing happens routinely before takeoff at airports across the Last Frontier, cool weather strains resources at the busy Seattle airport where warmer temperatures are the norm.

Because of the broad delays, Alaska is allowing customers to change or refund tickets without incurring a fee for travel originally scheduled for Dec. 5 or Dec. 6.

Alaska customers will be notified if their flight is canceled, but travelers flying through Seattle on any air carrier should check the website they used to book before arriving at the airport.

The news comes a day after 6,300 Alaska Airlines customers were impacted by cancellations. </s> A 29-year-old Horizon employee stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. Friday. No passengers or crew were on board. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office believes the man acted alone and the incident was not related to terrorism.

The aircraft crashed on Ketron Island in south Puget Sound shortly after 8:45 p.m. Alaska Airlines said the plane involved was a Horizon Air Q400.

The employee has been identified as a 29-year-old Pierce County resident. It appears he acted alone, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

His motive is not clear, but audio between the cockpit and air traffic control indicates the man was in emotional distress.

LISTEN: Worker who stole empty plane talks with air traffic control before crash

Witness footage shows the plane's erratic flight prior to the crash. John Waldrop shared the following footage from Chambers Bay Golf Course:

Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon, released the following statement late Friday night:

"Alaska Airlines believes a ground service agent employed by Horizon Air was the individual responsible for flying the Horizon Q400 without clearance from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. tonight. The plane, which was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for passenger flight, crashed about an hour later in a wooded area on Ketron Island in rural Pierce County. No ground structures were involved at the crash site. Military jets were scrambled from Portland, but it does not appear that these jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft. This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac. First responders are at the crash site. Appropriate government agencies, including NTSB, FAA and FBI, have been notified."

While the plane was still in the air, two F-15 Air National Guard fighter jets launched from Portland, Oregon.

An air traffic control operator attempted to guide the man to Joint-Base Lewis McChord: "We're just trying to find a place for you to land safely," the operator said.

Sea-Tac Airport was put on an immediate ground stop once the plane took off. The airport said operations have since returned to normal. </s> A plane crashed Friday evening after a Horizon Air employee conducted an "unauthorized take-off" from Sea-Tac International Airport. The plane was empty besides the 29-year-old man who stole it.

The aircraft crashed on Ketron Island in south Puget Sound shortly after 8:45 p.m. Alaska Airlines said a Horizon Air Q400 was involved in the incident.

The employee has been identified as a 29-year-old Pierce County resident, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. The department believes he acted alone.

Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon, released the following statement late Friday night:

"Alaska Airlines believes a ground service agent employed by Horizon Air was the individual responsible for flying the Horizon Q400 without clearance from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. tonight. The plane, which was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for passenger flight, crashed about an hour later in a wooded area on Ketron Island in rural Pierce County. No ground structures were involved at the crash site. Military jets were scrambled from Portland, but it does not appear that these jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft. This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac. First responders are at the crash site. Appropriate government agencies, including NTSB, FAAand FBI, have been notified."

While the plane was still in the air, two F-15 Air National Guard fighter jets took off from Portland, Oregon. In audio recordings, an air traffic control operator can be heard trying to point the man to the airfield at Joint-Base Lewis McChord.

"We're just trying to find a place for you to land safely," the operator said.

Sea-Tac Airport was put on an immediate ground stop once the plane took off. The airport said operations have since returned to normal.

KING 5 has several crews covering the incident. MORE TO COME. </s> An airline employee took off in a plane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday night in an episode that ended with the plane crashing about 30 miles from the airport, the authorities said.

“An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without passengers at Sea-Tac,” the airport said in a tweet. “Aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed.”

Alaska Airlines said in a tweet that the takeoff involved a turboprop, a Q400, flying for Horizon Air, a subsidiary. “We believe there are no passengers on board,” it added.

The Pierce Country sheriff’s office said in a tweet that a stolen Horizon airplane had crashed on Ketron Island. </s> A Horizon Air employee stole an empty plane from Sea-Tac International Airport on Friday before crashing into a small island in south Puget Sound.

No passengers or crew were onboard. The Pierce County Sheriff's Office believes the man acted alone and the incident was not related to terrorism.

The aircraft crashed on Ketron Island in Pierce County shortly after 8:45 p.m. The man piloting the plane has not been recovered. Alaska Airlines said the aircraft involved was a 76-seat Horizon Air Q400 turboprop plane.

The man was identified as a 29-year-old Pierce County resident. Authorities initially said the man was a mechanic but Alaska Airlines later said he was believed to be a ground service agent employed by Horizon. Those employees direct aircraft for takeoff and gate approach and de-ice planes.

His motive was not clear, but the man could be heard on audio recordings telling air traffic controllers that he is "just a broken guy."

LISTEN: Worker who stole empty plane talks with air traffic control before crash

Video showed the plane doing large loops and other dangerous maneuvers as the sun set on the Puget Sound. John Waldrop shared the following footage from Chambers Bay Golf Course:

Mark Reger was standing in his driveway near Steilacoom when he saw the planes fly overhead.

"We looked across the water there's this huge fireball coming up off the west coast of Ketron Island, followed by smoke. There were some fire planes in the air. It clearly seemed immediately like there was a plane crash," he said.

"It's super scary when you think about how fast those planes are moving, the distance from Ketron Island to these houses in minuscule. It's really scary to think what might have happened under slightly different circumstances."

Alaska Airlines, the parent company of Horizon, released the following statement late Friday night:

"Alaska Airlines believes a ground service agent employed by Horizon Air was the individual responsible for flying the Horizon Q400 without clearance from Sea-Tac International Airport around 8 p.m. tonight. The plane, which was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for passenger flight, crashed about an hour later in a wooded area on Ketron Island in rural Pierce County. No ground structures were involved at the crash site. Military jets were scrambled from Portland, but it does not appear that these jets were involved in the crash of the Horizon aircraft. This individual who took the aircraft, who has not yet been positively identified until remains are examined, is believed to have been the only person on the plane when the plane was taken from a maintenance position at Sea-Tac. First responders are at the crash site. Appropriate government agencies, including NTSB, FAA and FBI, have been notified."

Two F-15 Air National Guard fighter jets from Portland chased down the plane while it was still in the air. They did not appear to be involved in the crash.

An air traffic control operator attempted to guide the man to Joint-Base Lewis McChord: "We're just trying to find a place for you to land safely," the operator said.

The plane crash ignited a fire on the south end of Ketron Island. West Pierce Fire reports a water supply issue made for a difficult firefight, but the blaze was contained to brush and did not spread to any homes.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday morning that President Donald Trump is "monitoring the situation." He's currently at his New Jersey golf club.

Spokesmen for the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration directed inquiries to local authorities.

Gov. Jay Inslee thanked the Air National Guard from Washington and Oregon for scrambling jets and said in a statement "there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding tonight's tragic incident."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> A airline mechanic stole an empty Alaska Airlines plane and took off from Sea-Tac International Airport in Washington state before crashing near a small island, officials said.

Preliminary information suggests that the 29-year-old mechanic stole the Horizon Air Q400 and the crash occurred because the person was “doing stunts in the air or (had a) lack of flying skills”, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane being chased by military aircraft before it crashed near Ketron Island, south west of Tacoma, Washington. There were no passengers aboard. </s> KRON — Rainstorms in Southern California and the Bay Area are affecting flights at several airports this morning, airport officials said.

Flights in and out of Oakland, Mineta San Jose, and San Francisco international airports are all being impacted.

About 50 arrivals and 50 departures were canceled at SFO because of Bay Area and Southern California weather, spokesman Doug Yakel said.

Additionally, SFO flights are experiencing delays of 30 to 45 minutes, and that time is expected increase as the day progresses, Yakel said.

A weather delay program is limiting the number of flights at SFO until midnight.

This program may remain in effect during the weekend and into early next week, Yakel said.

The Federal Aviation Administration decides on a day-by-day basis whether to call for a delay at the airport.

At Mineta San Jose International Airport, Southwest Airlines had canceled 17 flights to Southern California.

“It is significant for a long holiday weekend,” spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said.

However, no delays were reported, Barnes said.

At Oakland International Airport, Southwest Airlines has canceled 20 outbound flights to Southern California.

Southwest has also canceled 22 arrivals into Oakland from an airport in Southern California, airport spokeswoman Keonnis Taylor said.

Southern California is facing possibly one of the strongest storms in six years, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said.

Three to four inches of rain are expected through early Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport and 2 to 6 inches is expected in Burbank, meteorologist David Sweet said.

The Los Angeles Area is toying with a few record rainfall amounts, Sweet said.

Strong winds are also expected to affect flights into and out of the area. Gusts of up to 50 mph are in the forecast. </s> Technical problems forced one of American Airline's regional carriers to cancel nearly 700 of flights.

Thousands of travelers have been stranded at US airports after American's PSA Airlines carrier canceled 275 flights Thursday and 400 flights Friday because of the glitch.

Travel through Charlotte-Douglas International Airport was hit particularly hard as nearly half of PSA's cancellations were out of the North Carolina airport.

The problem was with the system that affects crew scheduling and dispatch operations.

The airline says it has been resolved and service was expected to resume at noon on Friday.

In all, 675 flights were cancelled.

The airline says it's working to accommodate passengers on American flights and other regional carriers.

There were no problems with American Airlines itself or other regional carriers.

It didn't take long for Twitter users to express their frustration over the cancellations.

Images from the airport show crowds of people lined up at the gates, while others are seen laying flat on the floor or slumped over in a chair.

Other passengers were forced to pay for new flights with other airlines entirely because the cancellations were far too delayed.

One woman stranded in Texas replied to American Airlines saying '1/2 price hotel vouchers don't cut it!'

'Our team members are focused on taking care of our customers by accommodating them on mainline flights or other regional carriers,' the airline said.

'We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans, and we are sorry for the trouble this caused. Customer relations will be reaching out to all of those who have been impacted by this issue.'
Airlines serving the regional hub cancel 87 flights into and out of Sea-Tac airport, due to ice on airport runways. Among the affected air carriers, Alaska Airlines has cancelled 35 flights.