Alaska, Horizon shut down flights

As conditions deteriorated, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air shut down flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Other carriers were operating, but most of those flights were also canceled due to weather problems here and elsewhere, said Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper. Thousands of people have been stranded.

Alaska, Horizon and other carriers also were running low on de-icing fluid, while shipments remained stranded in Montana and east of the Cascades.

Passengers on all airlines are urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Thousands of passengers spent Saturday night at the airport, and many are stuck there, now.

Airport veterans say the disruptions are the worst in 30 years, according to Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle spokesman.

"The length of the snow event, as well as snow events in other cities, has created this huge cascading effect," said spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt.

Weather conditions have led to problems at airports across the country, including major hubs such as Denver, Dallas and Minneapolis. That means travelers can't leave here.

In addition, road conditions in the Puget Sound region mean that airport workers have had trouble getting in on time. That has led to delays at the check-in windows and throughout the airport.

On top of that, flight crews are prohibited from working more than a certain number of hours. If their flight is delayed for too long, a new crew must be brought in, Betancourt said.

Along with calling the airlines, passengers can also set up an alert, through the airport Web site, to get flight status updates via text or email message. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/

"This is a really unusual circumstance that all this has happened in a matter of days and that the snow is either continuing to fall or has stayed on the ground for a few days."

Also, officials said, airport vendors are having trouble getting deliveries, so people coming to the airport should come prepared.

Maureen O'Hagan: mohagan@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2562