Flights delayed up to 2 hours at Sacramento airport after Internet wires ‘intentionally’ cut

Ishani Desai
·1 min read
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Travelers descend escalators as they make their way toward baggage claim at Sacramento International Airport’s Terminal B on Nov. 22, 2023, the day before Thanksgiving.

Travelers at Sacramento International Airport experienced delays Thursday after someone “intentionally” cut fiber optic cables providing internet to the airport, according to a spokesman with the Sacramento County Department of Airports.

An airline notified airport officials that internet service was interrupted just before 1:20 a.m., said Scott Johnston, spokesman for SMF. The wires were sliced outside of airport property and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies were called to investigate, he said.

“They are investigating it as a crime scene,” Johnston said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said on social media the damage was “deliberate.” Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, did not return a request for comment asking for more information.

The fiber cut appears to be an act of vandalism or attempted theft, Chris Collins, a spokesman for AT&T, wrote in an emailed statement.

Departing flights from Southwest and Delta airlines suffered delays because airport staff could not check in passengers, Johnston said.

Data from FlightAware showed nearly 60 planes from Southwest were delayed; as of noon, roughly 35% of all flights out of Sacramento on Southwest were behind their scheduled departure times. SkyWest, Delta’s regional service, had just one flight delayed.

No flights have been canceled because of the internet outage, according to FlightAware, and the delays ranged from about 10 minutes to around two hours, according to the airport’s website.

“We are doing our best ... to get people to their destination,” Johnston said.

AT&T service was restored before lunchtime, according to a social media post by the airport.

“It will take time to continue checking travelers in,” the post said. “Please continue checking with your airline before heading to the airport.”