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>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.
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.