Delta Airlines warned customers that long-haul flights out of SEA Airport may be subject to schedule changes due to a pipeline leak causing a fuel shortage.
SEATAC, Wash. — Delta customers on long-haul flights out of Seattle over the week of Thanksgiving may see “schedule changes” due to limited fuel availability at the airport, the airline announced.
Delta issued a press release on Sunday warning that long-haul flights scheduled through Friday may experience schedule adjustments due to a leaking pipeline that is supposed to supply jet fuel to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Customers leaving out of SEA on long-haul flights through Nov. 28 are asked to frequently check their flight status. For those who ultimately have to reschedule their flights, tickets must be reissued before Dec. 17 for those looking to avoid a fare difference.
Anyone who reschedules their travel after Dec. 17 may have to pay a difference in fare, though the fee to change the travel date will still be waived. Customers whose flights are impacted may also cancel altogether and apply their unused ticket value toward future travel.
Crews with BP, British Petroleum, are still working to identify the source of the pipeline leak. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson visited the work site on Saturday, where the company is digging out the pipe. Crews have excavated about 200 feet of pipe, but have yet to identify the leak, according to a BP spokesperson.
Ferguson signed an emergency proclamation in response to the pipe leak, allowing for more truck deliveries of jet fuel to the airport. The Port of Seattle also instructed airlines to fill their planes to capacity for any flights arriving at SEA.
Alaska Airlines said it does not expect disruption to its operations during the Thanksgiving travel week. To ensure their service schedule is maintained, some flights are making fuel stops along the way to their final destinations, or tankering fuel on inbound flights to Seattle.
