Cyber Incident Victim: Sunwing Airlines
Date:
Apr 2022
Location:
Canada
Summary
A technical issue affecting Sunwing Airlines' check-in systems caused widespread travel disruptions, grounding flights and stranding thousands of passengers while delaying vacation departures for others. The outage, attributed to a systems provider, forced manual processing of approximately 15 out of 40 scheduled flights under operational constraints like airport curfews and crew reassignment limitations. The incident also impacted other airlines, creating broader traffic complications across affected networks. The carrier apologized for the disruptions, advising customers to monitor flight alerts as teams worked to implement alternate travel arrangements and resolve the technical failure through coordination with relevant authorities and the provider.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 3 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
Sunwing Airlines experienced a significant technical disruption beginning on Monday, April 18, 2022, when a system outage at its check-in systems provider grounded flights and stranded thousands of passengers. The Toronto-based carrier reported only 15 of its scheduled 40+ flights had been processed in the initial phase of the incident, delaying vacation departures and preventing aircraft from returning to Canada for subsequent operations. This cascading effect created logistical challenges as planes remained out of position, compounding delays across Sunwing’s network. The airline confirmed the problem originated with third-party provider Airline Choice, which managed the compromised check-in systems. Manual processing was implemented at airports to mitigate the outage, though this workaround faced operational constraints including local curfews, crew availability limitations, and airport-specific restrictions that slowed recovery efforts.
Sunwing publicly apologized to affected travelers while emphasizing round-the-clock efforts to reroute passengers via alternate flights. The company directed customers to monitor its website for real-time updates, though persistent system failures prevented normal resumption of services. Operational impacts extended beyond Sunwing, with the airline acknowledging the outage also disrupted other carriers using the same provider’s systems, though specific airlines weren’t named. Stranded passengers reported multiday delays for both outbound vacations and return flights, with no public timeline provided for full system restoration. The incident highlighted dependencies on external technology vendors, as Sunwing’s response remained contingent on Airline Choice’s remediation progress coordinated with unspecified authorities.