Airlines aren’t exactly where the best software engineer talent goes. They have low margins and cannot compete with high paying companies probably. And Alaska was an airline under pressure on top of all that.

They’re now trying to revamp themselves with the Hawaiian airlines merger and new long distance 787 flights. But between this loyalty theft issue and other software glitches that affected flights (cancellations/ delays) in 2025, I get the impression that their IT team is in a state of neglect and barely holding things together.