New York: Computer problems have caused massive delays on Sunday at one of the nation’s largest airports during one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. A server crash at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport has stalled operations at Terminal Seven, according to a spokesman for the Port Authority. The terminal, which is operated by British Airways, is the only one at the airport affected. Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific and other airlines that use the terminal have seen their flights delayed.
“It’s been pretty packed. And pretty cramped and pretty unsafe at times,” passenger Mike Priestley told CNN affiliate WCBS. The crash happened at about 4 pm. ET on Sunday and wasn’t resolved for hours, Port Authority spokesman Neal Buccino said. However, British Airways said that things are “now running again as normal.”
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers last night, as a result of a system outage at JFK airport in New York,” the company said in a statement. “British Airways colleagues worked to assist customers during the outage to ensure all flights departed,” the company added. At the delay’s peak, about 1,500 customers were waiting to be checked in, according to the Port Authority.
The average flight delay at JFK was about 35 minutes as of early on Monday morning, according to Flightaware.com. That number accounts for the whole airport. Airlines were still checking people in manually. Passengers should expect further delays — and large crowds — at the airport, authorities said. The delays come as a the Transportation Security Administration is dealing with massive lines, causing delays and public backlash.
