Brief Power Outage Creates Delays At O'Hare
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A brief power outage at O'Hare International airport shut down ticketing computers and forced security to halt screenings for about 20 minutes on Monday.
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The Chicago Department of Aviation says Terminals 2, 3 and 5 were impacted when the power went out around 3:50 p.m. Newsradio 780's Bob Roberts, who was in line at the American Airlines ticket counter, says the outage impacted security lines for a time and baggage claim areas.
TSA Spokesman Jim Fotenos says all the TSA equipment had to reboot and he says passengers had to wait in line. Fotenos says no screening was done during the outage.
Fotenos called the disruption "minimal." However, the delays did create long lines at both the ticketing areas and at security checkpoints, Roberts said.
After the power went out, emergency lights came on right away, but the ticketing computers were not working.
Power was restored around 4:20 p.m. and computers were operating about 10 minutes later.
Workers also had to check and clear the baggage belts, before they could check bags again.
