British Airways Computer Systems At JFK Airport Back After Crashing Sunday
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- British Airways computer systems are back up and running after causing a major travel headache at John F. Kennedy International Airport Sunday evening.
CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported the computer system crashed, forcing delays and cancellations for hundreds.
"The system broke down and they have to call everyone individually, so quite disappointing," passenger Andre Pinna said.
The Port Authority said the computer system, which is run by Verizon, crashed around 4 p.m. Sunday, leaving hundreds of international travelers crammed and frustrated while they waited for hand-written boarding passes.
"It's one of those things, isn't it? What can you do?" passenger Lucy Polson said. "Can't keep moaning because it isn't going to get you anywhere, so you might as well go with the flow."
British Airways apologized in a statement.
"We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers last night, as a result of a system outage at New York JFK airport. British Airways colleagues worked hard to assist customers during the outage to ensure all flights departed," the airline said. "The system providers worked overnight to resolve the issues, and things are now running again as normal."
Despite the unusual hiccup at JFK, most travelers saw smoother security lines this Memorial Day weekend. The Transportation Security Administration deployed more bomb-sniffing dogs at major airports to speed up the screening process.
But if commuters are planning to hit the roads Monday, don't expect to speed right along.
"Thirty-eight million people are traveling overall, second highest of all-time and the most since 2005," AAA New York spokesperson Robert Sinclair said.
With gas at an average of $2.53 in New York, thrifty travelers are behind the steering wheel and saving $.40 a gallon compared to last summer, and everyone is taking advantage of it.
"We're burning 403 million gallons per day," Sinclair said.
AAA is projecting the busiest travel time will be after 6 p.m.
