Checked Bag Fees Waived, Some Baggage Sent On Flights From Nearby Airports

A software glitch snarled air traffic and caused baggage pileups at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, leading to headaches and angry passengers.

The problem led to the delay of 48 flights and the cancellation of five more. Thousands of customers had to leave their luggage behind, and hope it would be delivered later. Hundreds of bags accumulated in the lobby of Terminal 8. The breakdown was galling to some passengers already steamed over the airline's recent decision to start charging fees for checked bags on flights within the US and Canada.

"I'm just not happy. I think it's crazy," said Mike Howell, who was en route to San Diego after visiting New York City. "If they do charge people $15 per bag, they should get it right."

The airline tried delaying flights for 60 to 90 minutes, hoping that would be enough extra time to get them loaded, but many bags still didn't make it aboard. The chaos stretching into Thursday, with additional flight cancellations expected. American Airlines planned to cancel at least five scheduled departures and said others could be delayed.

Technicians diagnosed the problem on Wednesday evening. However, the system was still being tested early Thursday and wasn't yet up and running again, said airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely. She also stated she couldn't estimate when the system would be working again or how many passengers had been affected.

The problem began with a software failure in the equipment that reads the bar code on each piece of tagged luggage, and then whisks the bag via conveyor belt to the proper gate. With the automated system down, airline employees had to sort each bag by hand... an apparently overwhelming task for workers used to having the machines do the heavy lifting, so to speak.

Due to the circumstances, American waived its fees Wednesday for travelers checking fewer than three bags at JFK. Starting in June, the airline, along with most of its competitors, has charged $15 for one checked bag or $40 for two bags. Passengers may still carry on luggage with no charge.

Airline spokesman Tim Wagner stated that most of the flights affected by Wednesday's baggage problem were international and thus not subject to the fees in the first place. Hundreds of bags were sent to nearby LaGuardia and Newark airports and put on alternative flights.

A spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration said its equipment wasn't affected by the malfunction but extra staff had been deployed to help keep the bag screening operation moving smoothly.

FMI: www.panynj.gov/