We are barely a few days into the new year and already a computer glitch has disrupted travel plans for thousands of people: a nationwide outage in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system on Monday night resulted in travelers waiting for hours to enter the country on one of the busiest travel days of the year..
A number of major airports were affected by a “temporary outage” with the CBP’s processing system that began about 5 p.m. ET on Monday: Miami International, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, John F. Kennedy International in New York, Logan International in Boston, and Los Angeles International.
The issue was resolved by 9 p.m. ET, CPB said in a statement (via USA Today), noting that as of now, “there is no indication the service disruption was malicious in nature,” the agency said.
“CBP took immediate action to address the issue and CBP officers continued to process international travelers using alternative procedures at airports experiencing the disruption,” CBP said. “Travelers at some ports of entry experienced longer than usual wait times as CBP officers processed travelers as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest levels of security.”
Some fliers say it was a lot more than just a “longer than usual” wait time. One traveler told NBC Miami that two people passed out while waiting in line at Miami International, where the outage affected more than 30 inbound international flights.
Some travelers vented their frustration by posting photos of the seemingly never-ending lines:
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist