Travelers passing through John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 faced delays Sunday after operations went “down” around noon, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The agency did not immediately provide details about the outage but said it was resolved a few hours later. Passengers had reported long, stagnant lines as early as 11:20 a.m.
"An assessment was conducted by technicians and the internet connection is now back online," the Port Authority said. "The team is working on getting passengers on their way safely and as soon as possible.”
Delta Air Lines, which operates out of Terminal 4, was not affected, according to the Port Authority.
Claudia Hernandez, a traveler in the terminal, posted a video on X showing what appeared to be long lines. She said that it appeared the airport servers were down.
“I’m still waiting at the moment, we got here at 11:20 a.m. and the line has not moved at all,” Hernandez wrote. “We got notified of the issue at the moment we got to the terminal to check our bags.”
Jeffrey Ashton, who was trying to fly standby, said he watched “madness” unfold as lines stretch and barely moved. He observed some “tense moments” between airline staff and passengers as the wait dragged on.
“There were just so many people and the lines were not moving,” Ashton said. “People were just standing there and waiting. And there were really no announcements, so you were getting information, like thirdhand or secondhand.”
The outage took place at the start of what is expected to be a record-breaking week of Thanksgiving travel.
It also follows the end of a 43-day government shutdown, which had strained the aviation system. Air traffic controllers and other essential airport workers went without pay for more than a month, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to order a reduction in service at major hubs across the country.
