CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A power outage at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport caused early departure flight delays with departures but power was restored by 9 a.m. to start with the resumption of a normal schedule
A spokesperson for the NFTA said a NYSEG transformer was knocked off line at 3 a.m., which caused the airport to run on generator power.
People with flights scheduled for Wednesday morning were encouraged to check with their airline for the status on their flights.
People at the airport tweeted out videos with long lines in the terminal and even outside, leading into the terminal entrances.
A spokesperson for the NFTA said that long delays built up because passengers could not use the airline's check-in kiosks with the outage. The ticket agents had to put in people's information manually when they checked a bag.
Security lines were moving smoothly around 7:45 a.m., but long lines for people checking bags were still present.
There were also many passengers who saw their early morning flights delayed with departures pushed back to the afternoon or even the evening hours.
That was the situation for Dr. William Healy and his wife and son. They were heading to Kansas to set up his son in medical school.
"When we got here early this morning for our 7:30 flight, things were really backed up in the terminal with the lights out, and the line was really moving slowly. They were able to book us on a later flight on a different airline, we're on United now, that gets in later this evening through Chicago to get into Kansas, but it's really been a different day," Dr. Healy said.
He was also concerned about getting to Wichita by midnight to get their reserved rental car and noted that they may have to spend the night in the airport or get a taxi.
Otherwise for return trips and arrivals after the July 4 holiday it seemed to be a smoother day in the skies and at airports.
We did hear from some people who experienced issues in Buffalo and around the country. Charley and Charlene Carr of Ellicottville said it started last week when they tried to get to Seattle.
"We were supposed to leave on Wednesday but then we got up here and found out that the flight was canceled so we had to come back and leave on Friday," Carr said.
And what did they see elsewhere in airports around the country?
"We saw a lot of delays and people waiting in airports in Boston and Seattle and we had a lot of time on our hands so we could just watch 'em."
When asked if they will reconsider flying for more trips this summer, Carr said, "It used to be fun to fly, but now it's not so much fun. We'll have to think about it for the next trip."