Computer woes force air delays

CHARLOTTE -- A US Airways computer failure delayed dozens of flights at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport on Sunday, creating a packed terminal with lines out the door and frustrated passengers waiting - some for hours - to get on a plane.

It was the third time in nine days that computer failures forced delays. The first, on June 10, was an across-the-system failure caused by a power outage near one of US Airways' data centers in Phoenix. The second came Friday and early Saturday, when United Airlines virtually shut down after a five-hour nationwide computer outage.

Sunday's 31/2-hour outage, beginning about 7:50 a.m., was isolated to Charlotte, said US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr. Lines were backed up by self-help kiosks that were slow or didn't always work and crashing computers that forced agents to do the work by hand.

A power outage during a Saturday storm is a potential cause, Mohr said. No flights were canceled, but the airline continued to operate on a delayed basis to and from Charlotte for much of the day.

Yet, for many passengers, the damage had been done.

Wall-to-wall people

After a week in the North Carolina mountains and a wedding Saturday in Raleigh, Sarah Thompson and Mal Griffin arrived in plenty of time for their 11:50 a.m. US Airways flight home to Fort Myers, Fla.

At noon, they sat frustrated in the terminal, rebooked on a 4:25 p.m. flight. All week long, their plans had gone smoothly. On Sunday, they'd turned in a rental car by 9:30 a.m. and boarded a shuttle bus for the US Airways departure terminal.

"The driver said to us, 'Oh, did you hear about the computer outage at US Airways?'" Thompson said.

What they found was a terminal of wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder people. "It took 15 minutes to go 5 feet," Griffin said. "By the time we made it to a kiosk, our plane was taking off."

The outages demonstrate how much airlines rely on computers. Reservations and customer service are largely automated now. Passengers are urged to check in online, at self-help airport kiosks or by mobile phone - without the help of agents. Paper tickets are rare.

When computers go down as they did Sunday, agents are pressed into action. US Airways' Mohr said more agents and customer service personnel were called in to help organize the crush of people. She said many passengers were pulled from the long lines and helped to make their flights.

'Inexcusable' disorganization

Renee Giordano said she saw no "specific plan" at work. She and her family were set to fly Sunday morning to a memorial service in Providence, R.I., and return Sunday night.

But their flight took off while they were still standing in line waiting to get printed boarding passes. "We were just going for the day," Giordano said. "So rescheduling or waiting for a later flight was not an option."

She saw no effort to get people on planes. "The disorganization and lack of any specific plan was inexcusable," she said. "No one was communicating to passengers."

By noon, the lines had thinned and "we are back to looking like a typical summer Sunday travel day," Mohr said.

Still, there were delays.

Bob Wilkens' 11:40 a.m. US Airways flight to Baltimore suddenly was pushed to 1 p.m. He was trying to make it to his parents' house for a 4 p.m. surprise 50th wedding anniversary party.

Wilkens had to work Saturday, so Sunday morning was the earliest he could fly.

"I had hoped to help with the party preparations," he said. "But, under the circumstances, my siblings are going to have to do it without me. At this rate, I'll be lucky to make the surprise."