Flight Delays and Power Outage Cause Chaos at Buffalo Niagara International Airport
The Healy family had planned to spend Wednesday moving their son Reid into his new apartment in Wichita, Kansas. However, their plans were derailed when their 6:30 a.m. flight was delayed by more than 11 hours at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
The family spent the day waiting in line for hours, speaking with airline representatives, and chatting in the airport lobby. They hoped to reach their destination before midnight, but the rental car desk at the Wichita airport closes at that time.
“It’s an inconvenience, but you’re kind of powerless as to what you can do,” said Bill Healy, expressing his frustration.
The flight delays were caused by a “transformer issue” that resulted in a power outage at the airport for about six hours early Wednesday morning, according to a spokesperson from the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. Numerous flights were delayed or canceled as a result.
When the Healys arrived at the airport around 5 a.m., they found the lobby packed and lit with backup lights due to the power outage. Without self-service check-in kiosks, airport staff had to manually assist long lines of flyers.
“They’re stressed out,” Audrey Healy said of the airport employees. “One of them said, ‘This is my last day today.'”
Passengers waiting in the long lines applauded when the airport’s main lights finally came back on, but unfortunately, the delayed flights did not resume as quickly.
“Once the power was back on, it didn’t really help anything,” Bill Healy said, laughing.
The airport had been running on backup power for several hours before power was finally restored around 9 a.m. However, the power outage also affected other areas, with one customer in Cheektowaga still without power as of 3 p.m., according to New York State Electric and Gas.
The incident at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport caused significant disruptions and inconveniences for travelers, highlighting the importance of reliable power supply and backup systems in airports.
For more information, contact Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602.
Source: The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo
How did the Healy family’s travel plans for their son’s move to Wichita, Kansas, get disrupted due to flight delays and a power outage at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport?
Healy family got caught in the midst of chaos at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport due to flight delays and a power outage. Their intended move for their son Reid to his new apartment in Wichita, Kansas, had to be postponed as their 6:30 a.m. flight suffered a staggering delay of over 11 hours.
