Travelers waited in hourslong lines at Hilo International Airport over the weekend and Monday due to an “equipment failure,” according to the state Department of Transportation.
One of the two security checkpoint lines at the airport was closed starting Saturday, delaying TSA screenings of carry-on bags.
“We were down at around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday,” DOT Public Information Officer Jai Cunningham told the Tribune-Herald on Monday. “My understanding is, it was some sort of power issue. TSA was able to fly a part in and a technician.”
Some travelers missed flights and waited in wrap-around lines from the security checkpoint station down to the Southwest check-in kiosk near the airport’s exit.
“We checked in 24-hours in advance for this flight yesterday, and there were no notifications of anything going on,” Sonya Reuter told the Tribune-Herald while waiting in line on Monday. “We were here two and a half hours early for this flight and thought we had plenty of time.”
Reuter was planning on catching a connecting flight in Honolulu to get back home to Canada.
“We don’t think there’s going to be any other flights to our destination today,” she said. “It’s probably going to end up costing us around three or four hundred bucks if we have to change our flights, and if we can’t get back up today, then we probably have to pay for a hotel tonight in Honolulu.”
Honolulu resident Chris Aten also missed his flight and continued to wait in line for updates.
“Our flight left about three minutes ago,” he told the Tribune-Herald on Monday. “(Hawaiian Airlines) wouldn’t let us change the flight, but they said they’ll put us on stand-by.”
At roughly 11:35 a.m. on Monday, the system was back online, and both lanes were open for TSA screenings.
The DOT issued a statement that it would take roughly an hour to return to normal operations, and by 12:44 p.m., the DOT tweeted that wait times were back to normal, taking roughly eight to 10 minutes.
“Our Visitor Information Program was providing chairs and cups of water if anyone needed it,” Cunningham said. “They were trying to make the experience as bearable as possible.”
On Saturday, the DOT confirmed Hawaiian Airlines delayed nine of its 13 flights leaving Hilo, while all five of Southwest’s flights were delayed.
Delays for Sunday and Monday were not yet reported in time for this story.
The DOT put out an advisory Saturday asking passengers to arrive two hours prior to their flight, and additional updates were provided by the DOT through social media.
“This morning, we were updating every 30 minutes or so, letting people know,” Cunningham said. “We were keeping people updated without casting blame.”
Hawaiian Airlines did not respond to requests for comment prior to this story’s publication.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribbune-herald.com.