Breakdown of new OIA shuttle affects 14,000, officials report
Everyone from the airport’s wildlife manager to federal air marshals tried to help when one of Orlando International Airport’s new shuttles malfunctioned, leaving about 14,000 travelers in limbo.
“It was not our finest hour,” said Phil Brown, executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “There was certainly a lot of concern and a lot of discomforted passengers.”
He said the malfunction, which lasted more than three hours and shut down shuttle service to and from gates 30 to 59, was the biggest single instance of passenger disruption in the airport’s history, other than Sept. 11, 2001.
Melissa Young, who was flying to Dallas on American Airlines, said it took her nearly two hours to get to her gate.
“We were packed in there like sardines,” she said of the long lines. “It was horrible. There was very limited communication. Everyone was kind of like, ‘what is going on?’ ”
Young, 47, said she was among the people bused to her terminal.
There were children crying and a woman who had to be taken away by medical personnel after passing out, she said.
Brown said that Wednesday’s malfunction to the airside that serves American, United and Spirit was caused by an electrical issue with one of the shuttle’s doors that tripped a breaker. He said technicians will go through all the cars to prevent another breakdown.
Airport officials initially said they hadn’t received any reports of passengers missing their flights because of the delays, but some travelers, such as Bryan Moose, said otherwise.
“My flight alone had more than 20 people missing their flight to Philadelphia,” he said. “This has been a terrible experience, and for the airport to claim no one missed their flight is like putting salt in a wound.”
Moose had gotten to the airport at 8:45 a.m. for his 11 a.m. flight. He and fellow travelers who missed the flight because of the shuttle breakdown were rebooked onto a flight for Wednesday evening.
After the shuttle stopped, Brown said the airport started putting incoming and outgoing passengers on buses, which is what they do in the evenings because of the airport’s $3.2 billion expansion project — but the volume of passengers is much greater during the day.
“We do this on a nightly basis because of the construction,” he said. “But the volume of flights at night are [much less.]”
Brown said people who wanted to do so were allowed to walk to and from the airsides to the main terminal with escorts. He said all hands were on deck to help: firefighters, police, air marshals, airport ambassadors, air operations personnel and the airport’s wildlife manager.
Passenger Tim Zatzariny Jr. said people were waiting in long lines for buses to get to their gates, and there was little organization.
“Lines for shuttles to gates [are] moving very slowly,” he said. “[There is] lots of confusion, as no one seems to be taking charge of the situation.
“Employees are doing the best they can,” Zatzariny said, “but where is management?”
Melanie Neff of Orange County, Calif., traded one headache for another. She made it quickly through security and got on a different shuttle as directed by authorities.
“You got off the tram, and you just walked into a pile of people,” she said.
They moved about a foot every 10 minutes and finally got on the bus after an hour.
“When we finally got on the bus, the door broke,” she said. “They had to take us off that bus and put us on another one.”
She was able to get to her flight, which was delayed.
The system was back in service by about 12:40 p.m.
Young, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was in town for the Star Wars Celebration at the Orange County Convention Center. She said it wouldn’t ruin her vacation, although it certainly will be a memorable end.
“I’ll have PTSD from MCO,” she said with a laugh.