Feds Should Help Stop Another JFK Airport Fiasco, Schumer Says

QUEENS, NY — U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer asked federal officials for help Monday in preventing another travel fiasco like the one that struck John F. Kennedy Airport two weeks ago.

The Democratic senator blamed the chaos that followed the Jan. 4 "bomb cyclone" snow storm in part on foreign airlines' failure to communicate with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The airport is still feeling ripple effects from the disaster that stranded hundreds of passengers — some travelers still don't have luggage they lost in the confusion, Schumer says.

In a letter, Schumer asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to force the foreign carriers and the Porrt Authority to create a better communication plan for the future. The federal Department of Transportation has "tremendous leverage" over foreign airlines because it issues certificates allowing them to operate in the U.S., Schumer said.

"Passengers were left stranded, luggage was lost, and flights were diverted as a result of, among other things, the inability for international airlines, the Port Authority, and terminal operators to quickly and adequately communicate on a plan of action," Schumer wrote.

JFK had to close its runways as the massive snow storm dumped nearly a foot of snow on some parts of New York City nearly two weeks ago. Staff shortages and equipment breakdowns caused by near-zero temperatures led to even more delays and cancellations in the following days. Travelers went hours or days without retrieving their luggage.

A water main break on Jan. 7 brought the region's biggest airport to another grinding halt, closing Terminal 4 for several hours and canceling or diverting dozens of flights. The arctic cold also hit Terminal 1 hard, forcing it to close Jan. 6 because it was over capacity, Schumer's office said.

Terminals 1 and 4 are primarily home to international airlines. Those carriers failed to adequately communicate with workers on the ground during the crisis, exacerbating thne problems travelers faced, Schumer said.

The Port Authority oversees operations at JFK, but private companies are responsible for running the terminals. The bi-state agency has tapped Ray LaHood, the former federal transportation secretary, to investigate what went wrong and report on how to prevent another disaster.

But Schumer said the DOT's current chief should play "an active role here and make sure people aren’t put through travel-hell again."

"Federal pressure on foreign airlines to work with the Port Authority to come up with a better communication plan for the airport can help prevent this kind of winter chaos from snowballing in the future," Schumer said in a statement.

Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said the problems Schumer pointed out will be part of LaHood's "top to bottom" review of what went wrong in the storm's wake.

"One of the specific issues we are asking him to look at is the needed improvement in the coordination between international airlines and the privately operated international terminals at JFK that is required to ensure the timely availability of gates to receive inbound international flights," Coleman said in a statement Tuesday evening.

This story has been updated with comment from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

(Lead image: JetBlue airplanes sit on a runway at John F. Kennedy airport on Jan. 4 as a blizzard slams New York City. Photo by Rebecca Butala How/Getty Images)