JFK Airport Mess To Be Probed By Ex-Transportation Chief

QUEENS, NY — Former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood will lead an independent investigation of the chaos that overwhelmed passengers and staff at John F. Kennedy Airport last weekend, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Wednesday.

LaHood, who led the federal Department of Transportation from 2009 to 2013, will probe "all phases" of the four-day fiasco, from the Port Authority's planning for the massive snow storm that shut down the airport Thursday to the water main break that flooded an international terminal on Sunday.

"We are committed to understanding where and why failures occurred, and making whatever changes are necessary to assure these failures never happen again," said Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority, which oversees the airport.

LaHood will start next week, the agency said. He served in former President Barack Obama's administration after 14 years as a Democratic congressman from Illinois.

The "bomb cyclone" snow storm that struck New York City on Thursday grounded hundreds of flights and forced JFK — the region's busiest airport — to close down its runways for several hours.

The bitter cold that followed on Friday and Saturday made things worse, causing equipment breakdowns, staff shortages and long delays getting passengers their bags, the Port Authority admitted on Sunday. Travelers posted photos of suitcases piled up in a baggage claim area and reported verbal and physical fights.

Then a water main burst in Terminal 4 on Sunday afternoon, shutting down the terminal for several hours and causing flights to be diverted and canceled.

LaHood will work with a team of experts to evaluate "all aspects of the airport's operations," how well the responsible parties coordinated and how the chaos impacted customers, the Port Authority said. He will issue recommendations to the Port Authority once he finishes the investigation and will provide necessary updates as it proceeds, the agency said.

"The Port Authority leadership has asked me to lead a comprehensive investigation into the recent events at JFK Airport, looking at every aspect of what went wrong and making recommendations about what must be fixed," LaHood said in a statement. "I look forward to beginning my investigation."

(Lead image: Ray LaHood speaks in New York City in February 2013. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)