Terminal A at Newark Airport opens as flights get back on schedule after FAA outage
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Newark Liberty International Airport opened its brand new Terminal A on Thursday after a number of delays.
The new $2.7 billion terminal was originally set to open last month but several glitches pushed the date back.
There was fanfare on the tarmac welcoming one of the first flights to the new Terminal A, but it wasn't the smoothest move from the old terminal to the new one.
Some passengers complained of missing flights and authorities say there were some early morning security issues.
"We had a couple of hiccups, we had a power outage this morning which obviously caused some problems, we had a couple of security breaches on some folks who wanted to bypass the check-in which caused a bit of a slowdown," Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole.
But the morning bugs in the system seemed to level off as the day got rolling and it turned into a bustling place with long security lines and passengers trying to get their bearings in the new terminal.
"It looks really nice, we appreciated its cleanliness, we had finicky technology but it's smooth sailing, everyone is really nice," passenger Lauren Cooper said.
"It's amazing, it's beautiful, brand new and exciting," passenger Ethan Katz said.
The terminal has a Jersey vibe with artwork from Jersey artists, a wide variety of places to eat with 50 restaurants and bars, and a playground. It's a place where Jersey pride is on display.
Despite the early glitches in the system, the reviews of the new terminal are good.
"It's big, it's open, it's airy -- first day jitters but otherwise it seems to be OK," passenger Scott Placke said.
So far 21 gates are open and more will come online by the end of the year.
The old Terminal A will eventually be knocked down and a new Terminal B will be constructed.
The opening comes the day after the FAA experienced a major outage.
More than 10,000 U.S. flights were delayed and over 1,3000 were canceled. The outage was caused by a mistake that occurred during routine scheduled systems maintenance, according to a senior official in an internal review.
The mayhem prompted the FAA's 7 a.m. nationwide ground stop, which was lifted by 9 a.m. This was the first ground stop since 9/11.
WATCH | Minimal airline delays, cancellations a day after US outage:
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