Photo/Illutration Due to a computer system glitch that halted automatic check-ins, passengers waited in long lines at Japan Airlines Co.’s check-in counter at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport at 9:24 a.m. on Feb. 16. (Sayuri Ide)

A glitch in Japan Airlines Co.’s (JAL) passenger service system that struck early on Feb. 16 disrupted services and delayed dozens of departures until it was finally fixed later that same day.

For much of the day, it prevented passengers from using automatic check-in machines for domestic flights at airports nationwide where JAL provides flight services, the company said. Customers also could not make new bookings online for domestic JAL flights.

The computer problems were resolved at 2:35 p.m. the same day, officials said, and the automatic check-in machines and online booking services have been restored.

The major airline attributed its computer troubles to a malfunction in the equipment that connects the internal and external systems associated with booking and other services.

As of 10:30 a.m., 23 domestic flights were delayed by up to 67 minutes due to the computer issues, officials said. As of 3 p.m., 49 domestic flights had been delayed by more than 30 minutes.

The system glitches were discovered around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, company officials said.

JAL personnel at each airport performed boarding procedures, checked in passengers’ baggage and inspected their tickets manually.

No flights were canceled, nor did the issue affect international flights.

But early in the day, JAL’s automatic check-in machines became unavailable for passengers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, inconveniencing travelers. About 20 passengers lined up in front of the check-in counter to complete their boarding procedures around 9:10 a.m.

Paper signs posted on the machines said they were out of order, and the self-baggage drop was taped off to prevent passengers from accessing the area.

The airport’s electronic bulletin boards showed messages that urged passengers to complete their boarding procedures at the counter.

They also could not access the security check area using their IC cards or smartphones. Airport personnel checked their boarding passes visually and marked them with pens.

A 25-year-old IT worker who was heading to Okinawa on a business trip on a 9:50 a.m. flight said he left for the airport earlier after hearing about the computer system problems.

“I arrived early because it was on the morning news,” he said. “I was treated preferentially, so I was not confused but relieved.”

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