‘Travelers Expect and Deserve Better.’ Officials Investigating Cause of Massive Floods at JFK Airport

The beleaguered New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) was hit with a water pipe break on Sunday afternoon, which led to severe disruptions and added to the delays at the airport still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s snowstorm.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that it will be launching an investigation to determine why a water pipe, which feeds a sprinkler system, broke at around 2 p.m. on Sunday in the privately-owned Terminal 4.

Videos of the pipe break showed travellers wading through puddles and streams of water cascading from the ceiling at JFK. Travelers planning on flying on Monday may face residual delays and officials warned passengers to allow for extra time and to contact their airline.

“What happened at JFK Airport is unacceptable, and travelers expect and deserve better,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement. “While the water pipe break that occurred appears to be weather-related, we have launched an investigation into the incident to determine exactly what occurred and why an internal pipe was not weather protected and whether any other failures contributed to this disruption. ”

The burst pipe follows disruption wrought by Thursday’s storm, which stranded passengers in planes on the tarmac for hours and led to flight delays and cancellations.