Fueling issues cause delays at RDU

At about 4:30 a.m., the computer system that monitors fuel at the airport falsely indicated that there was a fuel emergency. Despite the mistake by the computer, the entire system was shut down as a precautionary measure.

Officials said it took about two hours for the system to completely reboot, causing delays that lasted between 15 minutes and an hour for most travelers. They said they weren't sure how many travelers were impacted.  

The first flights, scheduled to take off around 6 a.m., were delayed until about 7 a.m., officials said.

Southwest Airlines, which flies out of Terminal 1, was the only airline not affected by the glitch since it doesn't use the same fuel farm as other airlines at RDU, officials said.

Airport officials said they weren't sure what caused the issue, but said departure times returned to normal by about 10 a.m.

"We are looking at a contingency plan throughout the day and the holidays to make sure we're ready in case it happens again," RDU spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin said. "Everything is working as it should be. We don't expect that (system) to do it again. This is the first time this has ever happened."