A computer glitch hit All Nippon Airways' check-in system for international flights at Narita, Chubu, Hong Kong and San Francisco airports Thursday morning, Japan's second-largest air carrier said.
Nine international flights leaving Narita airport for destinations including Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris departed by up to 75 minutes behind schedule, inconveniencing about 1,800 travelers, ANA said.
No delays have been reported on flights at airports other than Narita, it said.
The trouble started around 7 a.m. and the computer system was restored to normal at 10 a.m.
ANA officials said some trouble might have hit the communications system and engineers are currently investigating the cause of the problem.
A long line of passengers formed at ANA's check-in counter at Narita airport at one point.
"I arrived here at around 9 a.m. only to find a tremendous number of people waiting. I couldn't tell which line of people was for the business class and which was for economy," said a 57-year-old company president from Toyama. "It was a mess."
Another passenger, a 55-year-old woman from Tochigi, vented her spleen on ANA for its mishandling of the glitch.
"No explanation has been provided by ANA. I've been kept waiting for hours on end," she said, adding she was scheduled to leave for Germany on her summer vacation.
In May 2007, ANA was hit by a system glitch for its domestic flights for two days, causing the cancellation of 130 flights.
