Thousands of US travellers delayed by Border Protection computer outage
1,700 flights canceled taking the count to 20,000 since Christmas eve
ThousandsoftravellersatUS airports faced delays late on Friday because of anoutageofUS Customs andBorderProtection's (CBP) processing systems, officials said.
CBP said in a statement theoutagewas temporary and "officers continue to process internationaltravellersusing alternative procedures until systems are back online.
Travellersat some ports of entry are experiencing longer than usual wait times."
People at variousUS airports posted videos on social media sites of lengthy lines at processing checkpoints and several airports warned of extensive delays.
Passengers disembarking at Dulles Airport in the Washington, DC area reported delays of two to four hours.
After several hours, CBP issued a statement saying itscomputers were coming back online.