The trams at Orlando International Airport are working double time Thursday, following the fifth breakdown in two months for the troubled shuttle system.
A power outage caused the tram to stop running for 2.5 hours Wednesday at Orlando International Airport, which has experienced flight and passenger delays since the first breakdown April 19. The recently-installed tram traveling to gates 30-59 serves American, United and Spirit airlines
The airport added a new tram Wednesday, which was originally scheduled to debut Monday, but was cleared for service after passing tests, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Phil Brown, executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, blamed the initial outages on electrical problems caused by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America, the company installing a new tram to Airside 3.
Brown has publicly apologized for the service disruptions in a statement that said, “It is not the experience that any of our guests deserve.”
The Automated People Mover (APM) system that shuttles passengers between the main terminal and Gates 1-59 is under renovation as part of airport’s $3.1 billion capital improvement program.
The first shuttle breakdown lasted three hours and caused delays for 14,000 passengers, who had to walk or be bused to the terminal. The airport agreed to compensate travelers who missed their flights that day with $250 to $600. Subsequent outages on April 23 and 24 and May 1 were shorter but still inconvenienced passengers.