The busiest day in the history of Sky Harbor International Airport did not go as planned.
On Feb. 2, the day after Super Bowl XLIX, an estimated 80,000 people flew out of the Phoenix airport. That's twice the figure of an average day.
Most of those people were in town because of the big game in nearby Glendale, Ariz., and many of the fans attending New England's victory over Seattle had a program from the matchup. This year's official program was decorated with a hologram, and that detail turned out to be a nightmare for security officials in Phoenix.
A look at the game program for Super Bowl XLIX pic.twitter.com/eCznjmvsA3
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) February 1, 2015
SuperBowl programs causing problems at Phoenix airport. Cant check in bags because of metallic hologram pic.twitter.com/AymJrR5IAA
— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) February 2, 2015
According to the Wall Street Journal the hologram set off alarms in checked baggage, requiring every single one of those bags to be hand checked.
“It’s created total chaos for us," an anonymous US Airways employee told the Journal.
This mishap prompted rental car companies and airlines to ask customers to put the program in their carry-on luggage. After the hologram issue was solved, reports indicate the day went smoothly for most travelers.
