Airline may face fines for security breach at Kennedy Airport

An American Airlines employee caused a breach in security at Kennedy Airport last week by mistakenly directing passengers from an international flight to the domestic terminal, bypassing clearance by U.S. Customs agents, authorities said Monday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is investigating the "airline error" after the carrier's gate agent did not realize Flight 1671 had come from Cancun, Mexico, and led 13 of the 76 passengers through the domestic door before the mistake was realized, according to officials.

As of Monday, three passengers, who did not have checked baggage and left the terminal, have not been cleared, but arrangements have been made for their return to Customs at Kennedy, authorities said.

The breach comes amid heightened security after terrorism attacks in Paris and Malaysia and the coming Thanksgiving holiday travel.

"We take the safety and security of our customers, employees and operation very seriously and work closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration, who vet all passengers prior to boarding any aircraft with a destination in the United States," American Airlines said in a statement, noting it was working with authorities to prevent such security lapses in the future.

The breach, which Customs called an "infraction," could result in fines for the airline.

"The three remaining are U.S. citizens," said a statement from Customs, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

The mistake was discovered when passengers began looking for their checked baggage, which was in the international area of the terminal, an American Airlines official said. Airline employees found the passengers and led them to Customs, the official said.