Denver International Airport planned to open in October 1993 with a state-of-the-art automated baggage system. It opened in February 1995. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, hardware and software problems caused bags to be misloaded, misrouted, dropped from telecarts, and jammed in the machinery.
The system’s cost grew from about $195 million to more than $290 million. Denver also installed a conventional backup system so the airport could function while the machine designed to eliminate conventional baggage handling reconsidered its career.
Sources: U.S. GAO: Denver International Airport—Baggage Handling, Contracting, and Other Issues; U.S. GAO: Impact of the Delayed Baggage System.
Image: Denver International Airport terminal by Rschider / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Image depicts the airport, not the original baggage machinery.