Authorities say an airline passenger who took a cigarette break caused a security scare at New York City’s Kennedy Airport that led to some flights delays.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it happened late Saturday afternoon in Terminal 8 after the man had gone through security screening and then went out to smoke.

Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo (pehn-TAN’-jeh-loh) says the passenger returned through a gate that wasn’t open.

Screening was halted for about 90 minutes as authorities investigated the breach, which caused up to an hour of delays on all American Airlines flights at the terminal.

The man was interviewed but not arrested.

Kennedy is one of the most heavily trafficked airports in the U.S., handling tens of millions of passengers each year.

(AP)