Denver's automated baggage system chewed up luggage — and delayed the airport 16 months

Denver International Airport (DIA), which opened in February 1995, was designed to feature the world's most advanced automated baggage handling system. The $193 million system, built by BAE Systems, used 4,000 automated carts on 21 miles of track to route luggage from check-in to the correct aircraft.

The system was a disaster. During testing, the carts jammed, chewed up luggage, misrouted bags and frequently broke down. The system was so unreliable that the airport's opening was delayed by 16 months, at a cost of approximately $1.1 million per day in interest payments on construction bonds.

When DIA finally opened, the automated system was used only for outbound bags from one airline. The rest of the baggage was handled manually. The automated system was eventually abandoned entirely in 2005. The case illustrated how an over-ambitious technology project, driven by political pressure to be 'the most advanced,' can fail when the technology is not mature enough for the scale required.