Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Skip Security Check at JFK Airport

American Airlines releases a statement to explain what happened when the couple bypassed security while connecting to their flight

There were no pat downs or awkward standing poses for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

While trying to make their connection flight from John F. Kennedy airport to LAX after flying in from Brazil yesterday, E! News confirms that Kimye cleared customs and then completely bypassed one of the most important stops—security.

So what happened?!

"This was a lapse in judgment by one of our employees. We're working closely with the Transportation Security Administration and speaking to the individuals involved to better understand what happened," American Airlines told E! News in a statement.

"The flight in question departed JFK an hour late. It was delayed in part because of this issue and in part because a number of connecting bags were late arriving to the aircraft."

In a statement to E! News, the Transportation Security Administration said: "Two celebrity passengers on an international JFK International Airport flight who arrived yesterday morning (Feb. 12) cleared U.S. Customs and the baggage recheck process. An airline employee escorted the two travelers through a non-public area in order to provide expedited access to their domestic flight. In doing so, the airline employee violated security protocols by permitting the travelers to bypass the TSA security checkpoint."

The agency also noted that upon learning of the violation, TSA officials "conducted a private screening of the two passengers in the area of the jetway," and Kimye were eventually "cleared to board their flight, which departed after a delay of approximately 50 minutes." The incident is currently under investigation.

Kardashian's had no comment.

—Reporting by Holly Passalaqua

(Originally published on Feb. 13, 2013, at 7:53 p.m. PT.)