Spirit Airlines is hit by a system-wide computer outage as it warns passengers to expect long queues with 84% of flights delayed
- The ultra-low-cost carrier warned travelers of the technical issues via a statement on Twitter telling them to ‘plan to arrive early’ at airports
- Angry passengers described missing flights and failed to check in
- 84% of departures were delayed according to flight tracking sites
- Hundreds of flights are likely to be affected as the carrier operates 700 a day
Spirit Airlines has been hit by a system-wide computer outage as it warns passengers to expect long queues with 84% of departures delayed.
The ultra-low-cost carrier warned travelers of the technical issues via Twitter – some expressed frustration at not being able to check in, while others said they were stuck on planes for hours with no sign of taking off .
According to flight tracking site Pulse by Anuvu, less than 16% of Spirit flights were departing on time as of 11:15 a.m. Thursday.
Hundreds of flights are likely to be impacted, as Spirit operates more than 700 daily.
People line up at the Spirit Airlines counter at George Bush Intercontinental Airport
In a statement, the airline said: “We are currently experiencing a technical issue.
‘Spirit.com, the Spirit Airlines app and our airport kiosks are currently unavailable at this time.
“We anticipate longer than usual queues at the airport, so please plan to arrive early.”
Angry customers have complained of missing their plane after being unable to check in, while others said they had been waiting for takeoff for more than two hours.
A passenger wrote on Twitter: “Absolutely 0 information at the airport. Horribly appalling customer service.
Another complained that their plane had been evacuated due to the system failure, adding that the Spirit app had been out of service for “5 hours”.
Meanwhile, a Twitter user called DJ Frankie B posted a scene from an airport showing passengers waiting, saying, “I feel like we’re about to be here for a while.”
The passenger said his flight was ‘supposed to be over an hour ago’, adding: ‘I haven’t seen a single Spirit plane leave the ground…sorry I cheated on you Delta’.
