(NEXSTAR) — Budget airline Spirit says it’s working back to normal operations after “a technical issue” caused long lines and apparent flight delays on Thursday morning.
Early on Thursday, the airline said the issue had caused its website, its app, and its airport kiosks to be unavailable as of 8 a.m. CT. In an update posted around an hour later, the carrier indicated that only its app was unavailable.
“We anticipate longer than usual lines at the airport so please plan on arriving early,” Spirit wrote on Twitter.
In a statement shared with Nexstar, Spirit said the cause of the problem was “a network issue between third-party services,” and that it had been resolved as of 10:30 a.m. CT.
“We apologize for any delays and inconvenience, and we’re now working our way back to normal operations,” a spokesperson said.
Thursday morning’s delays, according to passengers, had significantly backed up travelers at airports in different parts of the country, some indicated.
One Twitter user said that they had been “stuck on a plane for 2 hours not taking off.” Another claimed his flight from Baltimore–Washington International Airport deplaned early on Thursday morning before eventually re-boarding three hours after the scheduled takeoff time.
“I’m at DFW my flight was to take off at 5:15 a.m.,” another person tweeted just before 8 a.m. CT. “Still waiting…”
Others, including some who were waiting for their flights, passed the time by making jokes.
“Sorry for cheating on you @Delta,” one tweeted, along with a video of passengers waiting at the gate.
“@SpiritAirlines have you tried turning the computer off and back on again?” another user sarcastically asked.
Spirit directed flyers to track their flight at FlightAware.com, a site that tracks flights, delays, and cancellations.
There were multiple Spirit flights that were able to depart Thursday morning. One, a flight between Atlanta and Los Angeles appeared to depart nearly an hour later than scheduled. Another from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Florida also left about 45 minutes late.
It’s unclear if these delays, too, were caused by the technical issue.