Spirit Airlines is hit by system-wide computer outage as it warns passengers to expect long lines

Spirit Airlines has fixed a computer meltdown which lasted more than three hours, delaying hundreds of flights across America. 

The ultra-low-cost carrier apologized for technical delays which caused misery for passengers who were unable to check in for their flights, while others had to wait on board grounded planes. 

According to the flight-tracking site Pulse by Anuvu, less than 16% of Spirit flights were departing on time as of 11.15a.m. Thursday. 

By 2.15pm, this percentage had improved - with on-time departures up to 64% - but Spirit warned customers should still expect long lines. 

Hundreds of flights are likely to have been impacted, as the airline operates more than 700 daily.  

Spirit Airlines suffered a systems outage for more than three hours on Thursday, meaning passengers could not check in 

Check in terminals at Spirit Airlines branches across the US were out of action for at least three hours on Thursday, causing transport misery  

People wait in line at a Spirit Airlines counter at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport 

When the technical issues first hit, the airline said: 'We are currently experiencing a technical issue. 

'Spirit.com, the Spirit Airlines app and and our airport kiosks are currently unavailable at this time.

'We anticipate longer than usual lines at the airport so please plan on arriving early.'

Angry patrons complained about missing their planes after being unable to check in, while others said they have been waiting for take-off for more than two hours.

Passengers were warned to check in early due to long lines caused by the Spirit Airlines systems bug 

Less than 16% of Spirit flights were departing on time as of 11.15a.m. Thursday 

Hundreds of flights are likely to be affected as the carrier operates 700 daily 

 One passenger wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely 0 information in the airport. Shockingly horrendous customer service.'

Another complained that their plane had been de-boarded because of the system outage, adding that the Spirit app had been out of action for '5 hours'. 

Meanwhile, a Twitter user called DJ Frankie B posted a scene from one airport showing passengers waiting around, saying: 'I got a feeling we about to be here for a while'. 

The passenger said his flight was 'supposed to be out an hour ago', adding: 'Haven’t seen one Spirit plane leave the ground … sorry for cheating on you Delta'. 

Another traveler appealed to the airline on social media saying he was unable to check in for a flight towards the location of his father's funeral, adding: 'This is something I cannot reschedule'.

Also on Twitter, a user called Nilsa vented that her 15-year-old nephew had been left waiting for three hours at San Antonio airport 'with no update as to when the flight will take off' and that Spirit told her they had 'no clue'.  

'Extremely disappointed with the lack of communication and customer service,' she said.

Lines were longer than usual at Spirit Airlines check in desks due to the systems bug

Spirit Airlines said the issue was resolved by around midday on Thursday, but flights remained heavily delayed due to the knock on effect of earlier planes being grounded

 Just over three hours later, Spirit Airlines apologized and said the technical issue had been resolved. 

They said: 'We have resolved a network issue between third party services that affected our website, mobile app and some internal applications. 

'We apologize for any delays or inconvenience, and we're now working our way back to normal operations.

'We advise  guests to check their flight status and to plan on arriving at the airport early, as we anticipate longer than usual lines.'