Separate technical issues at Spirit Airlines and Air Canada caused hundreds of flights to be delayed and huge disruptions.
Spirit Airlines announced on Thursday morning that they were experiencing network issues that led to disruptions in their website, mobile app and airport kiosks. Over 50 per cent of flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.
Meanwhile, Air Canada said they too were experiencing separate issues with their communications system.
The issue caused approximately 44 per cent of Air Canada’s flights to be delayed and six per cent to be completely cancelled, according to FlightAware.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Air Canada said their communicator system had begun to stabilize by the afternoon but “at a lower-than-normal rate.”
“As a result, customers may experience delays and in some instances cancellations as we move through recovery. Customers are advised to check the status of their flight before going to the airport as we anticipate the impact will persist through the balance of the day. We have also put in place a flexible policy for those who wish to change their travel plans at no cost,” Air Canada said.
By the afternoon, Spirit said their issues had also begun being resolved.
In a statement provided to The Independent, Spirit Airlines said they had “resolved a network issue” that affected their website, mobile app and internal applications.
“We apologize for any delays and inconvenience, and we’re not working our way back to normal operations,” Spirit wrote.
Spirit advised guests to check their flight status and plan on arriving early.
While airlines have always had to deal with disruptions like technical issues and unpredictable weather patterns, the number of delays and cancellations has increased since the pandemic due to staffing shortages.
Last month, President Joe Biden announced a new rule that would force airlines to compensate passengers with meals, hotels, rides, travel vouchers, miles, cash or waive rebooking fees on top of refunding the cost of tickets if they are responsible for cancellations or delays.
