RTTNews | Aug 4, 2021 09:40AM EDT

09:40 Wednesday, August 4, 2021 (RTTNews.com) - Spirit Airlines has canceled or delayed hundreds of flights following significant operational challenges. The low-cost carrier blamed weather, staffing shortages, and system outages for the issues that caused thousands of passengers stranded in the airports.

The flight delays and cancellations started over the weekend, and continue to impact the company.

According to aviation tracking website FlightAware, Spirit canceled 165 flights and delayed another 342 nationwide on Sunday. It also cancelled 277 flights on Monday. As of Tuesday evening, the airline canceled 416 of the day's scheduled flights.

Spirit Airlines issued travel advisory on its website and Twitter, saying that it is experiencing operational challenges in some areas of its network, urging travelers to check email and current flight status before going to the airport.

The company reportedly said it is working throughout to accommodate passengers impacted by travel disruptions, and has asked employees to work extra shifts to handle the hike in summer demand.

Spirit said, "We needed to make proactive cancellations to some flights across the network, but the majority of flights are still scheduled as planned.We understand how frustrating it is for our Guests when plans change unexpectedly, and we're working to find solutions. We ask Guests to actively monitor their emails and flight status before heading to the airport."

Spirit, like other airlines, are facing severe staff shortage amid a surge in summer vacation travels despite the ongoing Covid pandemic crisis. In addition, severe storms and tornadoes with large hail were reported in various areas of the country. Flash flooding warnings also were given.

Certain other airlines, facing the similar issues, also have canceled flights and asked employees to work extra shifts to handle the summer rush.

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