SHATTERED Adelaide players and staff are finally bound for home after a nationwide, computer-related ticket glitch left them stranded at Melbourne Airport on Sunday. 

The Crows' Virgin Australia flight was originally scheduled to take off at 1.05pm AEDT, but passengers did not board the plane until more than an hour after that.

The events continued a torrid weekend for the minor premiers, who started the AFL Grand Final as favourites and led Richmond by as many as 13 points in the second quarter. 

But the Tigers wrested control with seven goals in a row either side of half-time on their way to a 48-point triumph that euphorically ended a premiership drought that dated back to 1980.

Loyal Adelaide fans were already waiting at Adelaide Oval before the flight delays. The team is now hoping to arrive for the post-Grand Final family day by 4pm ACDT.

Virgin Australia released a statement on Sunday afternoon explaining the glitch:

"We are currently experiencing a disruption to our check-in systems due to an Optus technical issue.

"We are manually checking passengers in and therefore there will be delays to flights today. We recommend that anyone who is due to fly with us this afternoon allow extra time for check-in at the airport.

"Updates will be provided via our website at virg.in/vatravelalerts and our social media channels.

"We are working with Optus to ensure the issue is rectified as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for any delays and inconvenience this has caused our guests, and will provide further details as soon as possible."

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