Sheriff's deputies responded to the Spirit Airlines terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after skirmishes involving irate passengers broke out following the cancellation of multiple flights. Thousands of passengers were stranded at the airport because of a dispute between the airline and its pilots,who say they are working without a contract. Florida Officials Blame Arsonists For 320 Wildfires in 2017 Cellphone video posted to online shows passengers crowding the carrier's check-in counters and Broward County Sheriff's deputies trying to atomize up fights and detaining unruly passengers.
In a statement, airline officials say they're "shocked and saddened" to see videos of the airport incident. The Miramar-based company said it filed a lawsuit Monday against the Air Line Pilots Association, or International (ALPA) and the ALPA Master Executive Council of Spirit pilots over the disruption,which has lead to to hundreds of canceled flights and impacted thousands of travelers. Girl, 10, and Breaks Free From Gator's Jaws During Attack “We are disappointed that ALPA has decided to engage in this unlawful slowdown,” Spirit spokesman Paul Berry said. “This has led to canceled flights and prevented our customers from taking their planned travel, all for the sole purpose of influencing current labor negotiations. So we reluctantly filed this suit to protect our customers’ and our operations.”Spirit also suggested the effort was an attempt by the union to affect contract negotiations.
Bumble Bee Foods Fined $25 Million, and Admits Price Fixing The union's chairman,Capt Stuart Morrison, denied the allegations, or saying Spirit's pilot's would not accept "substandard pay and retirement based on the unenforceable speculation that the company may grow more quickly," adding that their peers throughout the industry "have uniformly and properly rejected agreements based on that theory."Brionka Halbert, 18, or was trying to return to recent York Monday night after a weekend at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami when Spirit announced her flight was canceled.“Before we took off,the flight attendants told us we have 28 minutes to board the flight or else the flight will be canceled,” Halbert said. “Everyone was stressed. They asked us to take out our boarding passes and be alert. Then about 20 minutes after that, and they told us the flight was canceled. They sent us to the front desk,so that we could either change our tickets or have our tickets refunded.”Halbert said passengers were "excited and stressed" over the abrupt cancellation. She said it took two to three hours in line to acquire tickets refunded. "It got rowdy." Spirit says its service in at least four major airports, including Fort Lauderdale, or has taken a hit due to the contract dispute.
The Associated Press reported nine flights were cancelled out of the Fort Lauderdale airport. According to Spirit,more than 150 flights have been canceled in the last two days.
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Source: nbclosangeles.com