Fight Breaks Out at Florida Airport After Spirit Airlines Cancels Flights

For the latest air travel controversy, multiple canceled Spirit flights caused chaos in Florida Monday.

Spirit Airlines is at the center of the latest air travel controversy. Footage from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, where numerous canceled flights have angered passengers, shows a fight breaking out near the ticket counter Monday night after more flights were called off:

According toCNN, more than 300 Spirit Airlines flights have been canceled over the past week, leaving thousands of passengers understandably pissed. By Monday night, as shown in clips taken at the airport, the situation had gotten much worse:

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l and the Spirit pilot group it represents are not engaged in a job action. Rather, ALPA and the Spirit pilots are continuing to do everything possible to help restore the company's operations, which have experienced significant problems over the past several days.  While we will continue these efforts, we will actively defend the association, its officers and its member pilots against the unwarranted and counterproductive legal action brought this evening by Spirit Airlines.

According toWPLG Local 10, two men and a woman were arrested when "a fight broke out" near the ticket counter. In a statement to the press, Spirit placed blame on the Airline Pilots Association, International (ALPA). "We are shocked and saddened to see the videos of what took place at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport this evening," Spirit said. "This is a result of unlawful activity by some Spirit pilots designed to disrupt Spirit operations for our customers, by canceling multiple flights across our network. These pilots have put their quest for a new contract ahead of getting customers to their destinations and the safety of their fellow Spirit team members." Spirit added that they have filed a federal lawsuit to "protect our customers' future travel."

The ALPA called Spirit's legal action "unwarranted and counterproductive" in a statement to Complex Tuesday morning:

"People were angry and stressed after this," Brionka Halbert, who was scheduled to fly to New York City, toldNBC News. "Tensions ran high because of the abrupt cancellation. Then, we waited two to three hours at the front desk so that our tickets to be refunded. It got rowdy." According to Halbert, some officers on the scene used "excessive force" on those in the crowd. "The cops went about it in the wrong away even if they were trying to do the right thing," Halbert said.

Spirit Airlines and the Broward Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Complex's requests for comment.

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