Chaos ensued at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after mass flight cancellations by Spirit Airlines on Monday.
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Angry customers clash with Spirit Airlines employees after mass flight cancellations (SAVE)
Passengers became irate at the Fort Lauderdale airport after Spirit Airlines canceled multiple flights. Video footage shows shoving of customers and the police.
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Video footage surfaced late Monday showing physical altercations between police officers and customers. The officers were called when customers became irate with Spirit Airlines employees over the cancellations, a representative of Flordia's Broward Sheriff's Office told Business Insider.
About 500 people became "enraged, fearful, or visually upset," a police report said. Three people were arrested.
A witness told the ABC News Florida affiliate WSVN that two people were handcuffed and "dragged" out of the airport.
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Roughly 300 Spirit flights were canceled in the past week, with 81 canceled Sunday alone, CNN reported.
Paul Berry, a spokesman for the airline, told Business Insider the company was "shocked and saddened" by the events that ensued, and he blamed the flight cancellations on the airline's pilots.
Pilots are turning down flight assignments as part of an effort by the pilot union Airline Pilots Association, International to negotiate higher wages, Berry said. The ALPA has engaged in contract negotiations with Spirit since 2015.
"This is a result of unlawful labor activity by some Spirit pilots designed to disrupt Spirit operations for our customers, by canceling multiple flights across our network," Berry wrote in a statement to Business Insider. "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 filed a lawsuit in federal court against the ALPA, claiming the union initiated an "unlawful slowdown."
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The Southern District of Florida granted Spirit a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order on Tuesday that prevents ALPA members from participating in any actions that would interfere with Spirit's airline operations.
ALPA said it will comply with the court order in a statement to Business Insider:
The ordeal occurred a few weeks after United Airlines came under fire for calling law enforcement to physically remove a passenger from a full flight in April to make room for airline employees. The passenger, David Dao, 69, broke his nose and sustained a concussion after being dragged off a plane by three police officers.
United issued a policy change saying it would "limit the use of law enforcement to safety and security issues only" following the incident.
The United incident has put airlines under a microscope as customers with smartphones record incidents and put the footage on social media. American Airlines suspended a flight attendant after a video went viral showing the attendant challenging a passenger to a fight.
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Dao's forcible removal helped initiate a congressional hearing into how airlines may be harming the customer-service experience, which prompted dialogue about the practice of overbooking and a lack of competition in the airline industry.
Update: This article was updated Tuesday afternoon to include details about the court order issued by the Southern District of Florida.
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