Spirit Airlines passengers were not happy after their flight was delayed due to engine failure, leaving them stranded in Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Police from the Broward County Sheriff's Office had to be called to the airport as passengers became unruly.
The delay was due to Spirit inspecting an aircraft after one of the planes suffered from an engine failure last week in Texas.
"Following the engine failure on one of our aircraft last week, and after reviewing routine maintenance procedures, we are completing a proactive and voluntary check on our aircraft engines overnight as a precautionary measure," Spirit Airlines said according to WSVN TV of South Florida. " We apologize for these delays. We are working diligently to get our customers where they need to go as quickly as possible. As always, the safety of our customers is our number one priority."
An inspection of each aircraft takes about 45 minutes but some flight experienced significant delays. There were additional delays going on Thursday morning. The airline is expected to finish the inspections Thursday morning.
Passengers became very angry over the delays. The issue left nearly 600 Spirit passengers waiting in the terminal on Wednesday night. No arrests were made when police were called, but the scene was chaotic.
"It's like a homeless shelter," passenger Lauren Digangi tells WSVN. "There's people laying on the floor, I mean it's just insane. I can't stay over there. It's hot, there's screaming, children are crying. It's just a mess."
Some passengers were scared during the situation. One passenger explained how passengers started to get unruly while the plane was sitting on the tarmac. "It was quite crazy," the unnamed passenger told CBS. "I was scared a fight was going to happen on the plane. .. Thank goodness we were able to de-board."
Many passengers were left sleeping on terminal chairs and the floor. One man had to be escorted away because he was so angry.
According to the Miami Herald, passengers only received a $7 food voucher for their troubles and they weren't given their luggage back so they couldn't make other travel arrangements.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
