Posted on 05/09/2017 11:54:52 AM PDT by Morgana
FULL TITLE: Chaos at Fort Lauderdale airport as angry passengers clash with cops: Three are charged with inciting a riot and customers are thrown to the floor as ELEVEN canceled flights lead to ugly scenes
Furious passengers lashed out at police, were thrown to the floor and arrested during chaotic scenes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Several people were detained during ugly confrontations with law enforcement when 11 Spirit Airlines flights were canceled and 26 were delayed at the Florida hub on Monday night because pilots refused to fly during a union dispute.
The group of passengers who clashed with cops were angry because the last-minute disruptions meant they would miss a graduation ceremony.
A mob of irate customers began beating the counters and screaming at staff, prompting airline employees to call the police.
Shocking footage shows people shouting as they are dragged from the terminal building. Women were also captured attacking officers, only to be thrown on the floor of the departure building. Some passengers applauded as the women were escorted out.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
That’s mere hysteria. There are problems for sure, but none of that list is “probable” — I’ve flown many many many times in recent years without experiencing or witnessing ANY of the above. Sure, the TSA and airlines need to be upgraded substantially, but hysterical inaccurate denunciations serve no useful purpose.
IIRC, Spirit has pretty good legroom and low fares.
This is entirely due to the pilot union and a planned “slow down” hoping to pressure the company. I hope the CEO fires the offenders and hires pilots who want to work.
Checked glassdoor.com... if correct, pilot salaries for Spirit range from $58k to $104k.
They all appear to be Obama’s son’s and daughter’s.
I fly little, and only if just no other way....I’d rather drive....and for all the reasons mentioned on this thread....
You think when a train is full they just slap on another passenger car and/or engine? Doesn’t happen. I’ve been on plenty of Amtrak trains packed to the gills in the Northeast corridor over the years which didn’t get expanded to accommodate e.g. holiday crowds.
“Doesn’t happen”
It doesn’t happen because Morgana is not the CEO of Amtrak.
The people will blame the airline but it was the labor union that caused it. Of course the airline won’t be able to say that.
My solution, if it’s under 1,000 miles, is to drive my Navigator.
“Thank you for flying Spirit Airlines!”
...maybe they should rethink the name.
“Passive Hostage Airlines”?
“Sit Down And Shut Up Airlines”?
“Stockholm Syndrome Airlines”?
Next thing you know, passengers will show up with brass knuckles.
I bet the union picked the best time to strike for optimal impact.
I’ve been boycotting the airlines for over 10 years.
I wish more people would join me. If enough joined, that industry could be driven into bankruptcy.
A stereotype reinforced once again.
The pilots are protected by their union. However, if a pilot didn’t want to strike he would be threatened by his union.
Pilots got what they wanted, chaos
ok, but that doesn’t make your assertion any more true.
I love trains (not necessarily Amtrak!), but I don’t generally want to take a train to go more than 120 miles or so. High speed rail in Europe can be great, but is not economical in the USA (geography + demography) and would require heavy public subsidies. Not a good idea.
Our best option is to make airline transportation much better. It can be done and should be done.
Hmmm... teens? All the key behaviors are there.
Judging from the many responses, your opinion that it is “hysteria” seems to have been outvoted.
When the last airline employee turns out the lights at the airport, and joins the unemployment line, maybe then we can have an honest discussion about what is happening. Until then, a lot of us are choosing dignity and control over the obvious “train the population to get into the cattle cars to the gas chambers” approach to public transportation.
If it were just a bunch of white people who did nothing, they would be called sheep here on free republic.
Maybe they got the right idea.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.