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Chaos at Florida airport after Spirit flights canceled

Posted at 9:51 AM, May 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-09 09:51:31-04

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Skirmishes involving irate passengers broke out at a Florida airport following the cancellation of multiple Spirit Airlines flights.

Broward Sheriff’s officials tell ABC News that deputies were called to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday to deal with angry passengers. Videos posted online show deputies trying to break up fights and detaining some unruly passengers.

CBS News reports nine flights were canceled.

In a statement, airline officials say they’re “shocked and saddened” to see videos of the airport incident. They blame the Airline Pilots Association for the cancellations, adding they’ve filed a lawsuit against the pilots association over an “unlawful job action.”

The association tells CBS that Spirit pilots aren’t engaged in any job action with Spirit and that the airline’s operations “have experienced significant problems over the past several days.”

Click here to see video from a passenger’s Twitter feed – Warning: Strong Language and Violence.