Summary
- A Spirit Airlines passenger was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after allegedly attacking a gate agent for denying boarding.
- Disruptive passenger incidents are increasing, with one incident occurring every 568 flights in 2022, and physical abuse incidents seeing a 61% year-on-year rise.
- Spirit Airlines is expanding its route network, with Tulum International Airport becoming a brand new destination in March 2024, and the airline currently has 208 Airbus aircraft in its fleet.
A Spirit Airlines passenger has been arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) after allegedly attacking certainly one of the gate agents. As reported by 7News Miami, the incident is believed to have began when the passenger arrived on the gate late to the gate and was subsequently denied boarding.
Police were called to the scene, and the passenger in query, William Patterson, was taken away. They’ve since been released on bail, facing charges of assault. The incident took place on October twenty seventh, although the flight details and time of the incident haven’t been released.
Photo: CarterAerial | Shutterstock
Easy Flying has reached out to Spirit Airlines for comment.
Worrying increase in disruptive passenger incidents
Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that the variety of disruptive passenger incidents increased significantly from one every 835 flights in 2021 to 1 every 568 flights in 2022. Essentially the most common non-compliance incidents include the smoking of cigarettes and vapes, failing to store cabin baggage when required, and passengers consuming their very own alcohol onboard.
Photo: Spirit Airlines
While incidents of physical abuse remained very rare, they saw a pointy increase of 61% year-on-year. IATA is constant to tackle the problem by strengthening regulations world wide and dealing with industry partners on the bottom, comparable to airport bars and duty-free shops, to forestall incidents from escalating in the primary place. The Deputy Director General of IATA, Conrad Clifford, shared his dismay on the statistics, saying,
“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. Passengers and crew are entitled to a protected and hassle-free experience onboard. For that, passengers must comply with crew instructions. While our skilled crews are well trained to administer unruly passenger scenarios, it’s unacceptable that rules in place for everybody’s safety are disobeyed by a small but persistent minority of passengers. There isn’t any excuse for not following the instructions of the crew.”
Spirit Airlines at Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is Spirit Airlines’ major operating base, from where it serves over 65 destinations. Tulum International Airport (TQO) will develop into the newest addition to Spirit Airlines’ route network when the carrier begins flying each day to the Mexican airport in March 2024 from each Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (MCO). Spirit Airlines will likely be certainly one of only two US carriers to serve the Mexican airport, the opposite being Delta Air Lines, which is able to operate each day flights from its Atlanta (ATL) hub.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
Spirit Airlines is currently the seventh-largest airline in North America by passengers carried, and the biggest ultra-low-cost carrier. Based on ch-aviation, the airline currently has 208 Airbus A320 family aircraft in its fleet, with a mean age of seven.2 years old. Spirit Airlines is ready to grow its fleet further over the approaching years because it takes delivery of the 42 A320neos and 71 A321neos that it has on order.
What do you’re thinking that of this incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport? Have you ever witnessed a disruptive passenger incident? Share your thoughts and experiences by commenting below.