Spirit Airlines is like the Wild West. There are rules, and everyone is supposed to follow them, but rule-breakers have a “who’s gonna stop me” attitude and, sometimes, nobody is willing to take up that challenge.
That was not the case in this video that was shared by Daily Mail. In the footage, passengers and gate employees can be seen squaring up and trading vicious blows while screaming and chaos ensue. The tension began when a mother and daughter were asked to pay the charge for their carryons which exceeded the standard size for the airline. When the footage begins, the mom and daughter are seen trying to run onto the plane as the gate agents grab at them to hold them back.
Spirit Airlines Employees throw hands with Mother and Daughter after trying to charge them double baggage fees at the gate for their oversized carry-on bags… pic.twitter.com/MgPHWxQppn
— Fight Haven (@FightHaven) February 6, 2023
One woman was yanking the hair of a Spirit Airlines staffer, and another staffer was slapping the younger lady over the back of the head. This continued for a few seconds while someone yelled “Get off, Get off,” repeatedly. Then, a man with a backpack jumps into the fray, seemingly to break up the fight and get on with his journey, and he ends up catching a few stray shots from the tangled mess that is unfolding before his eyes.
It wouldn’t be an airport without a screaming child, and so of course, one child starts bawling as they walk away from the still-ongoing altercation. Now, things become a bit obscured by a wall of security guards and a few cell phones peeking through the cracks. It is obvious, however, that security was not able to stop the fight and may have even been drawn into it during parts.
A short lull in the actions takes place, as both sides shout from across a line of peacemakers until they feign calmness to get close enough for round two. Haymakers are thrown and one lady ends up losing her shirt somehow as she’s yanked around by her hair.
Unfortunately, the filming ends right after this, so we don’t get to see exactly who won. Although, if I had to guess, everyone lost. Both sides of the skirmish were likely harshly reprimanded, and those poor passengers who were uninvolved undoubtedly suffered a hefty delay to their travel.
The Philadelphia Police Department got involved and released this statement regarding the viral fight:
“On Monday, January 30th, 2023, at approximately 7:29 P.M. police received information that several passengers were pulling apart a 24-year-old female complainant and a 17-year-old female along with her 39-year-old mother during an argument over additional baggage fees,
“At this time, the 17 year old female attempted to access Jetway and was halted by the 24-year-old complainant when she was punched/hair pulled by the 17-year-old female being assisted by her 39-year-old mother.
“The 24-year-old female sustained a minor eyelid laceration. All participants were advised by police in reference to private criminal complaint documentation.”
Following that barnburner, I bet that was the most pleasant flight imaginable. Any troublemaker who may have been aboard is either in custody or lost their voice egging on the women, and the rest of the passengers simply get to rest in a quiet cabin, albeit probably an hour or two later than they’d planned.
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