Enraged passengers clashed with police at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Monday night. Women were thrown to the floor and arrested as 11 flights were grounded and 26 were delayed.
What Happened?
Confrontations between passengers and airport staff turned ugly when police got involved after several delays and cancellations. The specific group of passengers who became entangled with the officers were upset that these last minute changes would force them to miss a graduation ceremony. A mob of irate customers began beating the counters and screaming at staff, prompting airline employees to call the police.
You can see the incident unfold in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0o7doF7CbM
In the video, you can see women attacking officers and being thrown to the floor.
Other passengers gave a round of applause when the women were being escorted out.
The conflict erupted in the departure building as passengers waited to board flights. One woman in a pin dress appeared to be thrust to the floor as she and the officer fell over the ropes used to control lines in the airport.
Additional video footage sees men and women, believed to be traveling to a graduation ceremony, being led away by Broward Sherrif’s Office officers. One passenger can be heard singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” as the passengers are hauled away.
https://instagram.com/p/BT2uy9JDMAL/
The disrupted flights are said to be a result of the ongoing negotiations between Spirit Airlines and the Airline Pilots Association.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, United States, bounded by Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach, three miles southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale and 21 miles north of Miami. It serves north of 29 million passengers per year with a based aircraft fleet of 88.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d14335.023401209453!2d-80.1506022!3d26.0742344!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x0%3A0x2ae0339d90a6cbe6!2sFort+Lauderdale-Hollywood+International+Airport+(FLL)!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1494336068986&w=750&h=400]
