Passengers on board a Spirit Airlines flight from Jamaica to Florida had a terrifying experience when they were told to prepare for an emergency landing on water.
Flight NK270 was forced to return to its original destination, Montego Bay, shortly after takeoff on Saturday following a ‘suspected mechanical problem’, as reported by CBS News.
Video from the cabin shows some of the more than 200 passengers wearing life jackets amid the chaos.
However, the Airbus A321 landed safely back at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and guests were able to disembark normally.
Spirit added that the “mechanical issue had no impact on flight safety” and that the emergency landing instructions were given “out of an abundance of caution.”
Flight NK270 was forced to return to its original destination, Montego Bay, shortly after takeoff on Saturday after a ‘suspected mechanical problem’
Spirit added that the “mechanical issue had no impact on flight safety” and that the emergency landing instructions were given “out of an abundance of caution.”
Passengers were given a $50 credit and allowed on a new flight to Fort Lauderdale, arriving just 45 minutes later than scheduled.
Andrene Gordon spoke about the terrifying ordeal with the Jamaican outlet the Shinercalled it a “near-death experience” that started with a “squeaking noise.”
“At first I thought, maybe it’s because it’s a new plane,” Gordon said.
“We were there for about 25 minutes, but the plane never rose high…. The pilot said there was a minor problem, nothing serious, “so we’ll just turn back and go to the airport.”
“We never knew if we would actually reach the ground because all we saw was literally water… it was total chaos,” Gordon added.
“I know the flight attendants are trained, but they’re human. They got scared, everyone got scared.”
Gordon also said the $50 credit felt like “a slap in the face.”
“After that near-death experience and emotional distress, Spirit would like to offer a US$50 credit that you can use by August this year,” Gordon told the Gleaner.
“I feel like this is a slap in the face because they put us through such a traumatic experience with an incompetent crew. That’s just so unacceptable.”
Spirit has apologized to guests ‘for any inconvenience caused’.
TikTok user Tina Marie shared images from the plane’s cabin on Saturday
Passengers received a $50 credit and boarded a new flight to Fort Lauderdale, arriving just 45 minutes later than scheduled
Just a day after the Spirit scare, a United Airlines flight aborted takeoff after the plane engine caught fire while on the taxiway at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
According to the FAA, United Flight 2091 en route to Seattle with 148 passengers and five crew members on board was stopped around 2 p.m.
Video showed clouds of black smoke coming from the wing of the Airbus A320.
Ground crews and emergency responders “immediately addressed” the report and the plane was towed to the gate where the passengers departed, NBC Chicago reported.
Meanwhile, all flights remained grounded at New York’s JFK on Monday – an event attributed to persistent thunderstorms seen across much of the US, the FAA said.
The travel chaos comes as citizens in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee were all hit by a bevy of tornadoes, high winds and flooding over Memorial Day Weekend, which have killed at least 21 people so far.
According to FlightAware, at least 6,837 flights within, to or from the United States have been delayed and 516 have been cancelled.
Memorial Day weekend kicked off what is expected to be a busy summer season
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said Friday it had screened 2.95 million airline passengers, the most ever in a single day.