Many things can set customers off, like exorbitant rates on things, poor services, and a slow response in an emergency situation. This was the case with a mother and daughter, who got into a full-blown brawl with Spirit Airlines agents as they prepared to board a flight to Fort Lauderdale.
Keep reading for the details.
The violent exchange occurred at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday evening, when a 39-year-old mom and her 17-year-old daughter got extra fees from agents due to the large size of their carry-on luggage.
The footage obtained exclusively by DailyMail showed the two travelers grabbing and exchanging blows with airport gate agents at the entrance to the jetway as the Fort Lauderdale-bound aircraft prepared to launch.
The footage shows the daughter grabbing the dreadlocks of the airline staff, while an airport worker in a high jacket responds with a slap over the back of the head of the daughter and shouts, "Get off! Get off!"
As soon as the daughter lets go of the hair, the airport agent dealt several blows to her face, even while the 17-year-old couldn't fight back because she was under restraint.
As the daughter dealt with the agent, her mom was engaged in a heated exchange that caused her to lose her shirt and shoes in the process. However, she was not deterred, as she fought on in her bra and had bystanders wondering "Where the f*** is security?"
A little boy, who was also reported to be a part of the family, threw several hits at an airline employee before running off in tears.
The fight seemed to have settled until the mom headed for the counter and grabbed a keyboard, but she was stopped by one of the Spirit agents, who gave her a blow to the head from behind and dragged her off.
Her wig got torn in the process, and a uniform official eventually showed up to settle the dust after about two and a half minutes of pure chaos.
While officers spoke to all the parties involved in the brawl, no arrests were made. The fight happened around 7:30 pm at the E Terminal.
The 39-year-old woman left the scene of the fight with a cut to her eye, but nobody else got hurt, according to a statement by the Philadelphia Police Department.
A witness, who asked for her identity to be hidden, saw the outburst and expressed her surprise at the sight of such a fight happening in a busy international airport like this one.
"I was shocked at how violent it was and how long it went on for. I don't know exactly who started it, but there was a lot of yelling, and I turned around to see two Spirit employees fighting a mother and daughter."
The fight caused a one-hour delay in the flight, but it continued to the destination peacefully. This isn't the first time agents of Spirit Airline have gotten into fights with customers, although some were not their fault.
In November 2021, two flight attendants had to hold and zip-tie a drunk passenger during a flight, after she stormed to the front of the plane mid-air with her luggage, threatening to get off the flight.
The Philadelphia Police department called this latest incident an allegation of "simple assault" in their statement to the press.
"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...all participants were advised by police in reference to private criminal complaint documentation."
