Passengers sue Spirit Airlines over mid-flight brawl
Friday, 11 Apr, 2016
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Three women caught up in a mid-air brawl on a recent Spirit Airlines flight are suing the carrier for failing to control a group of rowdy passengers.
"I am upset that Spirit Airlines failed to protect us, disregarded our safety, and instead continued to serve the women in front of us alcoholic beverages even though they were clearly intoxicated and behaving aggressively," plaintiff Tykisha Diodato said in a statement.
Diodato was travelling with friends Lisa Zampella and Danielle Fonda-Thomas from Baltimore to Los Angeles on March 9 when a dispute over loud music escalated into a brawl.
"The flight attendants failed to take control of the situation before it got to the point where we were physically attacked, humiliated and escorted off the plane as if we were criminals," said Fonda-Thomas during a New York press conference.
Several other passengers filmed the fracas on smartphones which were posted online.
Attorney Gloria Allred said she wants to take the case to trial and is seeking punitive damages for her clients.
"The flight had just landed at LAX and the flight attendants were in their jump seats as required by law. When the fight began, our flight attendants immediately moved to break it up. It is not our practice to over-serve alcohol to anyone," Spirit Airline spokesman Paul Berry said in a statement.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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