Recently, Spirit Airlines captured headlines after one of its flights announced that it was going to make an emergency landing after leaving Montego Bay, Jamaica.
According to CNN, the flight had barely left the airport when there was a “suspected mechanical issue” in the air.
“The Airbus plane, which was headed to Fort Lauderdale, reversed course and safely returned to Montego Bay, Jamaica, ‘out of an abundance of caution following a suspected mechanical issue,’ the airline said in a statement. The passengers were deplaned and later put on a different plane to reach their destination,” reads the CNN piece.
Naturally, the internet was quick to pick up on this story—and now, several people who were on the flight have shared their experiences.
Passengers speak out on traumatic Spirit flight
In a video posted by Bettina Rogers (@mztinamarie33), she shows the plane taking off before cutting to the cabin in a state of panic. According to an interview she performed with USA Today, this was because the cabin had just been told that there was going to be an emergency water landing.
After being told that the plane was going to make an emergency landing, Rogers said the announcements continued.
“Five minutes later, it was ‘Flight attendants, prepare for emergency landing,’ so they got ready.’” she told USA Today. “Another five minutes went by and he said, ‘Flight attendants prepare for emergency water landing.’ That's when the whole plane went frantic.”
The video shows the cabin wearing life vests and preparing for the aforementioned landing. Thankfully, the airplane did not have to make an emergency water landing and was able to return to the airport.
The aftermath of the emergency
Another TikTok user who claimed to be on the plane is a TikToker named Will (@wickedwiill). In his video, which currently has over 1.5 million views, he recounts his experience on the plane.
According to Will, he had initially suspected there to be an issue once he noticed that the plane was still low to the ground after 5 minutes of flight.
Like Rogers, Will recalls that they were initially told that they would be going back to the airport due to a technical issue, only to later be informed that they would be making an emergency water landing. This, he says, caused “everybody” to “just [freak] out.”
“People screaming, people over here praying, I'm crying like h*** because I literally thought I was going to die,” Will recounts.
Will says that he accidentally broke his life vest while trying to remove it from under his seat. Thankfully, it ended up not being needed, as the plane was able to make it back to land “by the skin of our teeth.”
“When people tell you about Spirit Airlines, they telling you for a f***ing reason,” he concludes. “Do not travel Spirit Airlines, especially international. That was the worst f***ing experience of my life, my most near-death experience.”
Safety on Spirit Airlines
While Will appears to lay the blame at the foot of Spirit Airlines, the airline itself has comparable safety numbers to its non-budget counterparts.
In fact, according to a survey by WalletHub released earlier this month, Spirit Airlines was the safest airline measured in terms of aviation accidents, injuries and deaths in aviation accidents, and the age of the planes in its fleet. The airline also made it into aviation site Airline Ratings’ top 20 safest low-cost airlines.
That said, there are still numerous issues with the airline that have been reported by flyers, such as its numerous surcharges and aggressive behavior from staff.
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section of Will’s video, users discussed their takes on the event.
“My cousin was on this flight,” wrote a user. “That pilot did his job & you guys landed safely.”
“The way I be passed out with headphones on before the flight even takes off,” added another. “Lawd I gotta start staying awake.”
“I’m glad you all are safe! But the way I would be a citizen of Jamaica after that cause AINT NO WAY IM GETTING BACK ON THAT AIRLINE!! Embassy me,” declared a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rogers and Will via Instagram direct message, and Spirit Airlines via email.
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