Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Jamaica to Florida were told to prepare for an emergency water landing soon after taking off from the Caribbean island’s Montego Bay Airport.
Flight NK270 departed Jamaica under seemingly normal conditions on Sunday. However, a chiming signal, the meaning of which was unclear, can be heard in a video shared by passenger Bettina Rogers on TikTok. Soon after, the pilot announced he suspected a mechanical issue and told passengers he needed to “do an emergency landing. We’re going to head back so that I can get the mechanics and the engineers to take a look at it”, Rogers told USA Today.
At that time, passengers remained widely calm, as the pilot ensured there was “nothing to be alarmed about”. “Five minutes later, it was ‘Flight attendants, prepare for emergency landing,’ so they got ready”, Rogers said. But after another five minutes, the pilot told cabin crew to prepare for emergency water landing. “That’s when the whole plane went frantic.”
It was scary, and people were freaking out and panicking.
Bettina Rogers
Despite the alarming experience, the plane, an Airbus A321, safely landed back at Montego Bay, where passengers were able to deboard under regular conditions. “The plane landed safely at MBJ and taxied to the terminal where guests deplaned under normal procedures”, Spirit said in a statement.
The airline apologised for the inconvenienced caused to travellers and said the water landing announcement was made “out of an abundance of caution”, to ensure that passengers are prepared in time for the worst-case scenario. “Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft will be thoroughly evaluated by our maintenance team”, Spirit added.
The passengers were soon transferred to another aircraft and landed at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Airport just 45 minutes after the initial time of arrival. They also received meal vouchers and $50 worth of credit to use on future flights with Spirit.
However, not all passengers were pleased with the resolution. “After that near-death experience and emotional distress, Spirit wants to offer US$50 credit to use by August of this year”, Andrene Gordon told Jamaican outlet the Gleaner. “I feel like that is a slap in the face because they put us through such a traumatic experience.”
The incident took place as holiday goers returned home following Memorial Day weekend in the US. Two days prior, at the beginning of the holiday, airports across the country had witnessed the busiest travel day ever, with 2.95 million passengers screened at security checks, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
