WATCH: Dramatic video shows mother-daughter duo having wild brawl with Spirit Airlines agents

A brawl erupted between a mother-daughter duo and Spirit Airlines staff near the Philadelphia International Airport’s jet bridge on Monday, January 30. The fight allegedly began when the 39-year-old mother and her daughter (17) were informed of extra fees for their huge carry-on luggage.

The two passengers were supposed to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when the fight took place. The younger passenger was seen grabbing the dreadlocks of one of the Spirit Airlines agents, which prompted other staff to slap her. Several staffers were seen punching the 17-year-old in the face, even though others had restrained her.

Footage has surfaced online, capturing fragments of the vicious brawl between the pair and the Spirit Airlines agents. The flight, too, got delayed as a result of the brawl. Philadelphia Police released a statement addressing the incident and confirmed that a 24-year-old complainant sustained a minor eyelid laceration.

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Police haven't made any arrests in the brawl between passengers and Spirit Airlines staff at Philadelphia International Airport

In the video footage that went viral, the 17-year-old can be seen attacking one of the Spirit Airlines employees while another tried to free the employee from her grip. In the video, a bystander can be heard asking,

“Where the f*** is security?”

A young boy who possibly belonged to the same family as the mother-daughter duo was seen hitting an employee of the airline shortly before breaking into tears and collapsing.

At one point, the 39-year-old woman’s wig was also pulled off. The fight cooled down by the time the older passenger reached the gate kiosk and took the keyboard. Another employee soon restrained her.

Apart from the mother-daughter duo, a 24-year-old woman was also involved in the fight. She reportedly received injuries near the eye. The same was confirmed by the Philadelphia Police Department.

The 39-year-old mom also lost her shoes and shirt in the scuffle that began in Terminal E at around 7.30 pm. Eventually, an official who appeared to be a security guard arrived at the scene and diffused the fights. Police haven’t made any arrests yet.

The Philadelphia Police Department released a statement addressing the brawl involving the Spirit Airlines staff. According to the statement,

“On Monday, 30 January 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.”

It further mentioned,

“At this time, the 17-year-old female attempted to access Jetway and was halted by the 24-year-old complainant when she was punched/hair pulled by the 17-year-old female being assisted by her 39-year-old mother.”

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Spirit Airlines has been involved in similar brawls over the years

Spirit Airlines is infamously known to be involved in similar ugly confrontations over the years. In August 2022, a male airline employee at Dallas Fort Worth airport was seen punching and hitting a young woman after she racially abused him.

In a separate incident in 2020, a violent fight broke out on a flight from Newark to San Juan when a passenger refused to wear a mask and, as a result, was tasered. Soon, several passengers were hurling racial and homophobic abuse at each other.

Media outlets have tried to reach out to the airline for comment regarding the incident. Spirit Airlines released a statement saying:

“Our records show that a vendor agent was assaulted by an unruly passenger at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on Monday, Jan. 30., and an altercation followed. Spirit Airlines does not tolerate violence of any kind. We are investigating this matter and will take the appropriate action as necessary.”

Fellow passengers on the January 30 flight have expressed their views on the brawl between the duo and the airline's employees. A witness told the Daily Mail,

“I was shocked at how violent it was and how long it went on for.”

Another passenger said,

“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. Someone was bleeding. At one stage, a child got involved. Regardless of what he did, he’s just a kid – he looked distraught. If this is the way Spirit Airlines operated, it’s really scary.”

The flight that was in the terminal was delayed for around an hour but then flew to Florida without further disturbances.

A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson described the latest scuffle between the passengers and airline staff as an alleged “simple assault.”