Spirit Airlines passengers were told to don life vests and prepare for a potential water landing on a flight that was safely diverted back to its origin in Jamaica due to an unspecified “mechanical issue”.
”While the suspected mechanical issue did not affect flight safety, guests were instructed to don life vests out of an abundance of caution,” Spirit says on 28 May.
Images shared on social media site X purportedly show Spirit passengers and flight attendants wearing yellow life vests.
The Airbus A320neo operating as Spirit flight 270 bound for Fort Lauderdale returned to Sangster International airport in Montego Bay shortly after take-off. Upon landing, the jet taxied to the terminal and passengers deplaned following regular procedures.
”Safety is our top priority, and the aircraft will be thoroughly evaluated by our maintenance team,” Spirit adds. ”We apologise to our guests for any inconvenience, and we arranged a new aircraft to complete the flight to Fort Lauderdale.”
The incident occurred during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend, which was marred by weather-related disruptions. About a quarter of Spirit’s flights were delayed on 26 May alone, while most other US airlines experienced similar network disruptions, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
