A US court has granted Spirit Airlines' request for a temporary restraining order against its pilots union, preventing the group from taking any action that will interfere with the airline's operations.
The order comes after Spirit cancelled more than 300 flights during the past week, which it blames on an intentional "work slowdown" organised by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which is in contract negotiations with the carrier.
ALPA says Spirit's pilots will comply with the court order, saying: "Spirit pilots are committed to helping impacted passengers and the company restore normal operations."
The Spirit flight cancellations have led to frustration among passengers, some of whom ended up fighting with airline staff and police at the Fort Lauderdale airport.
Spirit says its pilots have intentionally turned down junior assignment and open time flying in an effort to disrupt the airline's operations.
The temporary restraining order granted by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida prevents ALPA and its master executive council from calling for, instigating or encouraging any sort of action that could disrupt the airline's operations.
A hearing for a preliminary injunction against the union will take place on 15 May, says Spirit.
Under the US Railway Labour Act, airline employees must be legally authorised before they can carry out a strike. Spirit and its pilots have been in contract negotiations since 2015.
Story updated with ALPA comment
Source: Cirium Dashboard
