'Shut Up': US Airline Gate Staff Yells At Passengers, Company Apologises

Imagine planning your vacation meticulously and arriving at the airport on time, only to face an unexpected delay of about eight hours. Frustrating enough, right? Now, picture this: the gate agent of the airline not only handles the situation poorly but also threatens and shouts at passengers to stay quiet. This is exactly what happened in a recent incident involving a US airline. A viral video shows a Spirit Airlines gate agent telling passengers to “shut up” after they endured hours of delay. The incident reportedly occurred at Hollywood Burbank Airport in California.

According to The New York Post, passengers who were supposed to fly with Spirit Airlines had been waiting for over eight hours to board their delayed morning flight. Frustration grew and they began questioning the cause of the delay.

The situation worsened when another group of passengers arrived for a different flight and joined the commotion. In the now-viral footage, one agent, desperate to regain control over the crowd, spoke over the intercom, “Please, be quiet so I can think of what’s going on. I don’t even know what aircraft’s here because everybody’s screaming numbers. You guys won’t give me a minute. Please give me a minute,” she said.

The video then shows another agent, visibly upset, clenching her fist and shouting at the passengers. “Can I have everybody’s attention right now!? Do you all wanna get on this flight or not?” she yelled.

Passenger Kevin Eis responded, “Yes, we do, girl.” The agent then says, “All right! So, everyone’s gonna shut up, and we’re gonna say this once, and we’re only gonna say it again because we’re frustrated as hell.”

Eis, a passenger who was reportedly recording the incident, captured the agent threatening to remove him from the flight. He later told Inside Edition, “Oh my God, it was the most chaotic thing that has ever happened to me at an airport.” He explained that the second agent initially intended to assist and calm the passengers but quickly lost her temper.

Spirit Airlines issued an apology, saying, “We apologise to our guests for this experience, which does not reflect Spirit’s high standards for guest services.” They confirmed that the two agents involved were suspended, reports The New York Post.