The students immediately went to the ticket counter and were re-booked, two of them getting a flight Tuesday afternoon, out of Miami International Airport on American Airlines, and two flying out Wednesday night on Spirit, the company paying for their overnight stay at a hotel. The two men and one woman who were arrested on Monday night were all charged with riot incite or encouraging a riot, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and trespassing after warning, a Broward Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman confirmed to NBC News. Spirit Airlines said it filed a federal lawsuit against the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) in Florida’s South District on Monday, accusing the pilots’ union of engaging in “pervasive illegal work slowdown” that could cause “irreparable harm to [the airline’s] goodwill with its customers.”

The lawsuit claimed that as a result of the disruptive action by the pilots, about 300 flights have been canceled since the beginning of the month, 81 on Sunday and 28 on Tuesday morning alone. Reacting specifically to the incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a spokesperson for Spirit Airlines, Paul Berry, said the management of the airline was “shocked and saddened” by what happened. This is a result of unlawful labor activity by some Spirit pilots designed to disrupt Spirit operations for our customers, by canceling multiple flights across our network,” Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry told International Business Times. “These pilots have put their quest for a new contract ahead of getting customers to their destinations and the safety of their fellow Spirit Team Members.”

However, NBC News reported that there is an ongoing labor dispute between Spirit Airlines and ALPA over better contract terms. “This slowdown is in direct violation of the [Railway Labor Act], which prohibits work slowdowns and strikes during collective bargaining negotiations, as expressly recognized by a series of court decisions, including by this Circuit in Delta Air Lines v. Air Line Pilots Association, International,” the lawsuit states. Spirit said 20,000 customers have been affected by cancelled flights since last week, blaming “pilot unavailability.”

The airline sought a court order seeking a halt to an alleged job action by the pilots’ union, claiming pilots are illegally refusing work “in order to bring pressure on Spirit during current negotiations.” The company claimed it has caused “irreparable harm to Spirit and the traveling public.”

The Air Line Pilots Association has denied Spirit pilots are engaged in any type of job action, and said they are “continuing to do everything possible to help restore the company’s operations.” The union also promised to defend the pilots against the “unwarranted” legal action by the airline.
At the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Spirit Airlines cancels eleven flights and delays 30 due to a dispute between the airline and its pilots (as talks occur between the airline and the pilots' union, Air Line Pilots Association, International). Protests break out and three travelers are arrested.