Jan. 08--Flight delays aren't unusual these days. Bad weather, maintenance problems or trouble getting a crew together routinely push back or cancel flights at airports across the country.
Not so common: Having a flight canceled when a 737 jet is pulled off the runway because of a legal dispute while scores of passengers wait at the gate.
That's what happened today to about 130 Vision Airlines passengers who were scheduled to head from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to Gulfport, Miss.
The unusual incident stemmed from a dispute between Las Vegas-based Vision Airlines and CTS Engines of Fort Lauderdale. The engine company claims in a lawsuit filed in Broward County that the airline owes it around $75,000, said David Meers, senior vice president of Vision Airlines.
The airline disagrees, Meers said, and the two have been fighting over the issue in court. On Dec. 19, the company filed to have the lawsuit dismissed, he said, but a few days later, a judge in Broward County signed a "writ of attachment" allowing the jet to be seized.
Meers said his company was never served notice of that action. He called the seizure of the plane an "ambush."
"We had no knowledge of this whatsoever," Meers said.
CTS Engines could not be reached for comment.
The flight had been scheduled to depart at 1:45 p.m. Passenger Bill Vargas said the airline staff tried to keep passengers updated and at one point offered hope the flight would leave at 8:30 p.m.
But at 8 p.m. the flight was officially cancelled, Vargas said.
The passengers were scheduled to travel to Gulfport, Miss., to spend three days and four nights at the Beau Rivage Casino, Vargas said. Now their travel plans are up in the air.
"Very irresponsible of the airline," said Vargas, who was traveling with his girlfriend, Susan Konet, both of Tampa.
Vargas said he made his arrangements through Beau Rivage and was waiting to contact a casino official to learn what to do next.
The plane's itinerary was to fly from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to Gulfport, Miss. Then it was scheduled to fly to Sarasota, Fort Myers and then back to Gulfport, Miss., Meers said.
"The people who suffered were our customers," Meers said.
He said the airline's attorney will file an emergency petition Tuesday. He said the airline plans to ask the court to make CTS liable for damages from the flights that had to be canceled when the jet was taken out of service.
"They're going to pay," Meers said.
Copyright 2013 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.
