A Cuban family residing in Las VegasNevada, were forcibly removed from a plane Spirit Airlines in it The airport of Miami after an incident with hand luggage that, according to the airline, did not meet the standards required to travel in the cabin.
“It was an abuse of power. She had no authority to make that decision to lower me, if I already paid for the briefcase “said the Cuban Ulpiano Pettersen-Barrios in statements to NBC Las Vegas in reference to the $99 he paid for the piece of luggage and the airline employee with whom he had an argument.
The family group, made up of Pettersen-Barrios, his wife, children, sister and nephew boarded the plane after a disagreement with an employee who shortly after went to look for Ulpiano on the plane and forced him to get off after requesting police intervention.
“The lady before boarding the plane tells me that this bag does not meet the requirements… I put ‘in the measurements required by the airlines’ and the bag was in their measurements, the only thing that did not go down,” argues the man.
However, despite paying for the luggage, Pettersen-Barrios assures that the employee told her “You are not going to ride, I already decided that you are not going to travel, you are not going to travel.” He says that when he said “Ma’am, ‘I don’t speak English'”, the woman became even more upset.
Despite the employee’s refusal for him to board, the Cuban entered the plane, sat in his seat and the woman went after him and asked for police intervention. The agents told him that the aircraft was private property and that he had to get off because they did not allow him access.
“I give the girl to my sister and they push my youngest son, 16 years old. Pushing my son, my wife got very upset because we had never been through anything like it. My wife fainted, and when my wife fainted they arrested me,” added Ulpiano, who at least until July 14 was still stranded in Miami.
The Cuban was handcuffed and taken to the airport police station where he was charged with three criminal charges: trespassing after a warning, disorderly conduct, and breach of airport security.
Telemundo says they tried to contact the airline and they declined to provide details about the case.
