Video shows chaos unfold at Florida airport after 9 Spirit Airlines flights canceled

Chaos overtook Florida's Fort Lauderdale's airport Monday as angry passengers clashed with Spirit Airlines employees and police over canceled flights.

The commotion was spurred by the cancellation of nine Spirit flights, five inbound and four outbound, which local reports say arrived as the result of a dispute between the airline and the pilots. Jose Rodriguez, a man who witness the event transpire, posted footage of the scene to Twitter showing customers being arrested and detained.

More than 300 Spirit Airlines flights had been canceled over the past week, and by Monday night, passengers were fed up.

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Broward County deputies attempted to restore peace between airline staff and peeved passengers but footage shows police struggling with travelers, separating some from the crowd and handcuffing others.

Broward County deputies told WPEC that three people were arrested while another person was detained.

Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry issued a statement to CNN saying the company was "shocked and saddened" by the incident and that they blamed the pilots for the cancellations.

"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," Berry said in a statement.

The airline says they are moving towards a legal showdown against the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) for for "unlawful job action by Spirit pilots."

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They claim the pilots are refusing to fly in efforts to influence the outcome.

And passengers are in the middle of it.

Spirit released the following statement to CBS News:

"The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l and the Spirit pilot group it represents are not engaged in a job action. Rather, ALPA and the Spirit pilots are continuing to do everything possible to help restore the company's operations, which have experienced significant problems over the past several days. While we will continue these efforts, we will actively defend the association, its officers and its member pilots against the unwarranted and counterproductive legal action brought this evening by Spirit Airlines."