Passenger's outburst delays Spirit Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale

LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KABC) -- A nightmare trip on Spirit Airlines finally came to an end in Florida Sunday night, nearly 24 hours after it began at Los Angeles International Airport.

The plane was forced to land in Houston, Texas, after a passenger's angry outburst in mid-flight. The passenger, identified as a blind 87-year-old man, was detained, but not charged, according to authorities.

Passengers sat on the tarmac for two hours in Houston. They were told Spirit wanted to bus them five hours to Dallas because the airline doesn't fly to Fort Lauderdale from Houston.

"As soon as I heard there was a five-hour bus ride, people started flipping out," said passenger Michelle Florentine.

Cellphone video shows passengers very upset with the crew.

"It was terrible. It was painful. It was unprofessional. Spirit was not around to help us whatsoever," said passenger Theresa Shaviano.

Passengers finally took a Delta plane and eventually arrived in Fort Lauderdale. The flight originally left Los Angeles late Saturday night and was supposed to arrive early Sunday morning.

"We understand that this has been an inconvenience for our customers, but the safety of our customers is always the top priority. All customers are being given full refunds for this inconvenience," Spirit Airlines said in a statement.

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