Airport strike halted flights from Haiti Wednesday morning, now over

A brief strike by airport security workers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, paralyzed airline traffic off the island Wednesday morning, then ended before noon.

American Airlines, which had canceled all its flights for Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Aiports, announced flight 971 would leave for Miami at 2:30 p.m. and flight 2277 would leave for Fort Lauderdale at 4 p.m. Two flights from MIA and two from Fort Lauderdale will continue to operate. Delta expects its 3:50 p.m. flight to Atlanta to depart on schedule.

Both American’s flights connecting New York’s JFK to Port au Prince were canceled because of the snowstorm that smacked the Northeast.

A former governement official with knowledge of the issue said dissatisfaction with pay raises sparked the strike. Workers who earn from $217-$290 per month felt recent raises by former Minister of Public Works Harry Clinton were inadequate.

The U.S. Embassy in Haiti on its website early Wednesday that the lack of security and screening workers prevented passengers from getting to their flights out of Toussaint Louverture Airport. American Airlines had canceled all three of its flights to Miami International Airport and two flights to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

The Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles posted video from travelers capturing the clogged confusion at the airport.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Airport strike halted flights from Haiti Wednesday morning, now over."