Terror on Spirit Airlines flight to Florida as passengers are told to put on life jackets and prepare for 'emergency water landing'

Passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight from Jamaica to Florida were told to prepare for an emergency water landing in the latest terror in the skies.

Flight NK270 was forced to return to Montego Bay shortly after take off on Sunday following a 'suspected mechanical issue'.

Video from inside the cabin shows some of the more than 200 passengers wearing life vests amid the chaos.

But the Airbus A321 landed safely back in Jamaica's Sangster International Airport and guests were able to deplane normally, according to CBS News.

Spirit added the 'mechanical issue did not affect flight safety' and the emergency landing instructions were given 'out of an abundance of caution.'

Passengers were given a $50 credit and out on a new flight to Fort Lauderdale, where they arrived just 45 minutes behind schedule. 

Andrene Gordon spoke about the terrifying ordeal with the Jamaican outlet the Gleaner, calling it a 'near-death experience' that began with a 'beeping sound.'

'At first I was like, maybe it's because it's a new plane,' Gordon shared. 

'We were there for like 25 minutes but the plane never ascended high… . The pilot said there was a slight issue, nothing major, 'so we are just gonna turn back and go to the airport.''

'We never know we would actually make it to the ground because all we were seeing was literal water… it was total chaos,' Gordon added.

'The flight attendants, I know they are trained, but they are human. They got scared, everybody was scared.'

Gordon also said the $50 credit felt like 'a slap on the face.' 

'After that near-death experience and emotional distress, Spirit wants to offer US$50 credit to use by August of this year,' Gordon told the Gleaner.

'I feel like that is a slap in the face because they put us through such a traumatic experience with an incompetent crew. That is just so unacceptable.'

Spirit has apologized to guests 'for any inconvenience.' 

Just a day after the Spirit scare, a United Airlines flight aborted takeoff after the plane engine caught fire while on the taxiway at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

The Seattle bound United Flight 2091 with 148 passengers and five crew members on board was halted around 2pm Monday, according to the FAA.

Video showed clouds of black smoke pluming out of the Airbus A320 wing.

Ground crews and emergency responders 'immediately addressed' the issued and the plane was towed to the gate where passengers deplaned, reported NBC Chicago.

Meanwhile all flights were grounded at New York's JFK on Monday - an occurrence attributed to ongoing thunderstorms seen across much of the US, the FAA said.

The travel chaos comes as citizens in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee were all hit over Memorial Day Weekend by a bevy of twisters, heavy winds and flooding, which, so far, have killed at least 21 people.

At least 6,837 within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed and 516 cancelled, according to FlightAware.

Memorial Day weekend kicked off the started of what is forecasted to be a busy summer travel season

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, the highest number ever on a single day.