Will air travel ever be enjoyable again?

If you have a good memory, you may recall the days when air travel was actually fun. A grand adventure, even, something you anticipated with excitement.

Air travel is far more frustrating these days, anticipated with dread, as evidenced by the chaos that erupted at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this week.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for the near-riot that broke out Monday after Spirit Airlines abruptly canceled flights.

And while we’re sympathetic to travelers left stranded because of a pay dispute between the airline and its pilots, it is not OK to scream at airline workers and challenge them "to step outside to fight," as three have been charged. An arresting officer said the three created an atmosphere "that resembled the start of a riot."

That said, we have a tough time feeling sympathy for Spirit pilots, whose work slowdown caused some 300 flight delays last week and disrupted travel plans for thousands of people nationwide.

We get it. The discount airliner’s pilots are dispirited by the pace of contract negotiations that have been underway for a couple of years. They have high-skill, highstress jobs and want their contributions better recognized. Plus, with the industry doing better these days, they’ve seen pilots at other airlines receive new contracts for better pay, benefits and profit sharing.

According to the pilot’s union, Spirit pilots make about 47 percent less in total compensation than their peers at Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest and United.

The Miramar-based Spirit claims its latest offer would result in a 30 percent pay increase for pilots and that it can’t remain a discount airline if it gives big raises.

However, at a recent bargaining session, the union voiced "strong displeasure" with the offer, the Sun Sentinel’s Arlene Satchell reported. Not long later, the airline began to see a significant spike in cancellations due to pilot unavailability for "open time" trips — unassigned routes typically covered by pilots interested in earning overtime.

Do Spirit pilots really think they’ll win public support by ruining travel plans, stranding passengers and creating chaos?

The public would surely tell Spirit pilots that if they don’t like their pay, work for an airline that pays more. In the meantime, do your job.

"We understand the frustration," a spokesperson for the Airline Pilots Association told us. "But (Spirit) is a management team that has a history of scheduling issues. In order to save face, they try to blame it on the pilots."

Spirit went to court this week to claim the pilots had coordinated the disruption. A federal judge sided with the airline and issued a temporary restraining order that requires the union to ensure its pilots engage in no further work slowdown.

"We are hopeful that we can put this moment behind us and get back to serving our customers," Spirit spokesman Paul Berry said. Perhaps. But the public has been frustrated with Spirit for years. Yes, the fares are low and on-time performance improved last year. However, the ultra-low-cost airline almost always ranks near the bottom in customer satisfaction surveys. Passengers are particularly upset with its cramped seats and add-on fees for virtually everything.

Combine that frustration with the videos of recent airport battles — a passenger being dragged down the aisle of a United Airlines plane, an American Airlines attendant smacking a woman with a baby stroller, a family on a Delta Airlines flight getting hassled by attendants over the use of a seat, and a fight on a Southwest Airlines plane just this week.

And let us not forget that at the same airport as Monday’s melee, a gunman killed five people and wounded six just four months ago.

Both sides in the Spirit Airlines controversy say they want what’s best for the flying public.

If true, they’ll get themselves into a room very soon, lock the door and not come out until they resolve this dispute.

Today’s no-frills flyers deserve at least that much.