FAA Paperwork Not Completed In Time To Allow The Flight To Proceed

Spirit Airline's first flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Philadelphia scheduled last Thursday was forced to fly to Atlantic City instead, and the sequester may have been the culprit.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the paperwork required to allow the flight did not come through on time from the FAA. Spirit said it was the first time such a delay has occurred. Spirit COO Tony Lefebvre told the Inquirer that the airline followed its normal procedures for submitting paperwork for a new route. He said that in the past, the airline has always gotten "expeditious approval." And while the airline did not criticize the agency, the paper points out that the only difference between this instance and previous route approvals is the recent cut in federal spending.

The FAA said in a statement that airlines must demonstrate to the agency that there are appropriate safety procedures in place for ground operations at an airport before it will authorize service to a new destination. The statement did not say that Spirit had fallen short in that regard.

None the less, the passengers were flown to Atlantic City, where the airline is well established, and then bussed to Philly, where a celebration featuring cowboy hats and an Elvis impersonator had been planned. The airline reimbursed all of the fares for those passengers, and the passengers on the outbound flight back to KDFW were accommodated on other airlines. Spirit paid for that as well. The route was approved for flights that were planned for Friday.

FMI: www.faa.gov