Hopes To Pay Less Than 1 Percent Of Assessed Fines

While Gulfstream Airlines admits that there are errors in its record keeping, and that it engaged in some other improper practices, company executives say they should only be liable for less than one percent of the $1.3 million in fines levied by the FAA.

In a rebuttal obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel through a Freedom of Information Request, Gulfstream says $12,500 is a reasonable fine, given the scope of the problems.

The FAA had fined Gulfstream for what it said were hundreds of discrepancies between crew logs and computer-generated schedules. The FAA also said there were problems with aircraft maintenance and dispatcher schedules. 

"We are still in the relatively early stages of discussions with the FAA regarding their proposed fine so it would be premature to discuss how it may be resolved," airline spokesman Bruce Hicks said in an e-mail to the paper.

"We do an outstanding job of running a safe airline for our customers and employees," says Gulfstream CEO Dave Hackett on the company website. "The FAA identified several instances where mistakes had been made, principally in record-keeping, and we have strengthened our efforts to ensure that our records are not only accurate, but clear."

Gulfstream Airlines operates mainly out of Florida, flying to multiple destinations in the Bahamas as well as several cities in Ohio.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.gulfstreamair.com