FAA Targets Spirit Airlines With Nearly $150,000 Fine For Violating Cargo Safety Regulations

Ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines is staring at a penalty of more than $145,000 for not sticking to the regulations governing the transportation of hazardous material. The carrier is under the microscope for one of the shipments its employees offered to FedEx in 2022 that did not meet the prescribed rules regarding dangerous goods.

Fine proposed by the FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a $146,500 fine for Spirit Airlines, alleging that it violated the Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations. The fine is for a shipment in 2022.

The FAA states that Spirit’s employees offered five separate shipments of compressed oxygen cylinders to FedEx for air transportation from Detroit to New York in August and September 2022.

Photo: Spirit Airlines

One of those shipments was rejected by FedEx employees in Detroit as the box containing the oxygen cylinder was damaged. The agency adds that the damaged package “did not adhere to the Flame Penetration Resistance Test requirements, and was not properly marked or labeled.”

It has also been revealed that Spirit’s employees who offered the shipment did not complete the required hazardous materials training in the use of the United States Department of Transportation Special Permit. From the day of receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter, Spirit has 30 days to respond to these allegations.

Rules for transporting hazardous goods

According to the FAA, over 3 billion tons of regulated dangerous goods are transported in the US annually. Of this, more than 261,000 tons is carried by airplanes. As such, it is quite important to adhere to safety regulations regarding their transportation.

Photo: Dushlik | Shutterstock

For some materials, rules may differ when transported by land than when shipped by air. These include dry ice, lithium batteries, or novelty fireworks, among other things. The packaging of these items is crucial for air transportation, and the FAA points out that even products and packaging that are originally shipped by air may not pass the checks for following shipments if they have been altered or modified.

Recent developments with Spirit

Spirit Airlines has been in the news lately, primarily because of its previously planned merger with JetBlue. The deal was rejected by a US judge, and initially both airlines urged the court to reconsider the decision.

However, at the beginning of this month, JetBlue officially ended its merger agreement with Spirit. While both airlines believed that the merger would have benefitted US aviation in general, after evaluating that the required closing conditions, including regulatory approval, were unlikely to be met by the July 24 deadline, JetBlue called the deal off.

Photo: YES Market Media | Shutterstock

Shortly after, it was reported that JetBlue and Spirit pilots would proceed with their respective contract negotiations. Captain Justin Houck, chair of the JetBlue ALPA Master Executive Council, noted that the court’s decision in January and the subsequent termination of the deal had altered the landscape significantly, requiring a relook at contractual obligations.

Related

JetBlue And Spirit Airlines Pilots To Proceed With Respective Pilot Contract Negotiations

With the merger plans falling through, ALPA councils for JetBlue and Spirit make it clear that contract renegotiations will be initiated.

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