JetAmerica's launch delayed by FAA snafu

CLEARWATER, Fla., July 4 (UPI) -- U.S. charter air carrier JetAmerica says it is delaying the start of its regularly scheduled flights due to a mix-up with federal aviation authorities.

Brian Burling, JetAmerica's vice president of operations, blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for the delay, saying in a release Friday it had announced its flights would begin July 13 based on the FAA indicating the company would be able to obtain airport slots at Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport.

But a subsequent FAA advisory indicated the Newark slots had yet to be finalized, meaning the airline's launch would have to be pushed back to Aug. 14, Burling said.

The airline generated much publicity with its advertised $9 flights. It says it will fly to Newark from Lansing, Mich., Melbourne-Vero Beach, Fla., South Bend, Ind. and Toledo, Ohio, with other flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul from Toledo and Melbourne-Vero Beach.