spirit- airlines 

June 18, 2013 

Dockets OST-96-1960 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

400 Seventh St. SW, Room PL-401 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

To Whom it May Concern: 

. !-~~ f':l{~r::r 

- _:~:.:~~!(~\ ~ ::~ 

P I= Sl 

2800 Executive Way 

Miramar, FL 33025 

spirit.com 

Enclosed is the updated Spirit Airlines Family Assistance Plan pursuant to the requirements of 

the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act of 1996 (49 USC 1136 and 41113}, and Pubic Law 

No. 108-176 (Vision 100- Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act), Section 109. This plan 

supersedes all previous Family Assistance Plans filed by Spirit Airlines in this docket. 

Please note that our Operations Control Center is operational 24/7 for contact during an 

emergency. Should you have questions, or require additional information on our plan, please 

contact the undersigned at Spirit's Headquarters, 2800 Executive Way, in Miramar, FL. 

Sincerely, 

~-~ Director, Emergency Response 

Spirit Airlines, Inc. 

Enc: Spirit Airlines Family Assistance Plan- June 2013 

cc: National Transportation Safety Board- ATTN : Michael Crook 
SPIRIT AIRLINES FAMILY ASSISTANCE PlAN -JUNE 2013 

The Spirit Airlines Family Assistance Plan is submitted in accordance with the Aviation Disaster 

Family Assistance Act of 1996 (49 U.S.C. 1136 and 41113), and reflects the Amendments to the 

Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act (ADFAA) dated April 5, 2000, to Title IV, section 402 of AIR-21, 

and the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. This plan is a subset of the Spirit Airlines 

Corporate Emergency Response Plan and its Station Response Plan. Spirit has developed carefully 

coordinated procedures to provide assistance to, and address the needs of crash survivors and families 

of passengers 

Should Spirit be involved in such an accident, the airline is committed to ensuring that surviving 

passengers or ground victims of the accident and their family members, receive the appropriate level of 

information and services to meet their immediate needs; treating survivors and families with 

compassion and dignity; respecting the cultural and religious backgrounds; and, ensuring that revenue 

and non-revenue survivors and families receive the same level of service. 

ASSURANCES 

Spirit's plan to assist those affected by an aviation disaster is part of a larger organized effort, which 

includes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and many other government agencies to 

provide the highest level of support possible to survivors and family members. Following a significant 

event which evokes the Family Assistance Act, Spirit Airlines commits to the following assurances: 

1. Spirit will provide notification to the NTSB communications center and provide requested 

information. 

2. Spirit will work with the media to publicize a reliable, toll-free telephone number, and will 

direct its vendor, Aviem International, Inc. to receive calls from, and provide assistance to the families 

of the passengers. Spirit Reservation Agents will transfer any accident-related calls received to Aviem 

International Inc., which will oversee the handling of these calls. The Family Support Representatives 

and Aviem agents have received procedural and situational training to respond to accident related calls. 

Appropriate scripts/messages have been created to expedite this process. 

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3. Spirit Airlines has developed a process to provide timely notification to the family of a passenger 

as soon as Spirit has verified that the passenger was aboard the aircraft (whether or not the names 

of all the passengers have been verified). Notification will be made by Aviem International Inc. Family 

Support Representatives who have been suitably trained to handle the sensitive nature of this 

notification. 

Upon request of the family of a passenger, Spirit will inform the family of whether the passenger's name 

appeared on a preliminary passenger manifest (referred to as the reservations Jist) for the flight involved 

in the accident, whether the name of that person has been verified as boarded or not. 

4. Spirit Airlines will provide to the NTSB Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance designated for the 

accident under 49 U.S.C. Section 1136(a)(l) and to the organization designated for the accident under 

49 U.S.C. Section 1136(a)(2), immediately upon request, a list (which is based on the best available 

information at the time of the request) of the names of the passengers aboard the aircraft (whether or 

not such names have been verified), and will periodically update the list. Updated lists wiJJ be provided 

in a timely manner with numbered or annotated copies to be distinguished from previous versions. 

5. Spirit Airlines will provide updated information and secure facilities at airports where families may 

gather. Family members may receive personal notification that their loved one was on the plane while 

in a secure facility. 

6. Spirit will provide logistical support to family members who desire to travel to the accident city. 

Spirit will establish a suitable facility (Family Assistance Center) near the accident site to meet family 

member informational needs. The site will accommodate the Joint Family Support Operations Center 

JFSOC function. 

7. Spirit will make provisions for a Joint Family Support Operations Center (JFSOC), to include space, 

communication, and logistical support. 

8. At an appropriate time, and at the direction of the Deputy Director, FA, NTSB, Spirit will inform 

fa mi!ies of the need to contact their family dentist to request dental records and x-rays of their loved 

one. Records will be sent to the JFSOC hotel, attention Deputy Director, FA, NTSB. Spirit will 

coordinate with the Disaster Mortuary Response Team (D-MORT) to ensure families are aware of the 

purpose ofthese records and are receiving appropriate assistance. 

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9. Spirit will make appropriate provisions for the DMORT and medical examiner, and Spirit will 

coordinate with these organizations to ensure appropriate handling of all remains. 

10. Spirit will provide the Department of State (DOS) information on foreign passengers. 

11. Names may be released to the media/public (at the discretion of the family) by the Spirit Airlines 

Communications Team only after the respective passengers' families have been notified and given an 

appropriate amount of time to communicate with other family members. 

12. Spirit will coordinate with the American Red Cross (ARC) which includes offering their assistance 

after providing notification and ongoing communication to meet family member needs. 

13. Spirit will deliver updated information on family notification in a timely manner to the media and 

public. 

14. Spirit will ensure traveling family members receive assistance while in airports and will inform Flight 

Crew and Airport Personnel of their travel. A Spirit Airlines contact person, and/or a representative of 

Aviem International, Inc. (Spirit's contracted Emergency Response & Family Assistance vendor) will be 

available to families at all times. 

15. Spirit will provide a point of contact to provide assistance to a family at the accident by way of 

Special Assistance Team members. Spirit's primary emergency response vendor, Aviem International 

Inc., and the Family Assistance Foundation, will provide trained Special Assistance Team members to 

represent Spirit in its response to affected families. Once families cease interacting with their Special 

Assistance Team Member, they will be provided a single point of contact at Spirit for all ongoing needs. 

16. Special Assistance Team Members may also provide assistance to families who elect to not travel to 

the accident site. 

17. Spirit's primary emergency response vendor, Aviem International Inc., will ensure the establishment 

of a badging system to identify family members. 

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18. Spirit will liaise with the American Red Cross (ARC) at each supporting medical treatment facility to 

track victim status and provide assistance to families. 

19. Spirit Airlines has contracted with an experienced third party vendor for the handling and processing 

of personal effects (under the consultation of Spirit). If requested by the family of a passenger, Spirit 

Airlines will return any possession of the passenger, within the control of Spirit, to the family (regardless 

of its condition) unless the possession is needed for the accident investigation or any criminal 

investigation. Spirit Airlines will retain any unclaimed possession of a passenger, within the control of 

Spirit, for at least 18 months from the date of the accident. 

20. A Spirit JFSOC representative, with appropriate authority, will be designated to support family 

assistance efforts in conjunction with the Deputy Director of FA, NTSB. This includes participating in daily 

coordination meetings. 

21. Spirit will consult with the family of each passenger about construction of any monument to the 

passengers, including any inscription on the monument. 

22. Spirit will provide reasonable reimbursement to the ARC for services rendered. 

23. Spirit will coordinate with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for communicating family rights under the 

victims of crime legislation, ifthe crash is declared a crime. 

24. The treatment of families of non-revenue passengers (and any other victim of the accident) will be 

the same as the treatment of the families of revenue passengers. 

25. Sp:irit-designated Leaders will participate in daily coordination meetings and provide updated 

information, as required. 

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26. Spirit Airlines will work with any organization designated under 49 U.S.C. Section 1136(a)(2) 

(including but not limited to DOJ, DOS, and NTSB) on an ongoing basis to ensure that families of 

passengers receive an appropriate level of service and assistance following an accident. 

27. Spirit Airlines will commit sufficient resources to carry out our Family Assistance Plan. 

28. Spirit Airlines will provide adequate training to the employees and agents of Spirit to meet the needs 

of survivors and family members following an accident. 

29. In the event that Spirit Airlines volunteers assistance to United States citizens within the United 

States with respect to an aircraft accident outside the United States involving major loss of life, Spirit will 

consult with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of State on the provision of 

the assistance. 

30. In the event that Spirit Airlines is involved in an accident that results in significant damage to a 

manmade structure or other property on the ground that is not government-owned, Spirit will 

promptly provide notice, in writing (to the extent practicable), directly to the owner of the 

structure or other property about liability for any property damage and means for obtaining 

compensation. The written notice shall advise an owner to: (a) contact the insurer of the property as 

the authoritative source for information about coverage and compensation; (b) to not rely on unofficial 

information offered by air carrier representatives about compensation by the air carrier for accident 

site property damage; and (c) to obtain photographic or other detailed evidence of property damage as 

soon as possible after the accident, consistent with restrictions on access to the accident site. 

31. In the event that an accident involving Spirit Airlines requires an NTSB public hearing or comparable 

proceeding at a location greater than 80 miles from the accident site, Spirit will ensure that proceedings 

will be available simultaneously by electronic means at a location open to the public at both the origin 

city and destination city of the Spirit flight, if that city is located in the United States. 

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