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The budget airline beat out JetBlue and Alaska Air for 16 highly-coveted runway slots that opened when Southwest discontinued service, according to DOT officials.
The additional runways come with a cost: More communication.
Spirit is required to report "additional data on disruptions facing their airline customers and its ability to provide them with accommodations," FOX says citing the DOT.
Doing so will help Spirit "deliver on its customer commitment" and help officials "better quantify the financial impact" of operational traveling disruptions for passengers, the DOT said.
Public Interest Research Group spokeswoman Teresa Murray told NJ Advance Media the new runway allocations were a "curious decision."
Last April, Spirit had with the most canceled flights and third worst on-time arrival rate in April, NJ Advance Media says citing a federal report.
"How do you reward that by giving the airline more takeoff and landing times at one of the busiest and most important airports in the country?" Murray asked the outlet.
Flying blog CrankyFlier, however, said Spirit and Alaska deserved a "standing ovation for being the most reliable operators this June. It’s a low bar, to be sure, but compared to the rest these numbers are good."
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