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ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Thomas Rickman found out when everyone else did. His company, Spirit Airlines, was joining the Asheville Regional Airport, bringing with it three new routes to Florida destinations.
As an Asheville native and a 10-year company pilot, he knew he had to be part of it.
"As soon as I saw that, I sent an email to our COO (John Bendoraitis) and told him I was from Asheville and told him I wanted to work the first flight," he said, adding, "It took some pulling of a few strings."
Rickman piloted Spirit's first flight from the Tampa International Airport into Asheville, arriving just after 1:30 p.m. Thursday. He was greeted by his parents, Dennis and Patricia Rickman, as well as an enthusiastic group of staffers from the airport and Spirit on hand to celebrate the Florida-based airline's first day of local service.
► Spirit Airlines joins airport, adds 3 Florida flights
► Asheville Regional Airport: Board OKs $875k Spirit Airlines incentive package
► Allegiant adds Fort Lauderdale, Orlando flights in Asheville
Along with Tampa, Spirit announced in June two other new routes to and from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the Orlando International Airport. Beginning this week, flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando run three times weekly while flights to Tampa start at two times a week.
Service expands in November with an additional flight each week for all three destinations.
Rickman was born and raised in Asheville. He briefly attended Asheville Christian Academy, where his father was a baseball coach, before graduating from Carolina Day School in 2000. He learned to fly at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, majoring in aeronautical science and commercial pilot with a minor in air traffic control.
Rickman has been flying with Spirit since January 2008 and a captain of an Airbus since 2013. He said he still resides in Asheville, but works much of the time out of Chicago.
He said it was Allegiant Air's 2011 expansion into the Asheville airport that left him wondering how soon Spirit might join them.
"Allegiant first came in and I was like, 'Wow, Asheville has an Airbus,'" he said. "For years, I’d hoped Spirit would come in and just knowing how Asheville is growing, how big it is and the amount of people coming in and out of town, I knew we would do great.
"This is a good opportunity for us."
Allegiant, like Spirit, also added flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando this year.
Flights to Disney World
Also on hand Thursday was Asheville resident and fellow Spirit pilot John Podlewski. Podlewski did not fly Thursday, but participated in a welcoming ceremony that saw Spirit award $10,000 and 20 free flights tickets to Asheville’s Eblen Charities.
It also awarded $5,000 and 10 free flight tickets to the Buncombe Partnership for Children, Eliada and MANNA FoodBank.
"On a personal level, it makes it easier for me to travel on my own airline — and for my family as well," Podlewski said. "The girls are ecstatic. We get to go to Disney World on the weekend very easily."
In August, the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority, which governs the airport, granted an $875,000 incentive package Spirit. The package includes $98,000 apiece for marketing and advertising each of its new routes as well as ground handling and passenger service fee incentives up to $250 per aircraft up to a year.
Asheville Regional Airport Executive Director Lew Bleiweis said the funding acts as an incentive for airlines to add service in Asheville to and from desirable markets.
TODAY IN THE SKY: Spirit picks flamboyant yellow as U.S. airlines repaint planes
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