You may want to wait before buying Virgin America tickets

Our friends at Frommer’s have noted an interesting fact about Virgin America: While the startup airline has begun selling tickets (from Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, with flights starting August 8), they’re technically not yet cleared to fly. The airline is still awaiting approval from the Department of Transportation, but is “confident” the agency will clear them in time for the August 8 launch date.

If you were considering flying Virgin America next month, you may want to wait for this final roadblock to be cleared before you purchase tickets.

However, if you’ve already bought tickets on Virgin America and can’t afford any possible snafus or delays, the airline says it will either provide alternate transportation for you or refund your ticket up to 200 percent of the Virgin America ticket’s value in either case. As Frommer’s so aptly puts it: “Buying your tickets from Virgin America is, right now, a bit of a gamble. On the other hand, if they aren’t flying by the time you’re supposed to leave, you’ll get double your money back or a ticket on another airline.”

And right now, that’s one of the best deals I’ve seen for summer travel.