The Department of Transportation on Friday announced a $2 million penalty against JetBlue Airways for operating several flights on the East Coast that had chronically late arrivals in 2022 and 2023. Half of the collected amount will be donated to affected passengers.
The fine marks the first time the Department of Transportation has fined an airline for chronic delays, with federal officials saying it flies at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50% of the time. It is defined as stool.
“Illegal and chronic flight delays make planes less reliable for travelers. Today's action sends a signal to the entire airline industry that we expect airline flight schedules to reflect reality. We will let you know,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
The DOT announced that it has warned JetBlue that flights between Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina continue to be delayed. It added that airlines have a “legal responsibility to avoid chronic delays” and that these flights over several months were unfair and deceptive.
The four routes being investigated flew between JFK and Raleigh-Durham airports. JFK Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. JFK and Orlando International Airport. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. Chronic delays occurred for five consecutive months from June 2022 to November 2023. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimates that airlines are responsible for more than 70% of these flight disruptions.
“To protect healthy competition in the commercial aviation industry and ensure that passengers are treated fairly, the Department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays and unrealistic schedules,” Buttigieg said. said.
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said in a statement that the airline has invested tens of millions of dollars over the past two years to reduce delays and has seen “significant operational improvements.” Dombrowski also said air traffic control issues are contributing to the company's operational challenges in the Northeast and Florida.
JetBlue Airways made headlines last week after its flight from Turks and Caicos Islands to Boston was delayed for more than 24 hours, leaving passengers stranded without accommodation.
About 71 percent of JetBlue Airways' flights were on time from January to September last year, according to Department of Transportation data, making it second to last among the nation's 10 largest airlines in terms of on-time performance. (Frontier Airlines was ranked the lowest). During the same period, more than 9% of JetBlue Airways flights were delayed by the carrier, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
