JetBlue Gets $2 Million Fine for Chronic Flight Delays
The Transportation Department (DOT) announced Friday a $2 million penalty against JetBlue for operating multiple chronically delayed flights along the East Coast.
The penalty marks the first time DOT has fined an airline for chronic flight delays, which is a prohibited unrealistic scheduling practice which the department says “can harm both passengers and fair competition”.
Half of the penalty is going to compensate JetBlue customers affected by the airline’s chronic delays or any future disruptions caused by JetBlue within the next year.
DOT says it also has ongoing investigations into other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.
DOT rules prohibit airlines from promising unrealistic schedules that do not reflect actual flight departure and arrival times. Under DOT rules, a flight is chronically delayed if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time. This calculation also includes cancellations.
In its investigation, the department found that JetBlue operated four chronically delayed flights at least 145 times between June 2022 through November 2023. Each flight was chronically delayed for five straight months in a row – or more. Despite DOT warning JetBlue about the chronic delays on its flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., the airline continued to operate three more chronically delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla. and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Windsor Locks, Conn.
DOT says “the airline was responsible for over 70 percent of the disruptions for the four chronically delayed flights”. Regardless of the cause of the disruption for any specific flight, DOT rules provide airlines adequate time to fix their schedule after a flight becomes chronically delayed to avoid illegal unrealistic scheduling, but JetBlue failed to do so.
DOT’s order requires JetBlue cease and desist its chronic flight delays and pay a $2 million penalty. JetBlue must pay $1 million in cash directly to the U.S. Treasury. The other half of the penalty goes to compensate JetBlue passengers harmed by either the chronically delayed flights covered by the DOT’s order or any future flight cancellations or delays of three hours or more caused by JetBlue within the next year. The future compensation must be valued at a minimum of $75 for each harmed passenger.
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