DOT issues first-ever fine for chronically delayed flights
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has fined JetBlue $2 million for chronic flight delays, marking the first time the federal agency has issued a penalty for such delays.
According to DOT, the fine stems from JetBlue promising unrealistic schedules that it can’t keep. DOT rules deem a flight chronically delayed if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than half of the time. Cancellations are included as delays within this calculation.
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"Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers. Today's action puts the airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a prepared statement.
What did JetBlue do?
FILE - A JetBlue Airways jet sits on the tarmac at OHare Airport October 26, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
According to DOT, 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 or more. DOT said it issued warnings to JetBlue about chronic delays between JFK Airport in New York and Raleigh-Durham Airport in North Carolina.
Despite those warnings, DOT says JetBlue ran three more chronically delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
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DOT said it gave JetBlue adequate time to fix their schedules after flights were chronically late, but officials say JetBlue failed to do so.
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According to DOT, half of the penalty will be paid directly to the U.S. Treasury. The other half will be used to compensate JetBlue customers who’ve been impacted by the delays.
Will other airlines be fined?
So far, DOT says JetBlue is the only airline to be fined, but there are ongoing investigations into other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.
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The investigations are part of a broader effort to expand passenger rights. Other actions from DOT include a new rule requiring airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when their flight is canceled or significantly delayed; when their checked baggage is significantly delayed, and when extra services they paid for, like WiFi for example, aren’t available.
The 10 largest U.S. airlines also agreed to offer passengers free rebooking, meals, hotel accommodations, and other services when they cause significant delays or cancellations.