US Airways Group Inc. is being investigated by the US Transportation Department for long tarmac delays during a February snowstorm.
Snow in Charlotte, North Carolina, stranded 34 planes, many for more than three hours—the worst incident since regulators began imposing penalties for tarmac delays in April 2010.
US Airways says passengers were served food and water, and it is cooperating with the investigation as well as conducting its own internal investigation.
Winter snows often impact air travel in North America, of course. The US government this week reported that 2.4% of flights by US carriers were canceled in February, double the 1.2% cancellation rate last year, when there were no major snow storms.
Just 80.3% of flights arrived on time in January and February this year, versus a record 84.9% last year.
