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Frontier Airlines fined by DOT for long tarmac delays
The US Department of Transportation hit no frills carrier Frontier Airlines with a $1.5 million fine for a long tarmac delay during a snowstorm.
A heavy snowstorm at Denver Airport stranded passengers aboard 12 planes on the tarmac for longer than the three-hour maximum limit set by law.
The Transportation Department said the $1.5 million fine is the second highest ever for tarmac delays, although the DOT waived $900,000 as Frontier had compensated passengers for the delays which happened last December.
It said Frontier failed to deploy enough staff to deal with the disruption and should have diverted more flights to ease congestion at the airport.
In mitigation Frontier said the snowstorm was much worse than originally feared.
"During last December’s crippling storm, our operation in Denver was faced with a myriad of operational challenges," Frontier spokesman Richard Oliver said.
"Frontier remains committed to complying with DOT rules and regulations, including those relating to lengthy tarmac delays. We have since revised our procedures for irregular winter weather operations and have worked with DIA’s airport authority to implement a ‘drop-and-go’ deplaning process that will prevent any future occurrences," the airline added.
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