JetBlue will pay a $2 million penalty for many ‘chronic flight delays.’
It is the first penalty of its kind the U.S. Department of Transportation has imposed for flights with unrealistic schedules.
“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,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
“The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition and ensure passengers are treated fairly.”
Half the penalty fine will be for compensating JetBlue customers impacted by the delays with a minimum $75 per passenger.
”The penalty is the first time the U.S. Department of Transportation has fined an airline for engaging in unrealistic scheduling that harms both passengers and fair competition,” Buttigieg added.
The USDOT is also probing other airlines for flight delays of this kind.
The Department found the airline operated four chronically delayed routes, with the airline responsible for about 80% of the disruptions.
