JetBlue fined $2 million by feds for “continual flight delays”
The U.S. Division of Transportation on Friday introduced a $2 million superb in opposition to JetBlue for “working a number of chronically delayed flights,” marking the primary such penalty by the federal company.
Airways are prohibited from providing unrealistic schedules that do not replicate precise flight departure and arrival occasions, but an investigation by the DOT discovered that JetBlue operated 4 chronically delayed flights a minimum of 145 occasions between June 2022 via November 2023, in response to the DOT.
Every flight was chronically delayed for 5 consecutive months or extra. Regardless of DOT warning JetBlue about inaccurate flight departure and arrival occasions on its flight between John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the airline continued to function three extra repeatedly delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida and JFK; and between Fort Lauderdale and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the company mentioned.
There have been 395 delays and cancellations throughout these 4 chronically delayed flights in complete, and the DOT’s investigation discovered JetBlue answerable for greater than 70% of its chronically delayed flights.
JetBlue mentioned it had invested tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to scale back flight delays over the previous two years, and had seen vital enhancements in 2024.
“Whereas we have reached a settlement to resolve this matter concerning 4 flights in 2022 and 2023, we imagine accountability for dependable air journey equally lies with the U.S. authorities, which operates our nation’s air site visitors management system,” a spokesperson mentioned.
Customers advocates applauded the federal government’s transfer to penalize JetBlue.
“Airways typically do not enable sufficient time between flights they usually typically enable for no margin for error,” Teresa Murray, client watchdog director at U.S. Public Curiosity Analysis Group Schooling Fund, mentioned in an announcement. “They typically deal with vacationers like seat numbers, not individuals who have lives and commitments and plans for all the pieces from holidays to weddings or funerals.”
What counts as a continual delay?
The company has ongoing investigations into different airways for unrealistic flight schedules that don’t replicate precise departure and arrival occasions. A flight is taken into account chronically delayed whether it is flown a minimum of 10 occasions a month and arrives greater than half-hour late greater than 50% of the time, with cancellations included as delays, it acknowledged.
The penalty comes because the Biden administration winds down, leaving unsure how the incoming Trump regime will sort out transportation points. Below Biden, transportation regulators have taken a collection of actions to safeguard airline passengers, together with passing guidelines that now present automated refunds when flights are considerably delayed or canceled.
“Unlawful continual flight delays make flying unreliable for vacationers. Right this moment’s motion places the complete airline business on discover that we count on their flight schedules to replicate actuality,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned in an announcement. “The division will implement the legislation in opposition to airways with continual delays or different unrealistic scheduling practices in an effort to shield wholesome competitors in business aviation and guarantee passengers are handled pretty.”
Passengers getting cash
JetBlue should pay half the penalty in money to the U.S. Treasury, with the opposite $1 million going to compensate JetBlue passengers harmed by the delayed flights or any future disruptions brought on by JetBlue throughout the subsequent yr. The longer term compensation have to be a minimal of $75 for every affected passenger.
JetBlue had one of many poorest on-time performances final yr among the many U.S. airways, in response to a rating by Cirium. The aviation analytics agency discovered that lower than 75% of JetBlue’s flights arrived on schedule, placing the airline behind all the foremost home carriers, together with a few of its low-cost rivals. Solely Frontier Airways had a worse exhibiting within the U.S., Cirium mentioned in a report revealed Thursday.
