The Department of Transportation is stepping up the fight against persistent flight delays by filing a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and fining Frontier Airlines. The agency said the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in California alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers. travel plans. “Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the department is prepared to go to court to enforce passenger protections.” The Department of Transportation said its investigation found that Southwest , based in Dallas, operated two chronically delayed flights – one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and another between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio. consecutive months and have trained together 180 flight interruptions for passengers between April and August 2022, the US Treasury agency said and the remaining $325,000 will be suspended if the carrier does not operate any chronically delayed flights over the next three years. Less than two weeks after the Department of Transportation fined JetBlue $2 million for chronic delays, it marks the first time it has imposed a delay penalty on specific routes. The agency cited JetBlue’s chronic delays as “unrealistic scheduling.” JetBlue later said the government, which operates the air traffic control system, shared responsibility for late flights. Aviation data provider Cirium said in a report released this month that Southwest ranked fifth among 10 North American airlines it evaluated for on-time performance. performance, with 77.8% of arrivals and just under 77% of departures last year occurring on time. For comparison, top-ranked Delta Air Lines scored 83.5% for arrivals and 83.7% for departures. Last year, federal regulators stepped up their scrutiny of Southwest Airlines after a series of incidents, including flights at extremely low altitudes while still miles from an airport. . The Federal Aviation Administration said in July that it wanted to ensure the carrier complied with federal safety regulations. The FAA declined to provide details, but noted that it continually adjusts airline oversight based on risk.
The Department of Transportation is stepping up the fight against persistent flight delays with a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines and a fine against Frontier Airlines.
The agency said the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in California alleges that Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans. He says he wants “maximum civil penalties”.
“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the ministry is prepared to take legal action to enforce passenger protections.
The Department of Transportation said its investigation found that Dallas-based Southwest operated two flights with chronic delays — one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, Calif., and another between Baltimore, Md. , and Cleveland, Ohio.
The two flights were chronically delayed for five consecutive months and together resulted in 180 flight disruptions for passengers between April and August 2022, the agency said.
The department assessed Frontier Airlines a civil penalty of $650,000, with $325,000 to be paid to the U.S. Treasury and the remaining $325,000 to be suspended if the carrier does not operate chronically delayed flights within the next three years.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Department of Transportation fined JetBlue $2 million for chronic delays, the first time it has imposed a delay penalty on specific routes. The agency cited JetBlue’s chronic delays as “unrealistic scheduling.” JetBlue later said the government, which operates the air traffic control system, shared responsibility for late flights.
Aviation data provider Cirium said in a report this month that Southwest ranked fifth among 10 North American airlines it evaluated for on-time performance, with 77.8 percent of arrivals and just under of 77% of departures last year taking place in a timely manner. For comparison, top-ranked Delta Air Lines scored 83.5% for arrivals and 83.7% for departures.
Last year, federal regulators stepped up their scrutiny of Southwest Airlines after a series of incidents, including flights at extremely low altitudes while still miles from an airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said in July that it wanted to ensure the carrier complied with federal safety regulations. The FAA declined to provide details, but noted that it continually adjusts airline oversight based on risk.
