A Southwest Airlines plane takes off as another Southwest jet taxi taxis in Burbank, California.
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The Department of Transportation is suing Southwest Airlines, claiming the company illegally delayed some routes for months.
The agency said Wednesday that between April and August 2022, Southwest experienced 180 flight interruptions on its routes between Chicago and Oakland, California, and Baltimore and Cleveland, making flights “chronically delayed.”
The DOT defines a “chronically delayed” flight as one “operated at least 10 times per month and arriving more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time.”
Disruptions also include cancellations and detours.
Southwest Airlines was initially unavailable for comment, but told the Associated Press: “Since the DOT issued its chronically delayed flight (CDF) policy in 2009, Southwest has operated more than 20 million flights without other violation of the CDF.” The company added: “Any claim that these two flights represent an unrealistic schedule is simply not credible in relation to our performance over the past 15 years. In 2024, Southwest led the industry by operating more than 99% of its flights without cancellations. »
Airlines that announce their flights at a certain time but chronically delay them are deceiving customers and hindering fair competition, according to the DOT.
The agency said it was giving airlines time to correct chronically delayed routes, but Southwest did not take advantage of the grace period. It seeks “maximum civil penalties” against Southwest.
Additionally, the DOT announced Wednesday that it has issued a $650,000 civil penalty to Frontier Airlines for operating three chronically delayed flights between St. Thomas and Orlando, Florida; Atlanta and Phoenix; and Houston and Orlando. It must pay half of it to the U.S. Treasury Department, but the other half can be forgiven if the airline does not operate chronically delayed flights in the next three years.
“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” said DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the department is prepared to go to court to enforce passenger protections.”
