The Department of Transportation announced Friday that it would impose a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways for chronically late flights along the East Coast, and that half of the money would be returned to delayed passengers.
The agency said it was the first time it had fined an airline for chronic delays on specific routes, which it blamed on JetBlue’s “unrealistic scheduling.”
“Chronic delays of illegal flights make flights unreliable for travelers. Today’s action puts the entire airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. His department led the Biden administration in criticizing airlines for poor service and rising passenger fees.
JetBlue said the government, which runs the air traffic control system, shares responsibility for late flights.
Airline spokesman Derek Dombrowski said JetBlue has invested “tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays, particularly related to current air traffic control challenges in our largest northern markets.” -East and Florida,” which helped improve on-time performance in 2024, including during the peak summer travel season.
“While we have reached an agreement to resolve this issue regarding four (routes) in 2022 and 2023, we believe that the responsibility for reliable air transportation also lies with the U.S. government, which manages the air traffic control system of our country,” Dombrowski said.
He said the new Trump administration should prioritize modernizing “outdated” air traffic control technology and understaffing controllers hired by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Department of Transportation regulations prohibit airlines from publishing schedules that do not reflect actual departure and arrival times. The agency defines a flight as chronically delayed if it runs at least 10 times per month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than half the time.
The department cited JetBlue flights between June 2022 and November 2023. It said it warned JetBlue of frequent delays on flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in South Carolina. North. Frequent delays also occurred on flights between JFK and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and between Windsor Locks, Connecticut and Fort Lauderdale.
NBC Chicago
