A JetBlue Airways aircraft is photographed at the departure gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on June 15, 2013.
Fred Prowser | Reuters
The Department of Transport was fined jet blue airlines The DOT announced Friday it would pay $2 million for “chronically delayed flights,” the first fine of its kind.
JetBlue flew four routes from June 2022 to November 2023 and was delayed at least 145 times, according to the DOT. These were between JetBlue’s home base, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Windsor Locks, Conn., according to the DOT.
“Today’s action recognizes that the entire airline industry expects airline flight schedules to reflect reality,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release.
According to the Department of Transportation, JetBlue was responsible for more than 70% of the disruptions on the four routes. The airline failed to adjust flight times “to avoid illegal and unrealistic schedules,” the ministry added.
DOT considers a flight to be chronically delayed if it flies at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than half the time. The company said it is continuing to investigate other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.
In a statement, JetBlue echoed calls from air traffic controller executives, saying the government needs to do more to improve air traffic controller staffing and modernize systems. delta airlines, united airlines and other major carriers.
“While we have reached a settlement to resolve this issue for four flights in 2022 and 2023, accountability for reliable air travel also extends to the U.S. government, which operates our nation’s air traffic control system,” JetBlue said in a statement. I believe the same is true.” “We believe the United States should have the safest, most efficient, and most advanced air traffic control system in the world, and to reduce controller delays that affect millions of people. We urge the next administration to prioritize modernizing outdated ATC technology and addressing chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages in the number of air travelers each year. ”
New York-based JetBlue Airways operates in some of the world’s busiest airspace. From January to September 2024, JetBlue ranked 9th out of 10 U.S. airlines in on-time performance, with an on-time performance of 71.3% compared to 64.9% from the same period last year, according to DOT’s monthly tally. More improved.
DOT will award JetBlue a portion of the good faith compensation already paid to passengers during the investigation period and any compensation due within one year of the order with a voucher paid to affected passengers of at least $75. He announced that he would be paying a $1 million fine.
