US airline fined $2 million for repeated flight delays

JetBlue has been fined $2 million by the US Department of Transportation for four consecutive flight delays and must compensate affected passengers.

JetBlue fined $2 million for repeatedly delaying flights - Photo: AFP

Reuters news agency reported on January 3 that American airline JetBlue was recently fined $2 million for repeatedly delaying four of its domestic flights.

This is also the first time the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has imposed such a penalty on an airline for violating scheduling regulations.

Accordingly, at times in 2022 and 2023, JetBlue had multiple flights delayed on the New York and Raleigh - Durham, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando routes, as well as the flight between Fort Lauderdale and Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

“Regardless of the cause of the delay (airline, weather, national airspace, security) for any particular flight, JetBlue had sufficient time to take action to avoid further delays,” USDOT said.

JetBlue had a total of 395 delays and cancellations on four frequently delayed flights, USDOT said. A flight is considered frequently delayed when more than 50% of its monthly flights are canceled or arrive more than 30 minutes late.

The department estimates JetBlue was responsible for more than 70 percent of the disruptions to these four consistently delayed flights.

Under the agreement between USDOT and JetBlue, the airline will have to pay a fine of $1 million, with the remainder going to compensate customers.

Specifically, JetBlue has agreed to issue vouchers worth a minimum of $75 to passengers in the event their flights are canceled or delayed for three hours or more due to the airline's fault over the next year.

“Our actions send a message to airlines that we expect their schedules to reflect reality,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

JetBlue, while not accepting responsibility, said in a statement that it values "the importance of helping customers get to their destinations on time and always makes every effort to operate flights as scheduled."

However, the company also criticized USDOT for allowing a serious shortage of air traffic controllers.

"We believe the responsibility for ensuring reliable flight operations also rests with the U.S. government , which operates the nation's air traffic control system," JetBlue said.

The airline said it has spent tens of millions of dollars to address air traffic control issues, particularly in the Northeast corridor, to minimize long delays and has made significant improvements over the past year in reducing flight disruptions.

Last month, USDOT also asked the public for input on whether to require airlines to pay cash compensation for long delays or cancellations caused by the airlines.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hang-hang-khong-my-bi-phat-2-trieu-usd-vi-bay-tre-lien-mien-20250104101023055.htm