The Ministry of Transport imposed a superb JetBlue Airways $2 million for “chronically delayed flights,” the primary penalty of its kind, the DOT said Friday.
JetBlue operated 4 routes that were delayed not less than 145 times from June 2022 to November 2023, the DOT said. These were situated between JetBlue's home hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina; between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, in keeping with the DOT.
“Today’s action puts the entire aviation industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release.
According to the DOT, JetBlue was chargeable for greater than 70% of the disruptions on the 4 routes. The airline did not adjust flight times “to avoid illegal unrealistic flight schedules,” the department added.
The DOT considers a flight to be chronically delayed whether it is flown not less than 10 times a month and is delayed by greater than half-hour greater than half of the time. It said investigations were underway against other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.
JetBlue said in an announcement the federal government must do more to enhance air traffic controller staffing and modernize the system, echoing calls from executives below Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and other major airlines.
“While we have reached an agreement to resolve this matter regarding four flights in 2022 and 2023, we believe the responsibility for reliable air travel lies equally with the U.S. government, which operates our nation's air traffic control system,” JetBlue said in its statement Explanation. “We believe the U.S. should have the safest, most efficient, and most advanced air traffic control system in the world, and we urge the new administration to prioritize modernizing aging ATC technology and address chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages to reduce air traffic control delays “to reduce the number of air travelers that affect millions of people each year.”
JetBlue is predicated in New York and operates in a number of the most polluted airspace on the planet. JetBlue ranked ninth amongst 10 U.S. airlines in on-time arrivals from January to September 2024, in keeping with a monthly DOT. 71.3% of flights arrived on time, an improvement from 64.9% in the identical period last yr match.
The DOT said it’ll pay JetBlue $1 million of the superb for ex-gratia compensation already paid to passengers in the course of the investigation period, in addition to compensation payable inside one yr of the order, with vouchers to affected passengers who spend not less than $75. Dollars paid will likely be credited.
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