A JetBlue Airways plane at the departure gates at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on June 15, 2013.
Fred Prosser | Reuters
A fine from the Ministry of Transport JetBlue Airlines The Department of Transportation said Friday the first-ever $2 million fine for “chronically delayed flights.”
The Department of Transportation said JetBlue operated four routes that were delayed at least 145 times from June 2022 through November 2023. Those were between JetBlue's main 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, according to the Department of Transportation.
“Today’s action alerts the entire airline industry that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.
The Department of Transportation said JetBlue was responsible for more than 70% of the disruptions on the four routes. The ministry added that the airline failed to adjust flight schedules “to avoid illegal and unrealistic scheduling.”
The Department of Transportation considers a flight chronically late if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than half the time. It said it was conducting ongoing investigations with other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.
The government should do more to improve hiring of air traffic controllers and modernize the system, JetBlue said in a statement, echoing calls from JetBlue executives. Delta Airlines, United Airlines And other major transportation companies.
“While we have reached a settlement to resolve this matter regarding four flights in 2022 and 2023, we believe the responsibility for reliable air travel rests equally with the U.S. government, which operates our nation's air traffic control system,” JetBlue said in its statement. “We believe the United States should have the safest, most efficient, and advanced air traffic control system in the world, and we urge the incoming administration to prioritize modernizing outdated air traffic control technology and address the chronic shortage of air traffic control personnel to reduce air traffic control delays affecting millions.” of air passengers every year.
Headquartered in New York, JetBlue operates some of the busiest airspace in the world. From January through September 2024, JetBlue ranked ninth out of 10 U.S. airlines in on-time arrivals with 71.3% of flights arriving on time, an improvement over 64.9% in the same period a year earlier, according to the Department of Transportation Monthly. His balance.
The Department of Transportation said it would award JetBlue $1 million from the fine for good faith compensation already paid to passengers during the timeframe of the investigation as well as compensation payable within a year of the order with vouchers for affected passengers paying at least $75.
