NEW YORK, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation has imposed a 2 million U.S. dollars penalty on JetBlue Airways for operating multiple chronically delayed flights, marking the department's first-ever enforcement action against an airline for unrealistic scheduling.
The fine addresses flights that consistently arrived more than 30 minutes late over several consecutive months, a practice the Transportation Department says misleads passengers and distorts competition in the airline industry. The investigation revealed JetBlue operated four chronically delayed routes at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023.
"Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers. Today's action puts the entire airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or other unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition in commercial aviation and ensure passengers are treated fairly."
JetBlue Airways Corporation is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. It operates over 1,000 flights daily and serves 100 domestic and international network destinations in the Americas and Europe.
