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JetBlue Airways is facing $2 million in fines after a federal investigation found it “operated flights with significant delays.”
This is the first time that the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined an airline for frequent flight delays. The government condemned the move, calling it “a prohibited and inappropriate scheduling practice that could harm passengers and fair competition throughout the airline industry.”
The DOT order requires JetBlue to stop chronic flight delays and pay a $2 million fine, part of which will go directly to the US Treasury. Another portion will be used to compensate passengers affected by frequent flight delays or any future flight disruptions of three hours or more caused by JetBlue over the next year, the DOT said in its announcement Friday.
Future compensation should be a minimum of $75 for each injured passenger, the DOT said.
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A JetBlue flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2023. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Today’s action puts the entire airline industry on notice that their flight plans are truthful,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement on Friday. “The department will enforce the law against airlines that have chronic delays or other unrealistic scheduling practices to protect fair competition in commercial aviation and ensure that passengers are treated fairly.”
Under DOT rules, flights are considered chronically delayed if they fly at least 10 times a month and arrive more than 30 minutes late, more than half the time. Cancellations are included as delays in this figure, the government said. Regular flight delays for more than four consecutive months are considered unreasonable scheduling.
After a DOT investigation, federal officials found that JetBlue operated four flights that were consistently delayed at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023. Each of the four flights was continuously delayed for at least five straight months, according to the DOT. In total, there were 395 delays and cancellations across the four regularly delayed flights.
Additionally, JetBlue continued to operate three regularly delayed flights between Florida, New York and Connecticut despite warnings from the DOT, officials said.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimates that the airline had more than 70% of its four flights delayed regularly based on data submitted to the DOT by JetBlue.
| A ticker | Security | Finally | Change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | Company JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 7.48 | -0.38 |
-4.83% |
Under DOT rules, airlines are given “sufficient time to adjust their schedule after a flight is regularly delayed to avoid illegal scheduling.” However, the DOT said “JetBlue failed to do so.”
However, JetBlue told FOX Business in a statement that it has “invested tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays, particularly related to ongoing air traffic control challenges” in its major markets of the Northeast and Florida over the past two years.
“Through these efforts, we have seen significant performance improvements in 2024 including better on-time performance during this year’s peak summer travel season,” the New York City-based carrier said.
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Passengers drop off their checked bags at JetBlue Airlines at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 16, 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photos by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The carrier went on to say that while an agreement was reached to resolve the issue regarding the four flights in 2022 and 2023, the carrier believes that “accountability for reliable air travel rests with the US government, which operates our nation’s air traffic control system.”
The carrier said the incoming administration must “prioritize outdated ATC technology” and address “the chronic shortage of air traffic controllers to reduce the ATC delays that affect millions of air travelers each year.”
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But JetBlue is not alone. The DOT said it is currently investigating other airlines for “false flight schedules” as well.
The DOT considers unreasonable scheduling to be a deceptive and anti-competitive practice as it denies travelers reliable schedule information and “allows airlines to unfairly capture business from competitors by misleading consumers.”
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