JetBlue hit with $2M fine for chronic delays at JFK and other airports

JetBlue Airways has received a multi-million dollar fine after operating multiple chronically delayed flights at several large airports throughout the U.S., including John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s imposition of a $2 million penalty on the airline marks the first-ever DOT enforcement action against an airline for unrealistic scheduling, USA TODAY reported.

“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.”

Here’s what to know.

Why is JetBlue receiving a fine?

JetBlue operated four chronically delayed routes, or flights that consistently arrived more than 30 minutes late over several consecutive months, at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023, the DOT says, which misleads passengers and distorts competition in the airline industry.

Which airports experienced delays that led to JetBlue being fined?

JetBlue’s delayed routes included flights between JFK and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina, as well as routes connecting Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida and JFK and Orlando International Airport in Florida and Windsor Locks in Connecticut.

The airline received a warning after the delays between JFK and Raleigh-Durham, according to the DOT, but continued to operate chronically delayed flights between the other affected airports.

The DOT is continuing to investigate other airlines for similar scheduling practices.

Will affected customers see any of the money?

Under the penalty, JetBlue must pay $1 million to the U.S. Treasury and use the remaining $1 million to compensate impacted passengers, the DOT says. Customers will receive at least $75 if they experience any future JetBlue delays of three hours or more within the next year.

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What JetBlue is saying

“We appreciate how important it is to our customers to arrive to their destinations on-time and work very hard to operate our flights as scheduled,” JetBlue said in a statement to USA TODAY. “While we’ve reached a settlement to resolve this matter regarding four flights in 2022 and 2023, we believe accountability for reliable air travel equally lies with the U.S. government, which operates our nation’s air traffic control system.

“We believe the U.S. 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 ATC technology and addressing chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages to reduce ATC delays that affect millions of air travelers each year.”

The airline also highlighted that over the past two years, it has invested “tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays, particularly related to ongoing air traffic control (ATC) challenges in our largest markets in the Northeast and Florida.”

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: JetBlue hit with $2M fine for chronic delays at JFK and other airports

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