US fines JetBlue $2m for ‘chronically delayed flights’ in unprecedented act

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/03/jetblue-fined-delayed-flights

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Department of Transportation denounces ‘unrealistic’ JetBlue schedules in yet another setback for the airline

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Friday a $2m fine against JetBlue for “operating multiple chronically delayed flights”. The agency said it was the first time it had fined an airline for chronic delays on specific routes, which it said was caused by “unrealistic” scheduling practices by JetBlue.

“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,” the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said in a statement.

The Department of Transportation defines “chronic delays” as flights that are flown at least 10 times a month and arrive more than 30 minutes late more than 50% of the time.

The DOT says an investigation into JetBlue found that the airline operated four chronically delayed flights at least 145 times between June 2022 through November 2023. Each flight was chronically delayed for at least five consecutive months.

JetBlue had been previously warned by the DOT about persistent delays on its flights between Kennedy international airport and Raleigh-Durham international airport in North Carolina, according to the federal agency’s statement.

Despite the warning, JetBlue went on to operate three more repeatedly delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and JFK; and between Fort Lauderdale and Windsor Locks in Connecticut, the DOT said. They found that there were a total of 395 delays and cancellations across these four chronically delayed flights.

“Regardless of the cause of the delay (carrier, weather, national airspace, security) for any specific flight, JetBlue had adequate time to act to avoid the chronic delays,” the DOT said.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesperson for JetBlue, said in a statement that the airline invested “tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays”, which resulted in better on-time performance in 2024, including during the peak summer travel season.

JetBlue, which built a reputation for its spacious seating options and relatively high rates of customer satisfaction, has had a year filled with setbacks. In March, it abandoned its $3.8bn move to acquire Spirit Airlines after a US district court blocked the transaction. Last month, JetBlue announced that it would continue to cut less profitable routes, including flights from New York to Miami and Houston.

Last weekend, passengers of the airline said that they were “kicked to the street like dogs” after their return flight to Boston was delayed by nearly 24 hours.