DOT penalizes JetBlue for chronic flight delays

Enforcement action is Transportation Dept.’s first-ever for ‘unrealistic scheduling’

WASHINGTON –  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) said Friday it has penalized JetBlue airlines $2 million for operating routes with unrealistic schedules, resulting in at least 145 “chronically delayed flights” in 2022 and 2023. Half of the penalty will go to JetBlue customers affected by the company’s chronic delays or future disruptions in the next year; the other half will go to the U.S. Treasury. This marks the first time DOT has penalized an airline for chronic delays.

Unrealistic scheduling hurts both travelers and competitors, the DOT said. The DOT prohibits airlines from scheduling flights that reasonable people would know won’t depart or arrive on time. The DOT considers flights chronically delayed if they travel the same route at least 10 times a month and are canceled or arrive more than 30 minutes late more than half of the time. DOT said it warned JetBlue about chronic delays between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. It also operated chronically delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the DOT said.  

DOT said it’s also pursuing investigations into other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.

In a statement, Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, said:

“This is the kind of wake-up call that’s a long time coming. Travelers’ plans shouldn’t hang on a wing and a prayer. JetBlue for years has had among the highest ratios of passenger complaints, the highest cancellation rates and the worst on-time rates, according to U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s airline analyses in recent years. The chronically delayed flights are just one part of a bigger problem. 

“We applaud DOT’s efforts to hold more airlines accountable. Everyone knows that airlines play all sorts of games with flight schedules, and there rarely are consequences when the airlines schedule flights that they know darn well won’t operate on time. Airlines often don’t allow enough time between flights and they often allow for no margin for error. They often treat travelers like seat numbers, not people who have lives and commitments and plans for everything from vacations to weddings or funerals.

“We also urge the DOT to look closely at flights that get canceled more than seven days before departure. They’re considered ‘discontinued,’ not canceled, and aren’t tracked by DOT. Yet this can be a huge problem for travelers if they have to scramble to rebook.” 

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