Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Tarmac delays are soaring, leaving thousands of passengers stranded inside airplanes for hours. The number of three-hour tarmac delays at U.S. airports hit 437 last year, up from 289 the year before. The number has risen steadily almost every year since 2016; last year's was the highest total since the Tarmac Delay Rule took effect in 2010. The rule says airlines can be fined up to $27,500 per passenger if a domestic flight remains on the tarmac for more than three hours without allowing passengers to get off. Yet there have been few fines announced in the last several years. The $4.1 million that American Airlines was fined in 2023 was a record. The case involved 43 domestic tarmac violations between 2018 and 2021 affecting a total of 5,821 passengers. On one of the flights, passengers were not provided with food and water as required. Delta, United, Southwest and Allegiant also were fined for tarmac violations in the last 10 years. What's interesting to us: In the 12 months before the three-hour rule took effect in April 2010, there were 693 tarmac delays of more than three hours, the DOT says. In the 12 months after the rule took effect, there were 20. But in every year since 2016, there have been more than 100 violations. The exception was COVID-ravaged 2020. Clearly, airlines respond to enforcement action. Please do more to protect passengers by assessing the maximum fine against airlines that violate the Tarmac Delay Rule. Thank you for your consideration,