JetBlue Fined $2 Million by the Department of Transportation for Chronic Flight Delays

JetBlue has been fined $2 million by the Department of Transportation, which claimed that the popular air carrier had chronic flight delays last year.

“Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers. Today’s action puts the airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement included in the DOT’s announcement of the fine. “The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition and ensure passengers are treated fairly.”

JetBlue flew four chronically delayed flights at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023, according to the DOT’s inquiry. For at least five consecutive months, every flight had persistent delays. JetBlue continued to run three additional chronically delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and JFK, as well as between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, even after the DOT warned the airline about the persistent delays on its flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

According to information that the airline provided to the DOT, the airline was responsible for more than 70% of the “disruptions” for the four flights that experienced persistent delays. To prevent unlawfully unrealistic scheduling, the DOT regulations provide airlines enough time to correct their schedule after a flight has persistent delays, regardless of the reason for the interruption for any particular trip, but the carrier didn’t succeed in doing so.

According to the DOT’s order, JetBlue must stop its frequent flight delays and pay a $2 million fine. JetBlue is required to pay the U.S. Treasury $1 million in cash, which is half of the penalty. The remaining half of the fine is used to reimburse JetBlue customers who were affected by the airline’s regularly delayed flights that were subject to the DOT’s order or by any subsequent three-hour or longer flight cancellations or delays that JetBlue causes over the following year. Each “harmed” passenger must receive at least $75 in future compensation.

JetBlue CEO Pushed for Air Traffic Control Reform

Meanwhile, when the next president takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, CEO Joanna Geraghty hopes to see some changes made to air traffic control.

“I wish this administration would focus more on air traffic control,” she said to Bloomberg on Tuesday, Dec. 17. “That has definitely been a meaningful pressure for JetBlue and other airlines.”

She asserted that “we should be able to have a more resilient air traffic system” and that the nation’s air traffic controller personnel is “grossly understaffed.” The shortages have disproportionately impacted JetBlue and other airlines with sizable operations in the New York area.