JetBlue fined $2 million for delays

TRAVEL

Airline had planes arrive chronically late in 2022 and 2023

JetBlue was ordered to bay $2 million in penalties by the Transportation Department for chronically late flights in 2022 and 2023. SETH WENIG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Christine Chung

The New York Times

The Transportation Department announced Friday a $2 million penalty against JetBlue Airways for operating several flights on the East Coast that chronically arrived late in 2022 and 2023. Half of the money collected will go to the affected passengers.

The penalty is the first time the DOT has fined an airline for chronic delays, which the federal agency defines as flights that are flown at least 10 times a month that arrive more than a half-hour late more than 50% of the time.

“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 DOT said it had warned JetBlue about persistent delays on its flights between Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. It added that carriers have a “legal responsibility to avoid chronic delays” and that these flights for months were unfair and deceptive.

The four routes under scrutiny flew between JFK and Raleigh-Durham Airport; JFK and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; JFK and Orlando International Airport in Florida; and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. Between June 2022 and November 2023, the flights were chronically delayed five months in a row. More than 70% of the disruptions for these flights were caused by the airline, according to estimates from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

“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,” Buttigieg said.

Derek Dombrowski, a spokesperson for JetBlue, said in a statement that the airline had invested tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays over the last two years and had seen “significant operational improvements.” Dombrowski also said that air traffic control issues had contributed to the airline’s operational challenges in the Northeast and Florida.

Last week, JetBlue made headlines when a flight from Turks and Caicos bound for Boston was delayed more than 24 hours, stranding passengers with no accommodations.

From January to September 2024, about 71% of JetBlue’s flights were on time, according to data from the Transportation Department, and the carrier was ranked second to last in on-time performance of the largest 10 domestic airlines (Frontier Airlines was in last place). During this same time period, more than 9% of JetBlue’s flights were delays caused by the airline, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Affected JetBlue customers will each receive at least $75, and the fine’s remaining $1 million will be paid in cash to the U.S. Treasury.

JetBlue has struggled to return to profitability since the pandemic and last year the airline faced further setbacks when engine unavailability grounded some of its planes and a merger with Spirit Airlines failed. In recent months, the carrier has cut underperforming routes, including service from New York to Miami and Houston, and recently announced a premium push, including adding domestic first-class service and opening airport lounges.