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DOT Issues First-Ever $2 Million Fine to JetBlue for Chronic Delays, Funds Passenger Compensation

Jan 3, 2025, 05:00 PM

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed a $2 million penalty on JetBlue Airways for operating multiple chronically delayed flights, marking the first time the agency has fined an airline for such delays. The fine is related to flights on four East Coast routes between June 2022 and November 2023, which were delayed at least 145 times. Half of the fine, $1 million, will be paid to the U.S. Treasury, while the other half will be used to compensate passengers affected by the delays, including those who experience future delays of three hours or more within the next year. The DOT cited unrealistic scheduling by JetBlue as the cause of the chronic delays, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stating that the action puts the entire airline industry on notice to ensure flight schedules reflect reality. JetBlue has acknowledged the issue but also pointed to air traffic control challenges as a contributing factor to the delays, urging the incoming administration to modernize air traffic control technology and address staffing shortages.