The US DOT is suing Southwest Airlines and fining Frontier for ongoing flight delays affecting passengers
Dallas: The Transportation Department is really cracking down on airlines with a lawsuit against Southwest and a hefty fine for Frontier. They’re not playing around when it comes to those annoying flight delays.
So, here’s the scoop: the lawsuit claims Southwest has been running flights that are always late, messing up travel plans for folks. They’re aiming for some serious penalties here.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made it clear that airlines need to stick to realistic schedules. He’s sending a strong message that the DOT is ready to take legal action to protect passengers.
According to the DOT, Southwest had two flights that were consistently delayed for five months straight. One was from Chicago to Oakland, and the other from Baltimore to Cleveland. That’s a lot of frustrated travelers!
In total, those delays caused 180 disruptions between April and August 2022. Meanwhile, Frontier got hit with a $650,000 fine, but they can avoid half of it if they keep their flights on time for the next three years.
This news comes right after JetBlue was fined $2 million for similar issues. They were called out for unrealistic scheduling, and JetBlue even pointed fingers at the government for the delays.
Interestingly, a report showed that Southwest was ranked fifth among North American airlines for on-time performance last year, with about 77.8% of arrivals being on time. Delta, on the other hand, was the top dog with over 83%.
Last year, the FAA started keeping a closer eye on Southwest after some concerning incidents, including flying too low. They want to make sure the airline is following safety rules, adjusting their oversight based on risk.
