A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 departs from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Las Vegas on September 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Carter | Getty Images
The Department of Transportation filed the lawsuit Wednesday. southwest airlinesthe airline was fined for operating chronically delayed flights. frontier airlines For flights arriving late.
The lawsuit follows a $2 million fine by the U.S. Department of Transportation. jet blue airlines for similar allegations.
The lawsuits and fines come in the waning days of the Biden administration, which has taken a tougher stance on consumer protections than previous administrations.
Southwest Airlines flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Oakland, California, and from Baltimore to Cleveland were delayed nearly 200 times from April to August 2022, according to the DOT.
The DOT said flights have been chronically delayed for five consecutive months, with Southwest Airlines responsible for more than 90% of the disruptions.
We define chronic delays as flights that operate at least 10 times per month and arrive more than 30 minutes late more than half of the time. The calculation also includes cancellations and diversions.
“If an airline knows that a particular flight is consistently delayed, it is imperative that the airline adjust its schedule,” the Department of Transportation said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California. said. “In many cases, however, Southwest Airlines has chosen not to make such adjustments and has instead continued to market its flights using unrealistic schedules. West Airlines has caused significant harm to its customers.”
In response, Southwest Airlines said it “regrets that the DOT has chosen to pursue litigation over two flights that occurred more than two years ago.”
The airline said it has operated more than 20 million flights without violating the policy since the Department of Transportation announced its chronic delay policy in 2009. “The assertion that these two flights are unrealistic schedules has no credibility when compared to our performance over the past 15 years,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement.
Separately, the Department of Transportation fined low-cost carrier Frontier $650,000 for operating chronically delayed flights, but the airline has to pay $320,000 if it does not operate repeatedly delayed flights over the next three years. It added that he would be suspended for $5,000. Frontier declined to comment.
