US sues Southwest Airlines, fines Frontier Airlines for frequently delayed flights
Date
1/16/2025 2:33:16 AM
(MENAFN) The US transportation Department is increasing efforts to tackle continued flight postponements by filing a lawsuit against Southwest airlines and imposing a fine against Frontier Airlines.
The agency stated the U.S. District Court lawsuit it filed in California on Wednesday claims that Southwest unlawfully ran recurrently postponed flights and messed up passengers' plans for travel. It declares that it's pursuing “maximum civil penalties.”
“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned in a declaration. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is prepared to go to court in order to enforce passenger protections.”
The Transportation Department noted that its probe discovered that Dallas-based Southwest ran two consistently delayed flights –the first one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and the other one between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio.
The two flights were frequently delayed for five consecutive months and together led to 180 flight disturbances for travelers between April and August 2022, the agency added.
The department imposed a USD650,000 fine against Frontier Airlines in civil penalties with USD325,000 to be paid to the U.S. Treasury and the residual USD325,000 to be put off if the carrier does not run any persistently delayed flights in the coming 3 years.
MENAFN16012025000045015839ID1109096075
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.