DOT fines JetBlue for alleged 'unrealistic scheduling' that causes chronic delays

The Department of Transportation said on Friday that it will fine JetBlue $2 million over chronic delays, accusing the airline of publishing unrealistic schedules that it knows it can't actually achieve.

According to DOT, JetBlue allegedly operated four routes that were delayed at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023 and were each chronically delayed for five straight months. DOT defines a flight as being "chronically delayed" if it is scheduled at least 10 times a month and arrives at least 31 minutes late more than half the time.

The flights included a route between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) that DOT said it had previously issued a warning on, noting a trend of chronic delays. Three other routes were included under the fine: JFK to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), JFK to Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Connecticut's Bradley International Airport (BDL) to FLL.

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"Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "Today's action puts the entire airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality."

The airline was responsible for more than 70% of the delays on each of the routes, DOT said, rather than external factors like air traffic control delays or inclement weather. Even if the cause was outside of the airline's control, however, the airline would be responsible for adjusting its schedule to allow for those factors after a route becomes chronically delayed.

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Friday's enforcement represents the first time DOT has fined an airline over chronic delays, the department said, noting that half of the fine will go toward compensating passengers affected by past or future delays.

In an interview with TPG last year, Buttigieg said that the agency was pressuring airlines to "prove the realism of their schedules," noting that carriers could publish scheduled departure and arrival times that it knows it can't actually meet "for reasons of gaining market share or other anti-competitive reasons."

"We have active investigations right now, and are calling on airlines to do the right thing in the first place and not allow there to be reason for suspicion that they are knowingly scheduling flights that they're not prepared to adequately serve," Buttigieg said at the time.

In a statement, JetBlue noted that it made major investments in its operations over the past two years that led to significant improvements in 2024; the carrier added that challenges linked to issues with air traffic control, which is overseen by DOT, were notable in New York and Florida airspace.

"While we've reached a settlement to resolve this matter regarding four flights in 2022 and 2023, we believe accountability for reliable air travel equally lies with the U.S. government, which operates our nation's air traffic control system," JetBlue said in the statement.

"We believe the U.S. should have the safest, most efficient, and advanced air traffic control system in the world, and we urge the incoming administration to prioritize modernizing outdated ATC technology and addressing chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages to reduce ATC delays that affect millions of air travelers each year."

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