Current:Home > MarketsAmerican Airlines hit with record fine for keeping passengers on tarmac for hours-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
American Airlines hit with record fine for keeping passengers on tarmac for hours
View Date:2024-12-23 20:02:32
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday it is fining American Airlines $4.1 million for unlawfully keeping passengers stuck in planes on the tarmac for lengthy periods of time.
American Airlines violated the DOT's rule prohibiting airlines for keeping passengers on planes for tarmac delays lasting three hours or more, the department said in a statement. During delays of this length, airlines are required to allow passengers to deplane.
The fine is the largest civil penalty ever issued for tarmac delay violations, according to the agency. Passengers are owed more than $2.5 billion in refunds related to the delays.
Between 2018 and 2021, 43 domestic American flights sat on the tarmac for lengthy periods of time without allowing passengers to deplane, a violation of Transportation Department rules, the agency's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection found.
"This is the latest action in our continued drive to enforce the rights of airline passengers," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "Whether the issue is extreme tarmac delays or problems getting refunds, DOT will continue to protect consumers and hold airlines accountable."
There are exceptions to the federal rules aimed at deterring airlines from keeping travelers confined on departing flights. For example, airlines aren't required to allow people to deplane if there are legitimate safety reasons to keep them on board. But the Transportation Department's investigation found that none of the exceptions to the tarmac delay rule applied to the 43 flights in question.
The airline also did not provide customers with food or water, which is required, during the delays, according to the agency. Most of the delays, which affected roughly 5,800 passengers, occurred at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the regulators said.
"While these delays were the result of exceptional weather events, the flights represent a very small number of the 7.7 million flights during this time period," American Airlines told CBS News. "We have since apologized to the impacted customers and regret any inconvenience caused."
- In:
- American Airlines
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Young Black and Latino men say they chose Trump because of the economy and jobs. Here’s how and why
- Two more candidates file papers to run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania
- A judge has dismissed Fargo’s challenge to North Dakota restrictions on local gun control
- A work-from-home tip: Don’t buy stocks after eavesdropping on your spouse’s business calls
- Japan to resume V-22 flights after inquiry finds pilot error caused accident
- Handwritten lyrics of Eagles' classic Hotel California the subject of a criminal trial that's about to start
- Hydeia Broadbent, HIV/AIDS activist who raised awareness on tv at young age, dies at 39
- Former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson has been facing property seizures, court records show
- In bizarro world, Tennessee plays better defense, and Georgia's Kirby Smart comes unglued
- Katy Perry, Travis Kelce catch Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Sydney
Ranking
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- Michigan man convicted in 2018 slaying of hunter at state park
- First U.S. moon landing since 1972 set to happen today as spacecraft closes in on lunar surface
- These Athleisure Finds Under $40 Are So Chic That Even The Pickiest Sweatshirt Snobs Will Approve
- Arkansas governor unveils $102 million plan to update state employee pay plan
- Johnny Manziel says father secretly tried to negotiate for $3 million from Texas A&M
- 3 University of Wyoming swimmers killed in highway crash in Colorado
- A Kansas county shredded old ballots as the law required, but the sheriff wanted to save them
Recommendation
-
Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
-
Trial of ‘Rust’ armorer to begin in fatal film rehearsal shooting by Alec Baldwin
-
Get 78% off Peter Thomas Roth, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, J.Crew, Samsonite, and More Deals This Weekend
-
Pregnant teen found dead in a ditch days after she was to be induced
-
Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
-
Dashiell Soren: Pioneering AI-driven Finance Education and Investment
-
Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift visit Sydney Zoo after his arrival in Australia for Eras Tour
-
Some people are slicing their shoes apart to walk barefoot in public. What's going on?