The government is seeking a large fine, as it did recently with JetBlue and Frontier
of ConsumerAffairsThe U.S. Transportation Department has sued Southwest Airlines for violating rules about setting realistic flight schedules. The department said Southwest was responsible for "chronic flight delays" that disrupted passengers' travel. The lawsuit, filed in California, seeks large penalties against Southwest.
The moves come less than two weeks after the department announced a $2 million fine for JetBlue over the same issue.The department also fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 for similar issues.
Southwest responded by saying it was disappointed with the lawsuit, especially since the flights in question happened more than two years ago. The airline pointed out that it has operated over 20 million flights since the rule was introduced in 2009 without any other violations.
Any claim that these two flights represent an unrealistic schedule is simply not credible when compared with our performance over the past 15 years, Southwest said. The company remains in touch with the government and is open to discussions about a reasonable settlement.
The Transportation Department's investigation found two flights that were chronically delayedone between Chicago and Oakland, and another between Baltimore and Cleveland. These delays caused 180 disruptions for passengers in 2022. The department also fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 for similar issues.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2025-01-16 14:57:41
