NCL applauds DOT’s historic actions to require realistic airline scheduling
Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, (202) 207-2829
Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a lawsuit yesterday against Southwest Airlines for chronically delayed flights. The lawsuit marks the first time an airline will face DOT charges in court for unrealistic scheduling. In the same announcement, DOT stated it issued a fine against Frontier Airlines for the same illegal conduct. This announcement came just weeks after the Department levied its first ever fine for chronically delayed flights against JetBlue Airlines.
“Advertised schedules should mean something. And when airlines habitually fail to meet their schedules, they should be held accountable,” said NCL Vice President John Breyault. “DOT’s actions have set a welcome precedent for future consumer protection action. We encourage the incoming Trump Administration to build on this record and continue protecting the flying public from illegal conduct.”
In all three of the cases, the airlines flew consistently delayed routes over the course of several consecutive months, according to flight performance data carriers regularly submit to DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Flight disruptions can quickly rack up costs for affected travelers who might seek rebooking or alternative transportation, require overnight accommodations, or miss scheduled events.
Further reading:
- NCL applauds DOT advancement of delay compensation rules
- NCL urges Congress to strengthen consumer protections against aviation cyber incidents and calls for delay compensation
- Consumer advocates submit comments to DOT and DOJ on the state of airline competition, recommend reforms including delay compensation rules
- Consumer coalition supports DOT proposal to ban family seating fees, urges action on additional passenger protection issues
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit nclnet.org.
