On Monday, the Department of Transportation imposed a fine of $4.1 million on American Airlines for violating federal rules on prolonged tarmac delays.
According to the agency, this was the largest penalty given for tarmac delays. From 2018 to 2021, American Airlines had 43 domestic flights wherein passengers were on the tarmac for more than three hours. The majority of the incidents occurred at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. However, the worst delay happened in San Antonio when 105 passengers were stuck on the tarmac for six hours in August 2020.
In a statement, DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, “This is the latest action in our continued drive to enforce the rights of airline passengers.” He continued saying “Whether the issue is extreme tarmac delays or problems getting refunds, D.O.T will continue to protect consumers and hold airlines accountable.”
Reducing Tarmac Delays
Sarah Jantz, spokesperson for the airline, said that American Airlines already made the necessary efforts to reduce tarmac delays. Jantz said in a statement, “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.” Jantz also issued an apology to the affected customers.
Of the $4.1 million fine, half goes to the federal government. The other half goes to the affected 5,821 passengers in the form of airline credits.
Federal Prohibition
The existing federal prohibition on prolonged tarmac delays started during the Obama administration. For domestic flights, airlines can’t keep passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours. And for international flights, the limit is at four hours.
The DOT has recently pushed to improve travelers’ flying experience by holding airlines accountable for their blunders. It has fined airlines for failure to provide refunds. And also, it prevented airlines from charging extra fees just to have children sit together with accompanying adults.
DOT also came up with an online dashboard that lets travelers know the services they could get if an airline is at fault for a significant delay or canceled flight.
