The Transportation Department sues Southwest Airlines for alleged oft-delayed flights
The Department of Transportation is suing Southwest Airlines, claiming the company illegally delayed certain routes for months.
The agency said Wednesday that from April to August 2022, Southwest had 180 flight disruptions on its routes between Chicago and Oakland, Calif., and Baltimore and Cleveland, making the flights “chronically delayed.”
The DOT defines a “chronically delayed” flight as one that is “flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time.”
Disruptions also include cancellations and detours.
Southwest Airlines was not initially available for comment, but told The Associated Press, “Since DOT issued its Chronically Delayed Flight (CDF) policy in 2009, Southwest has operated more than 20 million flights with no other CDF violations.” The company added: “Any claim that these two flights represent an unrealistic schedule is simply not credible when compared with our performance over the past 15 years. In 2024, Southwest led the industry by completing more than 99% of its flights without cancellation.”
Airlines that advertise their flights at a certain time but chronically delay them deceive customers and impede on fair competition, the DOT says.
The agency said it gives airlines time to fix chronically delayed routes, but Southwest did not take advantage of the grace period. It is seeking “maximum civil penalties” against Southwest.
Additionally, the DOT said Wednesday that it fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 in civil penalties for operating three chronically delayed flights between St. Thomas and Orlando, Fla.; Atlanta and Phoenix; and Houston and Orlando. It has to pay half to the U.S. Department of Treasury, but the other half can be waived if the airline doesn’t operate any chronically delayed flights for the next three years.
“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is prepared to go to court in order to enforce passenger protections.”
Trump says Cabinet secretaries, not Elon Musk, are in charge of agency cuts
The president's message to his Cabinet secretaries comes amid continuing questions over the role of billionaire adviser Elon Musk in the drastic reshaping of the federal government.
A Pentagon press secretary has history of pushing antisemitic, extremist theories
Members of Congress and civil rights groups are condemning past comments from Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, including some which critics called antisemitic.
California man charged after Lego larceny worth $25,000
The heists occurred in several California counties, where the alleged thief would load his shopping cart with the expensive building toys and disappear into the parking lot in a matter of minutes.
5 takeaways from the confirmation hearing for Trump’s FDA nominee
Dr. Marty Makary, President Trump's pick to run the Food and Drug Administration, faced questions from the Senate HELP Committee on the abortion pill, vaccines, FDA firings and chemicals in food.
Butterfly numbers have fallen by nearly a quarter since 2000
Butterflies of all kinds of species, in all parts of the country, have declined by one to two percent since 2000.
Democracy-promoting organization sues the Trump administration over withheld funds
President Ronald Reagan laid the rhetorical foundations for the National Endowment for Democracy in a 1982 speech to the British Parliament. Support for its creation in Congress was bipartisan.
