The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has sued Southwest Airlines for allegedly operating chronically delayed flights in 2022. The airline is accused of consistently flying late flights, with nearly 200 instances reported between April and August 2022. According to the DOT, Southwest was responsible for more than 90% of the disruptions.
The lawsuit comes after the DOT fined Frontier Airlines $325,000 and JetBlue Airways $2 million for similar allegations. The fines are part of the Biden administration’s tougher stance on consumer protections in its final term.
Southwest claimed that two flights reported by the DOT occurred over two years ago and that it has operated more than 20 million flights without violating any policies. However, the DOT argued that Southwest’s failure to adjust its schedule for consistently late flights causes harm to customers.
The DOT also fined Frontier Airlines $325,000 for operating chronically delayed flights.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/15/dot-sues-southwest-chronically-delayed-flights.html