JetBlue faces a $2 million fine from the DOT due to consistently late flights.

• JetBlue Airways was fined $2 million by the Department of Transportation for multiple delays on four routes, but received a $1 million credit for past and future passenger compensation.
• The DOT said the fine was the first of its kind.
• JetBlue announced an improvement in its on-time rate and called on the incoming administration to invest in enhancing air traffic control.

The DOT announced on Friday that it had imposed a $2 million fine on an airline for "repeatedly late flights," marking the first time such a penalty had been handed out.

The DOT reported that JetBlue's four routes experienced delays of at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023. These routes connected JetBlue's home hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport with Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina and between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Orlando, Florida, JFK, and Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

In a news release, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that today's action signaled to the entire airline industry that we expect their flight schedules to align with reality.

The DOT stated that JetBlue was responsible for over 70% of the disruptions on four routes, as the airline failed to adjust flight times to avoid illegal and unrealistic scheduling.

The DOT classifies a flight as chronically delayed if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives over 30 minutes late more than half the time. Additionally, the DOT is conducting investigations into other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.

JetBlue, like other major carriers, has called on the government to increase air traffic controller staffing and update the system, as stated in a company statement.

"JetBlue has reached a settlement for four flights in 2022 and 2023, but believes accountability for reliable air travel also lies with the U.S. government, which operates the nation's air traffic control system. The airline believes the U.S. should have the safest, most efficient, and advanced air traffic control system in the world and urges the incoming administration to prioritize modernizing outdated ATC technology and addressing chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages to reduce ATC delays that affect millions of air travelers each year."

JetBlue, based in New York, operates in some of the world's most congested airspace. In the period from January through September 2024, JetBlue ranked ninth out of 10 U.S. airlines in on-time arrivals, with 71.3% of flights arriving on time, an improvement over 64.9% in the year-earlier period, according to a monthly DOT tally.

The DOT will credit JetBlue $1 million of the fine for goodwill compensation already paid to passengers during the investigation's time frame as well as for compensation that is payable within a year of the order with vouchers to affected passengers paid at at least $75.