Legal Action Against Southwest Airlines

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Wednesday a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines for operating flights that were chronically delayed. Specifically, flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Oakland, California, and from Baltimore to Cleveland experienced 180 flight disruptions between April and August 2022. These flights were consistently delayed for five consecutive months, with Southwest Airlines being responsible for over 90% of these disruptions. The DOT is seeking maximum civil penalties in this lawsuit.

Frontier Airlines Fined

In addition to the lawsuit against Southwest, the DOT has imposed a $650,000 civil penalty on Frontier Airlines. This penalty includes a $325,000 payment to the US Treasury Department, with the remaining amount suspended provided that Frontier ceases operating any chronically delayed flights within the next three years. A flight is considered "chronically delayed" by the DOT if it operates at least ten times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50% of the time.