American Airlines slapped with "largest fine ever" for long tarmac delays
American Airlines has been slapped with a US$4.1 million fine for domestic flight delays that kept passengers stuck on the tarmac for hours.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) issued the fine, which found that American Airlines kept 43 domestic flights on the tarmac for “lengthy periods” without allowing passengers to deplane between 2018 and 2021.
On one of the flights, passengers were not provided any food or water, which is a requirement, stated the DOT.
The $4.1 million fine is the largest civil penalty the DOT has issued for an airline violating the tarmac delay rule, which orders airlines departing from US airports to move the plane to a location where passengers can safely get off the aircraft before three hours for domestic and four hours for international flights.
The DOT found that in the case of American Airlines, no exceptions to the tarmac delay rule ā including safety and security exemptions ā applied to the delayed flights.
Additionally, the Department of Transportation says that US$2.05 million from the fine will credited to the airline for compensating passengers on the impacted flights.
Most delays happened at Dallas Fort Worth International, impacting 5,821 passengers.
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