The US government is suing Southwest Airlines and fining Frontier for long-delayed flights

The Department of Transportation is stepping up enforcement of persistent flight delays with lawsuits against Southwest Airlines and fines against Frontier Airlines.

The agency said a US District Court lawsuit filed in California on Wednesday alleges that Southwest illegally delayed flights and disrupted passengers’ travel plans. It says it wants “maximum civil penalties.”

“Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is willing to go to court to enforce passenger protections.”

The Department of Transportation said its investigation found that Dallas-based Southwest operated two long-delayed flights — one between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, and the other between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio.

Both flights were delayed for five consecutive months and together led to 180 flight disruptions for passengers between April and August 2022, the agency said.

In a statement, Southwest said it was disappointed that the organization focused on flights more than two years ago and pointed to its long-term record.

“Since the DOT issued its Chronically Delayed Flight (CDF) policy in 2009, Southwest has operated more than 20 million flights without a CDF violation. Any claim that these two flights represent a false schedule is unreliable when compared to our performance over the past 15 years,” the company said. “In 2024, Southwest led the industry by eliminating more than 99% of its flights without cancellations. “

The department fined Frontier Airlines $650,000 in civil penalties, with $325,000 to be paid to the US Treasury and the remaining $325,000 to be suspended if the airline does not operate any delayed flights for the next three years. Frontier, based in Denver, declined to comment.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Transportation Department fined JetBlue $2 million for incessant delays, the first time it has issued fines for late arrivals on certain routes. The agency attributed JetBlue’s incessant delays to “irrational planning.” JetBlue then said the government, which runs the air traffic control system, is to blame for the flight delays.

Aviation data provider Cirium said in a report released this month that Southwest ranked fifth among the 10 North American airlines surveyed for on-time performance, with 77.8% of arrivals and departures down from 77% last year. in a timely manner. In comparison, top-tier Delta Air Lines received 83.5% of arrivals and 83.7% of departures.

Last year, federal regulators increased their scrutiny of Southwest Airlines after a series of incidents, including flying at low altitudes while still miles from the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said in July it wants to make sure the carrier complies with federal safety regulations. The FAA declined to provide details, but noted that it regularly adjusts oversight of airlines based on risk.