On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation dropped the news that they’re taking Southwest Airlines to court over their ongoing issues with delayed flights.
“As part of our commitment to supporting passenger rights and fairness in the market for airline travel, we are suing Southwest Airlines for disrupting passengers’ travel with unlawful chronic flight delays,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed in a statement. “Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times. Today’s action sends a message to all airlines that the Department is prepared to go to court in order to enforce passenger protections.”
The DOT reported that Southwest Airlines had two flights racking up a staggering 180 disruptions from April to August 2022. These flights were shuttling between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland, California, as well as between Baltimore and Cleveland.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Southwest was the culprit behind over 90% of the delays on those routes during that timeframe. The DOT pointed out that their regulations are designed to give airlines enough time to sort out their schedules when a flight becomes a chronic issue, helping them avoid unrealistic timetables. But it looks like Southwest dropped the ball and didn’t tackle the problem.
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In a recent news release, the DOT stated that unrealistic scheduling is “unfair, deceptive, and anticompetitive.” They emphasized how it throws a wrench in travelers’ plans and lets airlines snag business by misleading consumers.
“Continuing to market a flight that has been chronically delayed for more than four consecutive months is one form of unrealistic scheduling,” the release said. “Under DOT rules, a flight is chronically delayed if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time. Cancellations and diversions are included as delays within this calculation.”
