American Eagle fine could result in more cancellations
November 15, 2011, 06:18 pm
American Airlines was recently fined $900,000 by the government for holding hundreds of passengers on board a small jet for hours on an airport tarmac beyond the three-hour limit. However, industry analysts believe the fines, which are designed to reduce these types of incidents, could result in a larger number of canceled flights, which would negatively impact thousands of passengers.
The Statesman reported other airlines had canceled flights to avoid fines related to the limit on tarmac delays imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation about 20 months ago. With the recent fines to American Airlines, more flights are likely to be canceled to avoid charges.
The source reported the rule states airlines can be charged up to $27,500 per passenger, and the fine given to American Airlines is the largest penalty in a consumer protection case not involving civil rights violations.
Bloomberg reported American Airlines received the penalty after keeping planes on the tarmac for more than three hours on 15 flights arriving at O'Hare International Airport in May. The fines were imposed for illegally holding 608 passengers as well as sending planes from other airports into O'Hare, which was backed up due to poor weather conditions.
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