STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) fined JetBlue airlines $2 million for flight delays.

The penalty against JetBlue for what it deemed as chronic flight delays, “a prohibited unrealistic scheduling practice which can harm both passengers and fair competition across the airline industry,” according to the federal agency.

The fines levied by the USDOT represented the first time ever that an airline, major or minor, has been penalized for chronic delays.

Half of the $2 million fine will go towards reimbursing customers affected by delays at JetBlue.

Federal rules outlaw airlines from promoting unrealistic flight timetables that don’t accurately reflect the real arrival and departure times.

A flight is deemed as chronically delayed if its flown at least 10 times in a month, and has been over half an hour late at least 50% of the time.

According to the USDOT, JetBlue had four flights between June 2022 and November 2023 that were chronically delayed for five months straight, included one that operated between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

“Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers. Today’s action puts the airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition and ensure passengers are treated fairly.”

USDOT is also investigating other airlines for chronic flight delay issues, the agency says.

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