Jakarta – The Department of Transportation (DOT) has sued Southwest Airlines, accusing the company of operating two chronically delayed flight routes in 2022, resulting in 180 flight disruptions.
According to CNN, Monday (January 20, 2025), a press release from DOT states that the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday (January 15), seeks the maximum civil penalty.
The lawsuit alleges that the Dallas-based airline harmed passengers and fair competition across the industry.
Investigators found that Southwest operated two flights experiencing chronic delays: one between Chicago Midway and Oakland, California, and another between Baltimore and Cleveland.
A total of 180 disruptions occurred between April and August 2022, the same year Southwest experienced its worst operational chaos in over 50 years. Each flight on these routes was delayed for five consecutive months.
According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics submitted to DOT by Southwest, the airline was responsible for over 90% of these disruptions.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that the lawsuit is part of the department’s commitment to upholding passenger rights.
The lawsuit alleges Southwest failed to adjust its schedules to avoid delays.
What is chronic delay?
Under DOT regulations, a flight is considered “chronically delayed” if it operates at least 10 times per month and arrives late more than 50% of the time. Cancellations and diversions are also counted as delays in the department’s calculations.
Southwest faced one of the most notable passenger disruptions at the end of 2022, leaving thousands of passengers stranded during the Christmas holiday after outdated technology disrupted the airline’s crew scheduling amid severe winter storms.
A Southwest spokesperson stated that the company is “disappointed” with the department’s lawsuit over flights that occurred more than two years ago.
The airline noted that it completed over 99% of its flights without cancellations in 2024.
Southwest faces additional challenges this week, as the airline implements further cost-cutting measures.
The airline has temporarily suspended corporate hiring and promotions, some summer internship programs, and long-standing employee initiatives.
DOT fines for other airlines
DOT also issued a USD 650,000 (IDR 10.6 billion) civil penalty against low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines for delays.
Of the fine, USD 325,000 will be paid to the U.S. Treasury, while the remaining USD 325,000 will be suspended if the airline avoids operating chronically delayed flights for the next three years.
Earlier this month, the Department of Transportation fined JetBlue Airways USD 2 million for flight delays. DOT found that JetBlue operated four chronically delayed flights at least 145 times between June 2022 and November 2023, with each flight delayed for five consecutive months or more.