Feb. 10 at 4:58 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airports,
Regulations,
Updated
By Julie Johnsson
Federal officials are poised to broaden new tarmac delay rules to include overseas carriers, closing a loophole that was exposed during the Boxing Day blizzard that shuttered New York City’s airports.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday it expects to issue the latest passenger protections in April and will likely build on a controversial 2010 rule that set fines of $27,500 for every passenger on board planes operated by domestic carriers that idle at an airport for more than 180 minutes. Get the full story »
Jan. 11 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports
By Associated Press
The were no airplanes stuck on the ground for more than three hours in November — the second straight month airlines avoided long delays, the government said Tuesday.
That’s little comfort to travelers stranded by huge snow storms that grounded thousands of flights in December. The Department of Transportation won’t report those statistics until next month. Get the full story »
Dec. 7, 2010 at 10:44 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
Transportation,
Travel
By Associated Press
The government says October was the first month when no airplanes were stuck on the ground for more than three hours.
It’s the first month without tarmac delays since the government started collected data in 2008. Get the full story »
Sep. 23, 2010 at 11:59 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines
By Julie Johnsson
A United Airlines plane prepares for takeoff at O'Hare. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)
Federal officials penalized United Airlines $12,000 for over-reporting its May tarmac delays, even though the flights in question did not violate new rules aimed at eliminating nightmarish ground delays.
The fine is the first issued by Department of Transportation officials related to rules, which took effect April 29, mandating carriers provide passengers with food, water and the chance to exit before a tarmac delay hits the three-hour point. Airlines face fines of up to $27,500 per passenger, or $3 million for a typical Boeing or Airbus narrow-body jet, for any flight that doesn’t comply. Get the full story »
Sep. 13, 2010 at 2:09 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
Regulations
By Julie Johnsson
Only three flights suffered excessive tarmac delays in July, all of them at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, as the threat of hefty, new fines continued to make an impact on air travel, new data shows.
But passengers don’t always benefit from the new rules, imposed at the end of April. Get the full story »
Aug. 10, 2010 at 2:45 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
Government
By Jon Hilkevitch
Only three commercial flights among the thousands that operated nationwide in June sat on the ground loaded with passengers for three hours or longer, the Obama administration said Tuesday, touting the effect of a controversial new consumer-protection rule that threatens stiff fines against airlines for excessive tarmac delays.
The bad news for Chicago was that all three overly tardy flights involved the home-town carrier, United Airlines, at O’Hare International Airport. Get the full story »
