The Department of Transportation (DOT) missive that mandated hefty fines for airlines who strand passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours had some other rules hidden in other paragraphs that may not have very far-reaching effects.
One of them is a fine for airlines who operate flights that are “chronically late.” The definition of flights that are chronically late are those that operate at least 10 times a month and are 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time during a month. Before the DOT fines come into effect the flight must be chronically late for four straight months.
Airline watchers I know don’t think this rule will make much of a difference. The requirements for chronically late are too convoluted and the length of time for the moniker to take effect allows airlines plenty of time to fix the problems.
Plus, a recent study showed that only 55 flights out of 13,981 fit the definition is it now stands.
Worse all of the flights that fit the criteria are leaving from the New York City area, with Newark leading the way according to the Flightcaster report.
Every single one of the flights that would have qualified in 2009 was to or from a New York-area airport, with Newark leading the charge by far. So doesn’t that tell us something? It tells us perhaps Port Authority is the one to blame, NOT the airlines. Yes, the airlines should be held accountable for keeping their schedules accurate to not mislead the public, but airlines have FAR MORE incentives to keep schedules accurate than just this silly rule.
These “chronically late” rules may look good on paper, but in the real world, at least the world as of 2009, they don’t make much sense.
It would be better if DOT took firm action to solve the problem with the NYC airspace. The last time they lost their nerve and the Bush administration decided that market forces might prove to be the best incentive to easing congestion. Those market forces have not worked.
Now with 70 percent of the nation’s airline delays traceable to the NYC airspace, it is time that DOT begins to take a hard look and guide air traffic with a firmer hand.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
