THE Ministry of transportation American inflicted a record fine of $4.1 million to the airline American Airlines for having left thousands of passengers on the tarmac for hours.
“This is the latest action in our ongoing efforts to uphold air passenger rights“, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said Monday. “From extreme delays on the tarmac to problems getting refunds, the Department of Transportation will continue to protect consumers and hold airlines accountable.”
“Between 2018 and 2021, passengers on 43 domestic flights (of American Airlines) had to remain seated in their seat in an aircraft immobilized on the tarmac for more than three hours without being able to leave the plane. This is a clear violation of federal rules put in place more than a decade ago to avoid such expectations.“, detailed the administration of the American civil aviation, the FAA.
Indeed, American law prohibits airlines operating domestic flights from stopping an aircraft on an airport tarmac for more than three hours without allowing passengers to disembark. According to the Ministry of Transport, half of the $4.1 million fine will be paid, as compensation, to some 5,821 passengers affected.
For its part, American Airlines defended itself by explaining that the incidents in question were caused by “exceptional weather conditions” having slowed its traffic at airports where it did not have enough resources to manage passengers stranded on planes grounded on the tarmac.
