Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today fined United Airlines $1.9 million for violating federal statutes and the Department’s rule prohibiting long tarmac delays. The airline was also ordered to cease and desist from future similar violations. This is the largest fine issued by the Department for tarmac delay violations.   An extensive investigation by the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) found that between December 2015 and February 2021, United allowed twenty domestic flights and five international flights at various airports throughout the United States to remain on the tarmac for a lengthy period of time without providing passengers an opportunity to deplane, in violation of the Department’s tarmac delay rule. The tarmac delays affected [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its September 2021 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of July 2021. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations in July 2021 although airlines scheduled and operated more flights in July 2021 than any month since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The total number of flights operated in July 2021 reached 86% of pre-pandemic levels with 605,508 flights operated in July 2021 compared with 702,876 flights operated in July 2019. Flights operated in July 2021 were 65% more [...]

Source: NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board launched a redesigned website Friday featuring a modern user experience, improved navigation with easier-to-find-content and a mobile-friendly design. This is the first major overhaul of NTSB.gov in 10 years. As part of the redesign process, analytics data and visitor feedback were analyzed to understand how people use the site. Website visitors will find new main navigation topics like Data and Safety Research and quick links to top actions such as searching for investigations or safety recommendations. “The NTSB website is one of the agency’s most important tools for communicating to the public about our investigations and safety recommendations to prevent future tragedies and save lives,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “This new website [...]

Source: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today’s hearing titled, “Disruption in the Skies: The Surge in Air Rage and its Effects on Workers, Airlines, and Airports.” Videos of DeFazio and Larsen’s opening statements are here and here. More information on the hearing can be found here. Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Chair Larsen, for calling today’s hearing on the spike in air rage cases. Even as we continue to fight a pandemic, the amount of disruption and violent behavior on planes has reached epidemic proportions. Today, [...]