Delta Airline And Jet Blue Appeals To DOT

March 9th, 2010 - 8:58 pm ICT by GD  

By Ranjan Bhaduri
jetblue1New York, Mar 9, (THAINDIAN NEWS) JetBlue Airline which is stepping in its 10th anniversary, has sought temporary exemptions from a new federal rule that restricts the time the fliers can be made to wait inside the tarmac. Delta Airline has also made a similar plea. The airlines argue that the delay caused by the JFK airport’s main runway closure can make them bleed financially. They estimate that if the new rules are implemented immediately they will lose millions in paying compensation. The new rule proposed by the Department of Transportation will compel the airlines to pay steep fines if they make the fliers wait for more than three hours. As per the new rule, the airline will have to pay an amount of $27500 per flier for the delay. Hence, if the airline has a Boeing 737 that gets delayed, it will have to pay $3.5 million as fine.

At New York’s JFK airport, Delta and JetBlue are the largest operators. The closure of the JFK runway is already causing delay in operations and airlines fear things could turn worse. In May, the rule comes into effect and it will be the month when the demand reaches its peak. Till the JFK runway reopens the airlines have to manage with three smaller runways. DOT has received the request from JetBlue. The cities that suffer the most from JFK delays are Orlando, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

JetBlue is trying to win back fliers with its attractive schemes. The airlines are going through a tough time and the move by JetBlue is aimed at minimizing the losses.

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