Airlines are one of the biggest industries in the world, and it shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone to know that they’re fined regularly for different reasons. Failing to comply with the many stringent rules and guidelines set by the Federal Aviation Administration as well as several other factors has led to some very notable airline fines. Read on to find out which airlines have paid large fines over the course of aviation history.
Delta Airlines – $750,000
Delta was fined three quarters of a million dollars in 2013 after removing hundreds of passengers from overbooked flights and failing to offer appropriate compensation for their inconvenience. The US Department of Transportation rules states that airlines are required to provide passengers with compensation for giving up seats on overbooked flights, but the airline did not do this.
United Airlines – $1.1 million
In 2013, United Airlines stranded nearly 300 passengers aboard flights at Chicago’s O’Hare airport during poor weather, not allowing passengers to use bathrooms or receive basic needs for several hours. The FFA received hundreds of complaints about the incident and fined the airline significantly for its lack of good judgment and failure to comply with safety regulations.
Delta – $2 million
Delta was forced to pay a large fine in 2010 after breaking several rules regarding passengers with disabilities. Airlines are required to offer assistance to travelers with disabilities boarding and deplaning, and they failed to do so in several flights. This led the FAA to issue a $2 million fine.
Southwest Airlines – $12 million
In summer 2014, the FAA slapped Southwest with an expensive $12 million fine for failing to comply with some very important safety guidelines. The fine comes after Southwest did not properly repair a number of planes in a way that met required safety rules. The company was notified in 2009 that repairs made to certain planes did not meet FAA standards, and they did not change that.
American Airlines – $24.2 million
It’s the largest airline fine to date, and it was issued in 2010. The airline did not meet the requirements in place for safe wiring inspections in wheel wells, which went on to ground nearly 1,000 flights in 2008. The entire airline industry was in disarray at that time because of the grounded flights, and the FAA proposed the biggest fine ever imposed.
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