Last year, passengers at O’Hare international Airport in Chicago were delayed for hours, forced to wait it out on the Tarmac. The Department of Transportation announced Friday that United Airlines will receive a $1.1 million fine for the lengthy delays. A rule prohibiting planes from sitting on the Tarmac for more than three hours without giving passengers a way off was created in April of 2010. United’s fine will be the largest since that rule took effect.
The cause for the three to four and a half hour delays in July of 2012 was severe thunderstorms. On two of the airplanes, passengers did not even have access to a restroom. “It is unacceptable for passengers to be stranded in planes on the Tarmac for hours on end,” said Anthony Foxx, Transportation Secretary.
United also released a statement saying it was “committed to complying with the Tarmac delay regulations and we continue to improve our procedures while maintaining the safety of our customers and coworkers.”
