© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: British Airways logos are seen on the tail wings at Heathrow Airport in west London, Britain, February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
By David Sheparson
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) fined British Airways $135,000 on Wednesday for a 2017 tarmac delay in which it failed to ensure timely disembarkation of passengers.
As part of a settlement, the IAG (LON:)-owned airline has agreed to cease and desist from future similar violations. USDOT said British Airways must pay $67,500 within 30 days and the remainder within a year if the airline violates the order.
The USDOT said the penalty stemmed from a December 2017 flight from Austin, Texas, to London that resulted in passengers being stuck on the runway in bad weather for more than four hours without an opportunity to get out.
British Airways had no immediate comment on Wednesday. He told USDOT that the delay was due to the deicing truck running out of fluid.
He said he did not believe the incident required USDOT enforcement action, but “in the interest of resolving this proceeding” he agreed to the settlement.
The USDOT said in January that it planned to seek higher fines from airlines and others that violated consumer protection rules, saying they were necessary to deter future violations.
Under a 2011 rule, airlines are prohibited from allowing domestic flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours and international flights for more than four hours at US airports without giving passengers a chance to disembark .
