By DAVID KOENIG, Associated Press Airlines Writer

The Transportation Department said Friday it will hit JetBlue Airways with a $2 million penalty for chronically late flights along the East Coast, and half the money will go to passengers who were delayed.

The agency said it’s the first time it has fined an airline for chronic delays on specific routes, which it blamed on “unrealistic scheduling” by JetBlue.

“Illegal chronic flight delays make flying unreliable for travelers. Today’s action puts the entire airline industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. His department has led the Biden administration in criticizing airlines for poor service and an increase in fees on travelers.

JetBlue said the government, which operates the air traffic control system, shares the blame for late flights.

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Airline spokesperson Derek Dombrowski said JetBlue has invested “tens of millions of dollars to reduce flight delays, particularly related to ongoing air traffic control challenges in our largest markets in the Northeast and Florida,” resulting in better on-time performance in 2024, including during the peak summer travel season.

“While we’ve reached a settlement to resolve this matter regarding four (routes) in 2022 and 2023, we believe accountability for reliable air travel equally lies with the U.S. government, which operates our nation’s air traffic control system,” Dombrowski said. He said the incoming Trump administration should prioritize modernizing “outdated” air traffic control technology and understaffing of controllers, who are hired by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Transportation Department regulations prohibit airlines from publishing schedules that don’t reflect real departure and arrival times. The agency defines a flight as chronically delayed if it runs at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than half the time.

The department cited JetBlue flights between June 2022 and November 2023. It said it warned JetBlue about frequent delays on flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. Frequent delays also occurred on flights between JFK and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and between Windsor Locks, Connecticut and Fort Lauderdale.