U.S. Depart of Transportation (DOT) late last week fined China Eastern $247,000 for violating the tarmac rule.
The airline had diverted JFK bound flight to Washington Dulles and eventually canceled it. Passengers were not allowed to deboard at the mandated 4-hour mark.
You can access the consent order here.
Here’s the order:
Conclusion
Airlines should better ensure that they follow the DOT rules when it comes to flight delays and allowing passengers who wish to deboard at the four-hour mark.
The China Eastern claimed that it had tried to arrange deboarding, but the ground handling company in Dulles wasn’t picking up their calls. Sounds like a lousy excuse to me.
