Day: August 28, 2023

The Department of Transportation (DOT) just handed American Airlines a massive fine in connection to how long the carrier made passengers wait on planes idling on the tarmac.

In a press release, the Secretary Pete Buttigieg-led agency said the fine against American Airlines amounted to $4.1 million. The hefty penalty came as part of a consent order issued Monday by the DOT for dozens of flights in which American Airlines allegedly breached the DOT’s rule on tarmac delays.

More than $2 million of the $4.1 million fine has already been distributed to passengers as compensation that the airline gave out in connection to the incidents, resulting in a credit for half of the fine, according to the DOT.

AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE BOUND FOR NYC DIVERTS TO JACKSONVILLE AFTER PEPPER-SPRAY INCIDENT

The DOT accused American Airlines of letting 43 flights at airports in the U.S. “remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without providing the passengers on those flights with an opportunity to deplane,” according to the consent order. Of the incidents the DOT identified, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport saw the largest number of them.

That airport is one of American’s hubs in the U.S., and the city of Fort Worth is home to the company’s headquarters, according to its website.

The 43 flights that the DOT said lingered on the tarmac for times that exceeded the rules happened in a time frame between 2018 and 2021. The delays involved more than 5,800 travelers, according to the agency’s press release.

In the consent order, it said American Airlines “respectfully disagrees that certain of these tarmac delays warrant enforcement action under the extreme circumstances presented.”

The DOT described the penalty for American Airlines as the “largest fine ever issued for tarmac delay violations.”

In addition to having a three-hour limit for U.S. flights sitting on the tarmac without giving passengers an option to get off the plane, airlines have to serve food and water within two hours of the start of the delay, according to the consent order. The DOT says American Airlines did not do so in one of the instances.

BUTTIGIEG SAYS DOT INVESTIGATING WHY DELTA AIR LINES PASSENGERS REMAINED ON PLANE IN EXTREME HEAT

“American Airlines always strives to deliver a positive travel experience to our customers and takes very seriously our responsibility to comply with all Department of Transportation requirements,” the carrier said in a statement to FOX Business about the action from the DOT. “While these delays were the result of exceptional weather events, the flights represent a very small number of the 7.7 million flights during this time period. We have since apologized to the impacted customers and regret any inconvenience caused.”

The company has “committed substantial time and resources to improve its performance on tarmac delays,” including the “deployment of Hub Efficiency Analytics Tool (HEAT) to shift arrivals and departures around severe weather to help avoid conditions that can lead to lengthy tarmac delays” and building “new smart gating technology that reduces taxiway congestion and the time aircraft spend waiting for available gates,” American Airlines said.

Buttigieg linked the $4.1 million fine to the DOT’s “continued drive to enforce the rights of airline passengers” in the agency’s press release.

AMERICAN AIRLINES BOOSTS PROFIT OUTLOOK ON RECORD TRAVEL

Across the first two quarters of the year, American said it and its regional partners have flown some 976,000 flights.

Read More 

White Castle has a brand-new addition to their breakfast menu: the French Toast Slider.

The Midwestern food chain announced on Monday that the sandwich will feature “slider-sized” cinnamon French toast, American cheese and a freshly-cooked egg. Customers can choose to add either hickory-smoked bacon or sausage to the slider.

Along with the French Toast Sliders, the chain is also offering Cheddar Cheese Rings. The rings – which resemble the chain’s Chicken Rings – are filled with cheddar and can be bought in 3-piece, 5-piece and 10-piece orders.

Both menu additions are only available for a limited time.

WHITE CASTLE HIRING ROBOTS TO ‘GIVE THE RIGHT TOOLS’ FOR SERVING MORE ‘HOT AND TASTY FOOD’: VP

“White Castle has been innovating for over 100 years, starting with the Slider that remains an inspiration for Cravers everywhere,” White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson said in a press release. “We are fortunate to have the best restaurant operations leaders in the business, and we can’t wait to serve up these new additions to our Anything, Anytime menu.”

“But come and try ‘em quick – they are here for a limited time only,” Richardson added.

The beloved 102-year-old chain tested the breakfast slider both internally and with customers.

WHITE CASTLE CELEBRATES 101ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SLIDER

“As a culinary team, we believe innovation can start by looking at something people love and considering how to deliver it in a new way,” Director of Product Innovation Phillip Bach explained. “In this instance, we started with a slider sized version of French Toast and worked on re-imagining it as a complete breakfast Slider sandwich.

“After testing first with internal team members and then customers, we returned to the kitchen to refine the sandwich to ensure we were serving up a Craveable Slider that people can’t get anywhere else!” the chef added.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The chain did not disclose how much the breakfast sliders will cost, but the Cheddar Cheese Rings will start at $2.99 plus tax. For a limited time, customers can also purchase 10 hamburger sliders for $8.99 plus tax, or $9.99 plus tax in New York and New Jersey.

Read More