'Airlines are motivated to build some slack into their schedules'

A woman walks past a board showing flight delays at Dulles International Airport on July 19, 2024.

A woman walks past a board showing flight delays at Washington Dulles International Airport on July 19, 2024

(Image credit: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

published 23 January 2025

'Why fining airlines for chronically late flights is a bad idea'

Sheldon H. Jacobson at The Hill

How "flights are scheduled contributes to flight delays," says Sheldon H. Jacobson, but there is "so much out of airlines' control that using the Department of Transportation measure for 'chronically late flights' misses what are the primary causes of flight delays." Using "blunt penalties to discourage airline flight delays is misdirected." This is the "time to right-size airline scheduling and work toward a solution that serves the best interests of all passengers."

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.