ines totaling $175,000 were levied Tuesday against three airlines involved in the stranding of dozens of ExpressJet passengers overnight on the tarmac in Rochester aboard a regional airliner in August. The federal fines, agreed to by Continental, ExpressJet and Mesaba, are the first for any carrier for lengthy tarmac delays.
The Department of Transportation fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet a total civil penalty of $100,000 for their roles in the incident Aug. 8 on Continental Express Flight 2816. The Continental flight was operated by ExpressJet. Mesaba was assessed a civil penalty of $75,000. That airline provided ground handling for the flight.
Forty-seven passengers spent the night on the small plane, parked at the Rochester airport, complete with crying babies and the smell of overused toilets. Continental issued full refunds and offered additional compensation.
The federal investigation found that all three carriers violated a law that prohibits unfair and deceptive practices in air transportation. The flight from Houston to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had been diverted to Rochester because of bad weather in Minneapolis.
Full story here
The Department of Transportation fined Continental Airlines and ExpressJet a total civil penalty of $100,000 for their roles in the incident Aug. 8 on Continental Express Flight 2816. The Continental flight was operated by ExpressJet. Mesaba was assessed a civil penalty of $75,000. That airline provided ground handling for the flight.
Forty-seven passengers spent the night on the small plane, parked at the Rochester airport, complete with crying babies and the smell of overused toilets. Continental issued full refunds and offered additional compensation.
The federal investigation found that all three carriers violated a law that prohibits unfair and deceptive practices in air transportation. The flight from Houston to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had been diverted to Rochester because of bad weather in Minneapolis.
Full story here
