The Ministry of Transport imposed a fine JetBlue Airways $2 million for “chronically delayed flights,” the first penalty of its kind, the DOT said Friday.

JetBlue operated four routes that were delayed at least 145 times from June 2022 to November 2023, the DOT said. These were located between JetBlue’s home hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina; between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, according to the DOT.

“Today’s action puts the entire aviation industry on notice that we expect their flight schedules to reflect reality,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release.

According to the DOT, JetBlue was responsible for more than 70% of the disruptions on the four routes. The airline failed to adjust flight times “to avoid illegal unrealistic flight schedules,” the department added.

The DOT considers a flight to be chronically delayed if it is flown at least 10 times a month and is delayed by more than 30 minutes more than half of the time. It said investigations were underway against other airlines for unrealistic flight schedules.

JetBlue said in a statement the government must do more to improve air traffic controller staffing and modernize the system, echoing calls from executives below Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and other major airlines.

“While we have reached an agreement to resolve this matter regarding four flights in 2022 and 2023, we believe the responsibility for reliable air travel lies equally with the U.S. government, which operates our nation’s air traffic control system,” JetBlue said in its statement Explanation. “We believe the U.S. should have the safest, most efficient, and most advanced air traffic control system in the world, and we urge the new administration to prioritize modernizing aging ATC technology and address chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages to reduce air traffic control delays “to reduce the number of air travelers that affect millions of people each year.”

JetBlue is based in New York and operates in some of the most polluted airspace in the world. From January to September 2024, JetBlue ranked ninth among 10 U.S. airlines in on-time arrivals, with 71.3% of flights arriving on time, an improvement from 64.9% in the same period last year, according to a monthly DOT tally.

The DOT said it will pay JetBlue $1 million of the fine for ex-gratia compensation already paid to passengers during the investigation period, as well as compensation payable within one year of the order, with vouchers to affected passengers who spend at least $75. Dollars paid will be credited.