WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a lawsuit last week against Southwest Airlines. The lawsuit, filed near the end of President Biden's term, accused the airline of operating flights that were often significantly late.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) originally filed the case in January, claiming that Southwest had scheduled flights it couldn't realistically operate and requested that the court impose a fine on the airline.

The DOT said that in 2022, for five months, two of Southwest's routes were regularly delayed — one between Chicago and Oakland and another between Baltimore and Cleveland.

Southwest welcomed the decision to drop the lawsuit. The airline stated that the delays occurred during a particularly challenging time for the industry due to COVID-19, and factors beyond its control were responsible for many of them.

The DOT has not commented on the decision.

Earlier in January, the DOT fined Frontier Airlines US$650,000 for running several flights that were regularly late. Frontier was required to pay $325,000 immediately and will pay the remaining amount if the issue recurs within the next three years.

Southwest said that since 2009, it has flown over 20 million flights without any other violations.

According to DOT rules, a flight is "chronically delayed" if it is flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late at least half the time.

In December 2023, Southwest agreed to give passengers $90 million worth of travel vouchers to settle complaints over long delays and cancellations during the 2022 holiday season.

Also in January, the DOT fined JetBlue Airways $2 million for running four flights that were regularly delayed. JetBlue agreed to pay half the fine and give passengers travel vouchers worth at least $75 for future delays or cancellations.