The U.S. Department of Transportation recently fined Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Swiss International Air Lines AG $200,000 each for operating flights carrying United Airlines’ designator code in airspace prohibited to U.S. operators. The airlines also were ordered to cease and desist.
The fines were the result of two Office of Aviation Consumer Protection investigations conducted between February 2022 and April 2024. Officials discovered Lufthansa and Swiss operated multiple flights carrying the United Airlines code in airspace where the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited U.S. operators to fly. By doing so, the airlines violated the conditions of their authority to operate and engaged in air transportation without proper DOT authorization.
The department also opened the 60-day comment period in December for a rule that protects passengers stranded by airline cancelations or significantly changing their flights. The rule would establish baseline standards for what airlines are obligated to deliver.
Under the proposed rule, airlines would need to pay at least $200 in cash to passengers whose trip disruption is caused by an airline, rebook on the next available flight at no additional cost if the departure is delayed three hours or more domestically or six hours or more internationally, and cover meals, overnight lodging, and related transportation expenses.