U.S. Domestic Flights Held on Tarmac for Over Three Hours Rise in 2026

Passengers on United Flight 661 from Newark to Chicago boarded in May and remained on the tarmac for seven hours after a thunderstorm moved through the area. The storm produced winds above 50 miles per hour and cleared within a few hours, yet the aircraft stayed at the gate area while other flights also waited.

The same evening, flights bound for Denver, Rochester, and Milwaukee experienced comparable delays at Newark. Federal records indicate that 342 domestic flights were held on the tarmac for more than three hours during the first five months of 2026.

A Department of Transportation rule adopted in 2010 limits most tarmac delays to three hours and authorizes fines for violations. The number of such delays fell from 868 in 2009 to 14 in 2011 after the rule took effect. Since 2010, most extended delays have not resulted in fines.

One 2018 case produced a $225,000 penalty against Allegiant Air for ten flights that lacked adequate climate control, food, or water.

Transportation issued fewer than a dozen fines during the previous administration for more than 1,200 extended delays. One of those penalties reached $4.1 million against American Airlines for 43 delays. Airlines have cited operational needs to keep aircraft moving and ready once weather windows open.

A former lobbyist now serving as transportation secretary has not issued fines for extended tarmac delays during the current term.

Airlines could respond to stricter enforcement by canceling flights earlier. Data show that cancellations rose in the years immediately after the 2010 rule was introduced. Flights operate at an average load factor of 83 percent, meaning one cancellation can leave passengers without immediate rebooking options on some routes.