About this Order

 This consent order concerns violations by Southwest Airlines Co., (Southwest) of 14 CFR Part 259, the Department’s tarmac delay rule; 49 U.S.C. § 42301, which requires adherence to a carrier’s emergency contingency plan; and 49 U.S.C. § 41712, which prohibits unfair and deceptive practices. Specifically, the carrier violated the Department’s tarmac delay rule by failing to adhere to the assurances in its contingency plan for lengthy tarmac delays that the carrier (1) would not allow an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours for domestic flights before providing passengers an opportunity to deplane, and (2) would have sufficient resources to implement its plan.