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Tag Archives: department of transportation
Trump Thumped – U.S. Air Carriers Fuel Costs Climb 26%!
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics [BTS is part of the Department of Transportation – AutoCrat.] released today the April 2026 fuel cost and consumption numbers of U.S. Air Carriers. The airlines used 1.573 billion gallons of fuel, 2.6% less fuel than in March 2026 (1.615 billion) and 0.2% less fuel than April 2025 (1.575B).*
“Total fuel expenditure ($6.47B) of U.S. scheduled service airlines was up 26.2% from March 2026 ($5.12B) and up 78.0% from April 2025 ($3.63B). The cost per gallon of fuel in April 2026 ($4.11) was up 94 cents (29.6%) from March 2026 ($3.17) and up 181 cents (78.2%) from April 2025 ($2.31),” BTS said. All fuel consumption data is in regard to fuel paid for by the carrier. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, customer satisfaction, economy, news, news analysis, prices, transportation, Trump Truth Tests
Tagged auto industry commentary, AutoInformed news, autoinformed.com, automotive blog, Automotive news and analysis, bts, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, department of transportation, Ken Zino commenting as AutoCrat, Ken Zino of AutoInformed, U.S. Air Carrier fuel costs, X @KenAutoinformed
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US Dot – Airline Cancellations Below 2%
However, DOT is currently investigating several domestic airlines to ensure that they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights. Gaming the system is possible, perhaps likely, because last year, DOT issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office, thereby helping hundreds of thousands of air travelers get hundreds of millions of dollars back. Since 2021, DOT says it has helped return more than $1 billion in refunds to travelers. Continue reading
US DOT Gives Spirit Slots at Newark as Airlines Bilk Flyers
This comes as as weary people attempt to resume some sort of normal post-covid routines after the disastrous Trump mis-administration that ignored the deadly effects of a corona virus that is still mutating. Let the finger pointing start, or rather continue. That said AutoInformed notes once again that airlines are in effect a free international marketing tool that promotes the use of automobiles and automobility. Continue reading
American Fined $900,000 for Tarmac Delays at O’Hare Airport
Between May 2010 and April 2011, the first 12 months after the three-hour limit was in effect, the larger U.S. airlines required to file tarmac delays reported 20 tarmac delays of more than three hours, none of which was more than four hours long. In contrast, during the 12 months before the rule took effect, these carriers had 693 tarmac delays of more than three hours, and 105 of the delays were longer than four hours, according to DOT. Anti-government regulation fanatics should note that this is a clear case of effective regulation. Continue reading
Posted in aviation, news, news analysis, results, transportation
Tagged airline fines, american airlines, american eagle, auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, department of transportation, dot, government regulations, Ken Zino, ray lahood, tarmac delay fines, tarmac delays, zino
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Milestones: 45 Years of the Department of Transportation
Over the weekend the U.S. Department of Transportation celebrated its 45 anniversary since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law that created it by combining 31 agencies and their bureaus into DOT. “In a large measure, America’s history is a … Continue reading
Posted in auto news, milestones, safety, transportation
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, department of transportation, dot, dot budget, Ken Zino, nhtsa, zino
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New Jersey Stiffs U.S. Taxpayers over $271 Million Grant. Republicans, Democrats Collude on Cancelled ARC Tunnel
Well, it sounds like LaHood (an Illinois Republican appointed by Obama) had no choice. Defenders of the deal, and there are some, say that DOT maneuvered to get N.J. taxpayers some benefit from the cancelled transit investment. In their view this solves the standoff over reimbursement — interest and penalties were accruing daily that New Jersey taxpayers would have been responsible for — and maybe New Jersey residents will also get the benefit of improved transit in the state. We will see. There sure is enough political manure here in my view to help New Jersey remain the garden state… Continue reading
Posted in auto news, economy, fools 'n frauds, people, transportation
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, budget deficit., department of transportation, dot arc tunnel, dot grants, Ken Zino, lahood, mass transit, nj politics, railroad holdup, taxpayer subsidies, theft of taxpayer funds, zino
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DOT adds Protections for Air Travelers Abused by Airlines
The rulemaking finalized today grows from passenger protections issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in December 2009, which prohibited U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours. That rule stopped almost overnight a common abuse of passengers by 16 of the largest U.S. airlines. Continue reading
FocusDriven Distracted Driving PSA: 5,500; How Many More?
FocusDriven, the first national non-profit organization advocating for victims of distracted driving has released new Public Service Announcement or PSA titled, “5,500; How Many More?”
The PSA highlights that nearly 5,500 people are killed and half a million more are injured in distraction-related crashes annually. The auto industry and electronics makers whose devices are enabling distracted driving thus far show no interest in helping to curb this growing safety problem. And the U.S. Congress has forbidden federal safety regulators form promulgating national standards or rules. Continue reading
DOT Secretary LaHood Blasts Distracted Driving Yet Again
Congress has prohibited DOT from enacting national regulations governing driving behavior, so LaHood can do little about it except use his “bully pulpit” to address the growing issue, which has been called repeatedly an epidemic by safety advocates. Continue reading
Ford Leads All Manufacturers in NHTSA Recalls
The latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show Ford Motor Company leads the safety defect recall parade. Ford Motor remains subject to a 2024 consent order from NHTSA. NHTSA retained an independent third party to oversee Ford Motor recall issues, required safety expenditures, and the cited Safety Act violations. The dataset includes recall information related to specific NHTSA campaigns. General Motors, Chrysler (FCAUS) Hyundai Motor and Toyota follow. Continue reading →