Obama administration fines airlines more than Bush

The latest data shows that President Obama’s Transportation Department has collected nearly twice as much in aviation industry fines as in the final two years of George W Bush’s administration. In May alone, AirTran Airways paid a fine for promoting $39 fares that cost $44; while Delta Air Lines was penalized for not disclosing fees, and Continental Airlines for underreporting disabled passengers’ complaints. As airlines crawl out of the economic downturn, the fines are biting into the first profits US carriers have reported in over two years. The Transportation Department’s enforcement office has levied $4.77 million in penalties since Obama