Office of Public Affairs
DOT 178-09
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
DOT Administrative Law Judge Approves Ultimate Fares Settlement
The internet travel agency Ultimate Fares has been fined $600,000 and its owner $30,000 for violations of advertising regulations under a settlement approved by a U.S. Department of Transportation Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
The fine, which would be the largest ever assessed for advertising violations, will become final in 30 days unless the Department decides to review the action or a petition for review is filed.
An investigation by the Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that Ultimate Fares failed to include the federal excise tax and the service fee it charged to consumers in fares published on its website between March 2008 and September 2009. This violated the Department’s requirement that published airfares must state the full price to be paid including service fees and any ad valorem tax, such as the Federal excise tax, which is assessed as a percentage of the fare. Ultimate Fares continued to omit the tax from its stated fares even after the Enforcement Office began its investigation, according to the consent order issued by ALJ Richard C. Goodwin. Ultimate Fares also failed to disclose which flights were being operated on a code-share basis as required by the Department’s rules.
In addition to the $30,000 penalty assessed against Ultimate Fares’ owner Roni Herskovitz, he also will be barred from any involvement in the online air travel agency business for 12 months.
The consent order and other documents in the case are available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2009-0002.
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The pilot’s identity will not be released at this time due to the investigation efforts being in the early stages, deputies said.
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ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) — FAA continues its federal investigation into how two planes nearly collided on the runway at Reagan National Airport. A passenger on one of the flights is shari…
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One person has died following the crash of a small plane in Lake County.
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A Sacramento-bound Southwest Airlines flight was diverted back to the St. Louis airport on Friday. Passengers and Air Traffic Control audio said the plane landed safely after an issue with an engine.
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A Delta spokesperson emphasized the emergency was something flight crews are trained to respond to.
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The final words of the pilot manning Air France Flight 447 have been revealed.
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A simulation has revealed a pilot’s last words before flight AF447 crashed in 2009.
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Southwest plane nearly crossed runway in front of departing JetBlue plane Thursday in Virginia
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Russian military plane crashed in Stavropol region
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force claimed Friday it shot down a Russian strategic bomber, but Moscow officials said the plane crashed in a sparsely populated area due to a malfunction after a combat mission. Neither claim could be independently verified. Previous Ukrainian claims of shooting down Russian warplanes during their more than two-year […]
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The former president’s aircraft has been seen parked at LaGuardia Airport in New York as he takes part in his hush money trial in Manhattan.
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A military plane crashed in Russia’s Krasnogvardeysky district of the federal city of St. Petersburg. The pilots, according to sources, were ejected safely., Europe News – Times Now
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Two aircraft nearly crashed into each other earlier Thursday at Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport.
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Boeing, with its airplane-making reputation in tatters, has revealed plans to get into the flying car market in Asia.
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Lawmakers said it was a “horrifying example” of the effects of undermining slot and perimeter rules, calling the airport’s runway “overburdened.”
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But he notes a more defensive tone coming from the under-fire aviation manufacturer.
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GREEN LAKE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A plane heading to EAA Airventure last July probably crashed because it ra…
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The Bonanza pilot didn’t follow the published traffic pattern, placing the aircraft close to rising terrain on downwind. He was too fast on final approach, and he went around on the first attempt. A police officer arrived to check on the airplane, as the pilot had reported to ATC that he was low on fuel. Still, he was safely on the ground.
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A NASA pilot is ready for the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off the 2024 season.
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