Back in December of 2009, there were 22 flights across the United States that were held on tarmacs at the same time. Due to this, the Department of Transportation developed a rule in which planes that were held on the tarmac for longer than three hours could face fines. Now comes word that JetBlue and Delta are asking exemptions from this rule due to the closing of the main runway at JFK Airport in New York.

The new rule is set to go into effect on April 29th. The rule states that an airline could be fined $27,500 for every passenger on the flight if the delay on the tarmac goes over three hours. Officials at JetBlue and Delta have said that with the Boeing 757 that could result in a fine as high as $3.5 million dollars.

While the main runway at JFK is not due to reopen until July, there are three smaller runways that service the facility. With May and June being the start of the peak traveling season, JetBlue and Delta officials are worried that delaying for smaller aircraft could have them face the possibility of long delays on the tarmac. The FAA is stating that there should be no problem and that the longest delay during the temporary closure should be no longer than an hour.