The Department of Transportation’s new regulations hit the Los Angeles International Airport, along with all airports across the nation, on Thursday that subject airlines to heavy fines if passengers are made to wait on the tarmac more than three hours.

The string of long delays dating back to December 2006 prompted the DOT to implement these new rules; the organization says the delays caused passengers “undue discomfort and inconvenience,” according to CNN.com. Some people were made to wait up to six hours and, in some cases, with lavatories that failed to work, a DOT official told KPCC on the radio station’s Thursday morning news show.

Along with penalties for heavy wait times, the new regulations also demand airlines acknowledge customer complaint within 30 days and respond within 60 days.  Major airline companies will also be punished for unrealistic scheduling such as a frequently canceled flight or one that is “chronically delayed.”

Violating these new DOT regulations will make airlines incur civil penalties of up to $27,500 per passenger, to be paid to government. That amount is the maximum civil penalty allowed against large airlines for violating any aviation consumer rule, according to CNN.