It happened 15 years ago — on February 14, 2007 — at the JetBlue terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport when 130,000 passengers were stranded, some for days, during a winter storm.

And it just happened again — same airline, same airport.

But this time, thousands of passengers weren’t stranded in the middle of a blizzard.

It was two days after the blizzard. And some folks were stuck on planes for more than six hours. And that’s where the U.S. Department of Transportation’s tarmac delay rule comes into play, and you should know the regulation.

Once a plane pushes back from the gate, the airline can’t keep passengers on the tarmac for more than three hours without returning to the gate. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $27,500…per passenger. On just one flight, we’re talking about a seven-figure sum. And that doesn’t count the refunds that the airline must make to passengers.