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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg faces one of his biggest tests yet as tens of thousands of outraged Southwest Airlines travelers remain stranded at airports across the country.
Buttigieg is under pressure to help get travelers home, ensure they are reimbursed for unexpected costs and take steps to prevent this kind of meltdown from happening again.
It’s perhaps the most high-profile moment of the former — and potentially future — presidential candidate’s tenure in the Biden administration. And it presents an opportunity for Buttigieg to take decision action, something critics say has been lacking during his tenure.
“Now, we’ve never seen a situation, at least not on my watch, with this volume of disruptions, so this is going to take an extraordinary level of effort by Southwest. And we will mount an extraordinary effort to make sure that they’re meeting their obligations,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
Buttigieg spoke with the CEO of Southwest Airlines on Tuesday, conveying that he expects the airline to “live up to the commitments it has made to passengers, including providing meal vouchers, refunds, and hotel accommodations,” according to a Department of Transportation spokesperson. He also spoke to union leaders that represent Southwest’s flight attendants and pilots.
Southwest has canceled more than 15,000 flights over the holiday period due to rampant scheduling glitches and winter storms, disrupting travel plans for millions of customers.
“What’s happening this week is just the latest and perhaps the worst manifestation of problems that have been going on since Buttigieg took office,” said William McGee, a former aircraft dispatcher who is a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project.
McGee and other consumer advocates who push for tougher rules on airlines say Buttigieg has failed to crack down on industry practices that have led to widespread consumer complaints. They note that Buttigieg hasn’t levied any fines against large carriers for canceling flights at the last minute or failing to provide refunds.
“We had high hopes for him, and I think, quite frankly, he has been a tremendous disappointment.
