Delta Looking Into Pilot Blaming Pete Buttigieg for Flight Problems

Delta Air Lines is looking into reports that one of its pilots blamed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for a grounded plane in an announcement to passengers.

Flights across Florida were forced to stay on the ground on Monday due to widespread issues with an air traffic control system, according to Reuters. As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked to fix the problem, it "slowed the volume of traffic into Florida airspace," causing delays for passengers across the United States.

The ground stops followed a difficult few weeks for U.S. air passengers, after a winter storm caused flight delays and cancellations across the country just days before Christmas. Southwest Airlines, one of Delta's lead competitors, spent more than a week recovering from staffing issues following the storm.

Amid frustration among staff and passengers alike, one pilot in Atlanta reportedly blamed the issues on Buttigieg in an announcement to passengers on Monday.

However, his political quips did not land with everyone. One passenger, Stewart Lucas, called out the pilot for the politically-charged remarks on Twitter, raising concerns that making political remarks over a loudspeaker was not appropriate conduct for the employee.

"@Delta it is not okay for the pilot of flight 2274 ATL-RSW to blame a Florida ground stop on @PeteButtigieg," he tweeted. "Completely unacceptable political dig just made twice at gate over loud speaker."

Details about what the pilot said were not immediately made clear, but airlines have fired staff members in the past for making political remarks to passengers. A Delta spokesperson told Newsweek the airline was probing this report.

"Delta will look into this allegation," the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

Some social media users defended the pilot, arguing that American citizens should be free to criticize government officials without recourse.

Christina Pushaw, a spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, tweeted: "Yeah... this isn't China, Americans are allowed to criticize our government officials."

While airline employees who criticize politicians at work are protected from government prosecution for their comments under the U.S. Constitution, private companies have discretion to make their own policies about workplace conduct.

Airlines Previously Probed Pilots for Political Rants

Airline employees have previously faced investigations for political remarks, which can be seen as alienating for customers who do not share the same views.

In 2021, Southwest Airlines faced backlash after a pilot used the phrase "let's go Brandon," code for a crass insult against President Joe Biden, while signing off after greeting passengers on the plane's public address system.

Southwest apologized for the incident, saying it "was not reflective of the Southwest hospitality for which we are known and strive to provide each day on every flight," adding that the company would address it with the employee.

In a separate incident that same year, a Southwest pilot's rant attacking liberals was caught on a hot mic before the plane took off. In addition to Southwest saying it was "addressing the situation internally," the FAA also investigated the incident, according to CBS News.

In 2017, a United Airlines pilot was replaced before takeoff after going on a political rant in which she said she did not vote for either former President Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton because they are both liars, among other concerning remarks, according to Insider.