Democrat Blames Biden Admin for Holiday Airline Chaos

After days of mass flight cancellations and delays from Southwest and other airlines, one Democratic congressman is scrutinizing the Biden administration, saying that the ordeal "could have been avoided."

Southwest Airlines accounted for a large share of the more than 15,000 total flights canceled between Thursday, December 22, and Christmas Day. The company left tons of passengers stranded amid peak holiday travel and ushered in a wave of chaos in airports countrywide.

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden condemned the nation's airlines for the widespread cancellations, as did the Department of Transportation (DOT), which singled out Southwest in a tweet.

However, some progressives insisted that the fiasco could have been prevented.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, called out DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a tweet on Thursday.

"Nearly six months ago ⁦@BernieSanders⁩ & I called for Buttigieg to implement fines & penalties on airlines for cancelling flights," Khanna wrote. "Why were these recommendations not followed? This mess with Southwest could have been avoided. We need bold action."

Khanna, along with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, had previously pushed for the DOT to act more decisively in rooting out some of the industry's "unfair and deceptive practices."

When reached for comment by Newsweek, Khanna's office pointed to a June letter that he sent Buttigieg that warned more needed to be done in order to prevent mass flight delays and cancellations.

However, Sanders and Khanna aren't alone in criticizing the transportation department. Politician and activist Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator, addressed the issue in a tweet on Thursday.

"If government oversight fails, we must call it out," she wrote. "The DOT failed in overseeing the airlines."

David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of news outlet The Lever, posted about his personal travel experience this holiday season.

"As one of the thousands and thousands of Americans who got stranded and fleeced this holiday, I'd like to ask you to tell @SecretaryPete to finally listen to Democratic attorneys general and actually do his job," he tweeted in response to a comment by Buttigieg's husband.

For his part, Buttigieg has attempted to reassure constituents that his department is on top of the matter. In a video posted by the TODAY Show on Friday, he said that Southwest may face large fines if they don't rectify issues with customers.

"We are going to be putting Southwest Airlines under a microscope in terms of their delivering these kinds of reimbursements and refunds to passengers," he said.

On Thursday, Buttigieg also put Southwest on notice in a new letter to its CEO, Robert Jordan, spelling out a number of demands.

A DOT spokesperson wrote to Newsweek that the department "has issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office this year," adding that the move has helped to return millions of dollars to hundreds of thousands of people.

The spokesperson also stated that back in August, Buttigieg urged airlines to go further in assisting stranded passengers. The move inspired sweeping reforms within the industry, and "nine airlines now guarantee meals and hotels when an airline issue causes a cancellation or delay and all 10 guarantee free rebooking.

"The Department will hold Southwest Airlines accountable," the spokesperson continued, "including pursuing fines against the carrier if there is evidence that the carrier has failed to meet its legal obligations."

Updated 12/30/2022, 3:34 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from a DOT spokesperson.

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