Buttigieg Faces Airline Ire Amid Claims He Ignored Flight Chaos Warnings

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is continuing to face pressure over the Southwest Airlines scandal which has resulted in thousands of canceled flights and many left stranded in airports across the country.

While some have pointed the finger of the major disruptions at the airline itself, others have accused Buttigieg of failing to act on previous warnings about the potential for travel chaos, or impose tougher punishments on airlines who fail to provide adequate customer service.

Many other airlines canceled flights over the festive period as a result of the severe winter storm which gripped the entire country. However, Southwest is still struggling, canceling more than 15,000 flights so far due to a mixture of the weather combined with staffing and scheduling issues.

Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday, Buttigieg said that Southwest is "past the point" where they can blame their issues on the weather, and that it should now be considered a "system failure."

"They need to make sure that these stranded passengers get to where they need to go and that they are provided adequate compensation, not just for the flights itself ... but also things like hotels, like ground transportation, like meals because this is the airlines' responsibility," Buttigieg said.

However, William McGee, a former aircraft dispatcher who is a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, suggested that the current situation at Southwest is a direct result of Buttigieg's failure to respond to industry practices which result in canceled flights.

Buttigieg has also been accused of not going far enough in his proposed strengthening of airline refund regulations. Buttigieg has yet to impose any fines on Southwest Airlines over the thousands of cancelations currently occurring.

"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," McGee told The Hill.

"We had high hopes for him, and I think, quite frankly, he has been a tremendous disappointment. He could be doing much more, and for whatever reason he has chosen not to use the authority that he clearly has."

The current meltdown at Southwest arrived months after a bipartisan group of 38 state attorneys wrote to congressional leaders to claim that Buttigeig's agency had "failed to respond and to provide appropriate recourse" with regards to thousands of customer complaints about airlines.

"Americans are justifiably frustrated that federal government agencies charged with overseeing airline consumer protection are unable or unwilling to hold the airline industry accountable and to swiftly investigate complaints submitted to the Department of Transportation," the August letter states.

Earlier that month, New York Attorney General Letitia James also wrote a letter to Buttigieg expressing concern for the "deeply troubling and escalating pattern" of airlines delaying and canceling flights, particularly over holiday weekends.

In her letter, James makes a number of recommendations to prevent such mass cancelations, including requiring airlines to only advertise and sell flights which have adequate personnel to fly, imposing severe fines for domestic flight delays of more than two hours, and offering full refunds and additional payments for cancelations that require passengers to cancel their flights and assume additional costs.

In a statement regarding the criticism, a Department of Transportation spokesperson told Newsweek the agency has issued the "largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office" in 2022.

"Further, in August Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines to do more for passengers who had a flight canceled or delayed when it was under the airline's control, such as covering the costs of rebooking, guaranteeing meals or hotels. Prior to his urging, none of the 10 largest U.S. airlines guaranteed meals or hotels when a delay or cancellation was within the airlines' control, and only one offered free rebooking," the spokesperson added.

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

How Buttigieg deals with the current crisis at Southwest could have knock-on effects for his future away from the DoT.

Buttigieg gained national prominence during his 2020 run for president, including winning the Iowa caucus, before eventually bowing out and supporting Joe Biden.

However, the 40-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was still seen as a potential future Democratic presidential candidate, with his name touted as someone who may yet challenge Biden for the 2024 nomination.

Progressive Democrat Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and congressional candidate, suggested that Buttigieg is not up for the job as transport secretary and is only using the role as a stepping stone.

"What's happening with the railroads, airlines & the supply chain is a result of a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation as a means to pad his resume for President," Turner tweeted.

"Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failing up."

The House Judiciary Committee Republicans also blamed Buttigieg for the current airline crisis, tweeting: "Where's @SecretaryPete? #SouthwestAirlines," on December 28.

In response, Buttigieg tweeted: "Good morning! At the moment I'm on Capitol Hill, not far from your offices. We'll keep getting results for passengers using our authorities & resources as an agency.

"If you're calling for policies that would deepen those resources, please be specific—I'd welcome the dialogue."

12/30/2022, 9:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the Department of Transportation.