Pete Buttigieg ignores warnings from state attorneys general on holiday airline travel

President Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, has ignored state attorneys general’s repeated requests to protect consumers and hold airlines accountable for canceling flights in the months leading up to the ongoing holiday travel fiasco.

This Christmas holiday travel season has seen thousands of flight cancellations cancelationsSouthwest Airlines was the main culprit, and it was not able to recover its footing following a huge winter storm that hit the U.S.

Buttigieg will be under greater scrutiny as he penalizes Southwest Airlines for thousands of cancelled flights. However, Buttigieg has been urged repeatedly to hold these airlines accountable during this holiday season.

Letitia James (D, New York Attorney General) sent Buttigieg over the summer. letter That was the warning “the deeply troubling and escalating pattern of airlines delaying and canceling flights” During holiday flight seasons. James wrote:

Many airlines have blamed cancellations on staff shortages, especially due to a shortage of pilots. However, you know that the pilot shortage is caused in large part by actions taken on the part of the airlines to force pilots into early retirement, or shrink their pilot pool.

A few weeks after James’s letter, a coalition of 38 bipartisan state attorneys general sent a letter Congressional leaders who accused the Department of Transportation of creating an atmosphere that encourages corruption “allows airlines to mistreat consumers and leaves consumers without effective redress.”

“If state attorneys general had a substantial and meaningful role in overseeing airline consumer protection, the failure of the US DOT would be ameliorated by the ability of state attorneys general to enforce the law,” The state attorneys general wrote.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.MA) sent an additional message over the summer. letter John Putnam, General Counsel for the Transportation Department, and Buttigieg urging the agency to “fully utilize its statutory authority to protect consumers and promote competition in the airline industry.”

Despite these repeated requests, Buttigieg’s Transportation Department failed to take meaningful action that would have prevented the ongoing holiday travel fiasco.

Buttigieg, however, appeared on TV in September. claimed Flying with an airline is possible “is going to get better by the holidays.” Buttigieg also said to James Corden on talk show that the Transportation Department was “really pressing the airlines to deliver better service.”

Buttigieg was still urged by state officials to act as soon as possible, even as recently as December.

An alliance of 34 state attorneys general, led by Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General (D) called Buttigieg “impose significant fines for cancellations and extended delays that are not weather-related or otherwise unavoidable.” Weiser said:

As many Coloradans are planning to travel during the holidays and looking forward to seeing loved ones, now is a good time to remind USDOT that it has the opportunity to hold airlines accountable when they mistreat consumers, helping add ease to consumers’ future travel plans and lessen unexpected financial burdens.

Buttigieg has not yet imposed any penalties on Southwest Airlines for its more than 3,000 flights canceled Since Christmas

Jordan Dixon-Hamilton works as a reporter at Breitbart News. Reach him at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter. 

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