Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Politics

Southwest meltdown: Buttigieg said in September airline issues would ‘get better’ by holidays

by December 29, 2022
December 29, 2022
Southwest meltdown: Buttigieg said in September airline issues would ‘get better’ by holidays

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is being ripped for his response to the airline meltdown that left thousands of people stranded on Christmas after he assured Americans just months ago that ongoing air travel issues would improve before the holidays.

During a September appearance on ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden,’ Buttigieg said he was increasing pressure on U.S. airlines after travelers experienced an expensive and chaotic summer.

‘I think it’s gonna get better by the holidays,’ the transportation secretary said at the time. ‘We’re really pressing the airlines to deliver better service. So many people have been delayed, been canceled, it happened to me several times this summer. And the fact is they need to be ready to service the tickets that they’re selling.’

‘If you’ve ever been mistreated by an airline, if they haven’t given you the refund they owe you, if they haven’t lived up to their customer service obligations, we will have your back,’ he said. ‘We went from zero of the top 10 airlines committing that they’re going to provide a meal or hotel, for example, to eight out of 10 doing it. So we’re pushing them.’

This week, Buttigieg called on Southwest Airlines to fully compensate customers for travel, meal and lodging expenses after thousands of flights were canceled and travelers were left stranded at airports over the holidays.

Buttiegieg is taking heat from both sides of the political aisle over the fiasco.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Buttigieg should increase pressure on Southwest Airlines and audit to see how billions in taxpayer-funded relief the company received was spent. She told ‘Hannity’ that her role on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is key to her interest in finding answers, along with the fact her teenagers had been stranded at BWI Airport in Baltimore on Christmas Eve.

‘[T]his hit close to home, because my kids my teenage kids got stranded in Baltimore trying to make it home on Christmas Eve. And even today, five days later, we still don’t know where their luggage is right now,’ she said. ‘And so we’ve been personally impacted by this.’

Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, echoed much of Mace’s sentiments, telling Hannity that Buttigieg is unqualified to serve in his current role, pointing to the supply chain crisis early in his tenure.

‘Earlier this year, we had the rail strike potential looming over us,’ Van Duyne said. ‘We were going to have, again, I mean, a massive amount of hit to our economy. You’re going to have municipalities that couldn’t get chemicals to be able to treat their water supply. And where was Pete? Oh, that’s right. He was on a family vacation in Portugal.’

‘This is a man who was not qualified for the job, has never really been on the job,’ she added. ‘And we’ve trusted him with $1.2 trillion worth of taxpayer dollars.’

Nina Turner, the national co-chair of Sen.  Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, blamed the problem on Buttigieg’s outsized ambitions for higher office.

‘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,’ she tweeted Tuesday. ‘Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failing up.’

The Senate Commerce Committee stated that it would investigate Southwest for the cancelations.

‘The problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather,’ Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee on Commerce, said in a statement Tuesday. ‘The committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers.’ 

Buttigieg was warned by members of his own party about concerns within the airline industry before Southwest’s mass cancelations. Cantwell, along with Sen. Ed Markey D-Mass. and Sen. Richard Blumenthal D-Conn., filed a comment in November to the Department of Transportation on the need to hurry its process to finalize a rule to ensure that consumers are properly refunded for cancelations and get accommodations.

In August, a bipartisan group of 38 state attorneys general wrote to Congress to report that Buttigieg was failing to adequately respond to airline consumer complaints, and they asked for legislation to allow states to enforce federal consumer protection laws.

‘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 US DOT,’ read the letter signed by Arizona’s Mark Brnovic, New York’s Letitia James and others.

Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Patrick Hauf contributed to this report.

Jessica Chasmar is a digital writer on the politics team for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to Jessica.Chasmar@fox.com.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Biden staying without paying at St. Croix spread of billionaire Democrat donors: report
next post
Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Stock Trader Should Make

You may also like

Trump signs proclamation declaring February 9 ‘Gulf of...

February 10, 2025

Supreme Court rules in favor of CFPB, brainchild...

May 17, 2024

Body of missing Israeli woman Shani Gabay found,...

November 23, 2023

Skyrocketing antisemitism in Canada sparks concern for country’s...

April 20, 2025

Vulnerable Democrat governor faces crowded field of challengers,...

January 9, 2023

President Biden mourns son Beau at Memorial Day...

May 30, 2023

Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks EEOC From Imposing Pronouns, Unisex...

October 8, 2022

Israel vows to kill new Hamas political leader...

August 7, 2024

More than two dozen Democrats join GOP in...

March 30, 2023

Washington Federal Judge Makes Contradictory Rulings on 6...

October 5, 2022

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Claim Trump nixed top Musk ally from NASA post over Dem donations belied by ex-Dems on team

      June 6, 2025
    • House Budget chairman explains why there’s no ‘pork’ in Trump tax bill after Elon Musk attacks

      June 6, 2025
    • Silver’s Surge is No Fluke—Here’s the Strange Ratio Driving It

      June 6, 2025
    • Friday Feature: Incubate Debate

      June 6, 2025
    • Risch urges ‘top to bottom’ USAID spending review after waste, fraud exposed

      June 6, 2025
    • Universities in Libertarian Land

      June 6, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,149)
    • Investing (2,013)
    • Politics (15,547)
    • Stocks (3,131)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved