Even before the recent air travel woes, Mr Buttigieg was facing calls to take a tougher stance on the nation’s airlines, which have already received tens of billions federal aid dollars to help keep their workers employed during the height of the pandemic.
In letter Buttigieg in June, Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, called on him to fine airlines $55,000 per passenger for each canceled flight they know they can’t accommodate enough. staff and $15,000 per passenger for extended flight delays.
The state attorney general has also pushed for tighter oversight. In letter before congressional leaders in August, a bipartisan group of about three dozen attorneys general apologized to the Department of Transportation for failing to protect travelers and hold airlines accountable, said that “a lack of oversight allows airlines to mistreat consumers”. The attorney general, who said the matter lingers on the administrations of both parties, has asked for legislation that empowers them to enforce consumer protection laws against airlines.
Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, said Buttigieg should impose severe financial penalties on airlines, in the same way the Obama administration cracked down on passengers. stuck on the runway.
“Just saying the customer needs a refund and will be fined retroactively is important but not enough,” said Mr Khanna. “There should be fines across the board for flight cancellations and failure to provide customer service, and accountability for that.”
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said Mr Buttigieg inherited a division that was significantly underfunded and had a lot of problems. She said that in recognition of his merits, he was in regular contact with aviation leaders and was at the forefront of resolving issues as they arose.
“People can see that he is getting involved in every issue and taking ownership of that issue,” Ms. Nelson said, “but that also gets him criticized, because not a day goes by. that someone can’t find the fault of the aviation industry.”
