Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is coming under fire over disasters ranging from the airlines’ holiday meltdown to the train wreck that has spilled chemicals in Ohio – and critics are blaming his cozy ties with the industries he’s supposed to regulate.
Outrage over US air chaos spilled into President Biden’s State of the Union Address earlier this month. The commander-in-chief vowed to crack down on excessive fees, saying “airlines can’t treat your child like a piece of baggage” and demanded that “airlines show you the full ticket price upfront and refund your money if your flight is canceled or delayed.”
Less than a month earlier, however, Southwest Airlines – which had canceled 17,000 flights over the holiday season, blaming the weather amid a breakdown in its systems – promoted five top executives under the budget carrier’s new CEO, Bob Jordan. Read more…
