Southwest Airlines’ operations crashed and burned over the holidays, stranding legions of travelers as thousands of flights were canceled. The blame game is in full bloom, as union officials blamed the airline for not updating its software. It’s not just a Southwest problem; every airline had to cancel and reorganize its operations schedule due to the winter storm, which killed over two dozen people in Buffalo, New York. Yet, it’s the level of disruption that’s disconcerting. Delta, American, and United Airlines are all back to normal, having issued fewer than 40 cancellations during the storm. Delta is the king here: they had to cancel only 15 flights. Southwest was a 2,500 flight cancellation disaster. They won’t be fully operational until Friday, but compounding this crisis, there are now thousands of bags lost.
Isn’t the transportation secretary supposed to get a handle on this fiasco? It might not have been Pete Buttigieg’s fault, but this problem landed on his desk, and now he must do something—anything. The former mayor of South Bend couldn’t manage to fix potholes, yet we expect him to ensure airline travel somehow can get back on track. Now, House Democrats are putting Mayor Pete in the crosshairs, as they were already not pleased with the Indiana Democrat’s lackadaisical approach towards combating the alleged deceptive business practices the airline industry inflicts on its customer base (via The Hill):
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a leading left-wing lawmaker on Capitol Hill, took to Twitter on Thursday to question the Transportation Department’s handling of the debacle that left travelers deserted and frenzied and administration officials scrambling.
“Nearly six months ago @BernieSanders & I called for Buttigieg to implement fines & penalties on airlines for cancelling flights. Why were these recommendations not followed?” the congressman tweeted. “This mess with Southwest could have been avoided. We need bold action.”
Khanna, who co-chaired Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, was referencing a recommendation that the Vermont senator put out in late June asking department officials to demand airlines compensate travelers for canceled or significantly delayed flights and cover their basic expenses like food and accommodations, which Khanna endorsed.
The California liberal, who is on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, has been publicly critical of Buttigieg’s role in the process and has asked him to use more power to go after what he described in an interview with The Prospect as “unfair and deceptive practices” by the airline industry.
The Southwest episode has caused fury among passengers trying to navigate unusually long flight delays and cancellations with minimum communication from the airline.
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Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, another Sanders presidential campaign co-chair and a recent House candidate, echoed Khanna’s sentiments, while David Sirota, a Sanders ally and alt-left media figure, urged more accountability by mounting pressure on Buttigieg directly to take stronger action.
Pete went on paternity leave during the early stages of the supply chain crisis, so no pity for him catching hell over this circus.