Referring to airlines operating in the United States, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed a willingness to “beat ’em up” if necessary to protect passengers.
Buttigieg Says DOT Will “Beat Up” Airlines To Ensure Consumer Protection
Speaking to Reuters, Buttigieg promised that his department would continue its efforts to provide robust consumer protections:
“We’re continuing to work to make sure that airlines live up to their obligations, which we will enforce…
“We’re going to beat ‘em up when we think that’s important to get passengers a better deal.”
Recent upgrades to consumer protection include a new consumer dashboard that clarifies what carriers are responsible for in case of delays or cancellations. The Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to receive consumer complaints concerning issues ranging from refunds to tarmac delays and per Buttigieg, is “in the middle of what I intend to be the biggest expansion of passenger rights in years. And there are tensions that are naturally going to come through with that.”
For all people who love to complain about Buttigieg, his tenure at DOT has been marked by much stronger consumer protections for airlines compared to the feckless Chao era of the previous administration. I am not sure using the phrase “beat ’em up” is helpful in the era in which we witness so much violence onboard flights and in airports, but frankly, US consumers do need someone to keep airlines and check.
And who more appropriate than the federal government, which so lavishly used taxpayer money to bail out carriers repeatedly during the pandemic? Those who enjoy the benefits of the taxpayer dole should accept that there are strings attached.
To Buttigieg: the most important thing on your plate right now is ensuring that anti-consumer legislation in the pending Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill is stripped from the bill’s final language. There is nothing transparent about allowing airlines to hide taxes from initial search results. Consumers deserve to know exactly how much their tickets cost. That is not a lot to ask.
CONCLUSION
Buttigieg promises that the U.S. will “beat up” airlines in pursuit of its goal of protecting consumers. Specific verbiage aside, consumers need this counterbalance, which starts by ensuring that airfare pricing remains transparent.
> Read More: Bill That Would Obscure Airfare Prices Advances In House
image: MSBC screen grab via Instagram
Given that airlines are now trying to kill passengers (Delta in LAS) I think this is a worthy response.
Did he mention beating up FAA management which still doesn’t hire train and staff the ATC system adequately?
Slow news day…
Government creates problem.
Government tries to “solve” problem.
Problem gets worse.
Government tries again to “solve” problem.
Rinse. Repeat.
(It’s even worse when a diversity hire like Mayor Pete is the one trying to “solve” the problem.)
Do you suggest anarchy? Government actually does many things correctly, you just don’t notice everything,
Buttigieg could be useful if the pilots and FA’s cause a fuss before signing a contract. (He negotiated in rail strike deal last year and it seems to one of his strong points.
Who thought it would be a good idea to give this donkey a platform on boardingarea??
He could get some great lessons on how to “beat up” on people just by visiting the comment sections here and on VFTW. Professional bullies are abundant in these two groups. Are you listening Pete? Grab your cappuccino and get over here. Take notes.
Hehe yeah, some commenters here even bullied a guy to suicide at one point.
Lol ok.
Anxiously anticipating the brain-dead comments on this one.
– “mayor Pete is a useless diversity hire”
– “mayor Pete never does anything”
– “mayor Pete is once again using the government to crush business”
– “mayor Pete and all his regulations are damaging the airline industry”
– “mayor Pete is both weak and strong”
There, saved a bunch of you some time
You missed Tonsil Jockey, Bone Smuggler and Ass Pirate!
I heard he got knocked up again
Airlines are already beat to shit. How about fix your internal issues that cost airlines hundreds of millions in cancellations and fuel then hold the airlines accountable. This guy is by far the consumers worst nightmare. It won’t be good for consumers if airlines are strangled by this piece of junk and all end up bankrupt again. If you want more space , buy first class , if you need a bigger lav , buy first class. Aviation isn’t a charity … it’s a luxury. Now. Refunds for cancellations , yes that should be better but if I were Pete I’d be fixing the problem causing all the delays in the first place. This guy is a F***yard and that’s saying it kindly. Waste of space.
If he really wants to take action to help consumers he needs to level the playing field between airlines and consumers.
For example. Both an airline and a consumer should have the same time window to declare either a fare or a purchase in error and either cancel the ticket or get a full refund. If this means that in order to sell truly non-refundable tickets the airline has to abandon any ability to fix mistake fares then so be it. The rules have to be the same for both.
Airlines advertise and sell a product. When they can’t deliver that product the consumer needs to be entitled to either robust compensation or a full refund.
I’m sure Matthew and others can think of more examples of the power imbalances that exist in the airline/customer relationship.
I would also suggest that the Delta LAS incident should create a regulatory response. If the cabin temp can’t be maintained within acceptable limits (those limits to be defined like 50-85F for example) the aircraft must immediately land and/or return to the gate and remove customers from the aircraft.
I visited South Bend, IN this summer. I can definitely see he was the mayor of the place. What a s..t hole!!!
Wait until you visit any town in the south
Dude, it is time for you to lose your diapers and be potty trained. Nobody is talking politics here. No Democrats, Republicans, north, south. I can guarantee you there are tons of towns in the north, south, west, east ran by Republicans and Democrats that are shit holes. Both parties have incompetent people. What I am talking here, because the article is about Pete, is that he is very incompetent. The town he ran is a shit hole. He is incompetent and only got this job because we all know why. Seriously, get yourself potty trained, stop whining and making all about politics. If he was Republican, Independent, whatever, he would still be incompetent.
Liar. You hate Pete because he is a Democrat. Name one republican you think is incompetent. He is much more successful than you. That must burn you up
Like others on here, possibly also because he is gay.
That too. Either way none of these guys that talk about how terrible he is at his job can actually name one bad thing he is responsible for that any predecessor has done differently
Time to get potty trained.
See, you can never define what it is that makes you think he’s incompetent. I’m starting to think you either aren’t very sincere in your beliefs or aren’t very intelligent… or both
“And who more appropriate than the federal government, which so lavishly used taxpayer money to bail out carriers repeatedly during the pandemic? Those who enjoy the benefits of the taxpayer dole should accept that there are strings attached.”
That’s a slippery slope you probably don’t want to go down, but you point is well taken. Frankly, if he truly wants to protect consumers, I agree with 121Pilot – kill the Trump era (I think it was Trump era) mistake fare rule. Make the airlines live by the same rules they make us live by. We get 24 hours to cancel a flight because of a mistake, they get 24 hours to declare a fare a “mistake” fare, or they get to eat it. He’s got my respect if he’ll beat up the airlines on that one issue.
Here come all your your Russian trolls…
“We’re continuing to work to make sure that airlines live up to their obligations, which we will enforce…
Airlines have NO OBLIGATIONS because Congress won’t pass any legislation.
Mayor Pete – All talk – no action.
To Buttigieg: the most important thing on your plate right now is ensuring that anti-consumer legislation in the pending Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill is stripped from the bill’s final language.
Have you advised Mayor Pete about these anti-consumer provisions in the FAA bill or is it more important just to get the bill passed?
Translation: we will do nothing
We didn’t ask for a description of your sex life
Oh no, it’s fine, don’t worry about that. But to be sure, it’s not as vivacious as your wife’s boyfriend pegging you every other night, which explains why you’re sympathetic to butt blasters like buttigieg.
I refuse to believe someone that thinks like you is pulling any tail
Good job. Credit where credit is due.
It’s BEYOND insane to fly in the US at the moment. It’s much better in Europe.
Airlines need to be taken down several pegs, especially the servants on board.
Just did 6 flights within Europe in the last two weeks. Zero issues, no delays, no luggage lost. Both flights in and out the US were oversold and Delta offering $300 for over 6 passengers to stay. What a joke!!!
If airlines cancel or delay flights becuse of ground stops that they have no power over, how are they culpable?
Mayor Pete is all talk and no action. Typical lazy liberal politician.
I agree, John…
He says a lot but does nothing.
“Efforts” aren’t accomplishments. I’ll believe in Mayo Pete’s changes when I see them. Lol!