A senior White House official publicly blasted American Airlines this week after being personally affected by flight disruptions, suggesting that he might “take a new interest in the airline industry.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Slams American Airlines After Back-To-Back Delays
Deputy White House Chief of Staff James Blair took to social media this week to vent frustration with American Airlines after two separate flight disruptions affected him and his wife. According to Blair’s posts, a mechanical issue delayed his own flight by more than two hours, and the day before his wife’s flight was delayed because, in his words, American “forgot to book a pilot” for the itinerary.
He wrote:
“Today, American Airlines delays me 2.5 hours because someone failed to notice empty hydraulic fluid before it was time to go down the runway. Yesterday, they apparently forgot to BOOK A PILOT for my wife’s flight. I’m going to take a new interest in the airline industry.”
Blair is a 36-year-old political consultant who used to work for Republican Florida Governor Ron De Santis and as a GOP strategist before he was appointed the political director of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He was named White House Deputy Chief of Staff after Trump’s victory.
These sorts of hydraulic issues do not necessarily indicate an avoidable failure on the part of American Airlines (sometimes these issues are discovered when the engines are turned on), though that is a possibility. Likewise, we don’t know why the pilot did not show up, but certainly the issue was not that AA failed to “book” a pilot for a flight. Pilots do get delayed themselves or call in sick.
Blair did not specify any policy action he planned to take, but his remarks suggest that airline performance and passenger experience could get increased attention at the White House level…
Pete Buttigieg Responds
One Mile At A Time notes that Blair’s griping drew a response from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Mayor Pete” weighed in on social media, using Blair’s comments to argue for stronger airline passenger protections and enforcement of existing consumer rights.
Blair’s remarks come amid broader shifts in federal airline oversight. The current administration has rolled back some consumer protection measures and signaled a more airline-friendly regulatory approach, including rolling back rules on cash compensation for flight disruptions.
CONCLUSION
Whether Blair’s “new interest in the airline industry” will translate into policy changes remains unclear and is probably unlikely; I suspect his tweets was nothing more than venting. But his comments demonstrate the same sort of frustration that routinely annoy airline passengers across the country. If Blair’s anger leads to more consumer protections, his delay may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
image: American Airlines
James Comer should immediately haul American in for an eight hour deposition on accountability, to do anything but question trump about the Epstein files.
But let’s get government out of the way of business getting done. Right… Unless the thin skinned snowflake administration is personally impacted. Then they “fix” it. Elect a clown, expect a circus.
Friends, I’ll vote for whichever party is gonna finally pass air passenger rights legislation that includes compensation for passengers affected by excessive delays and cancellations under the control of the airlines, like EU261.
I’m rather skeptical of Mr. Blair’s sudden interest on passenger rights. It seems to me he’s on a scapegoat hunt. I mean, a quarter of this government went through and they’re all in inanities like dress codes, airport gyms…
Perhaps he could have a conversation with Sean Duffy and Republicans in Congress about when we can get a US version of EC 261/2004.
Maybe someone at the White House can focus on getting Global Entry opened up again as that is a quick fix. It’s truly ridiculous that the Trump regime shut it down and tried to blame it on Congressional resistance to expanding the DHS budget even more than its stupidly massive expansion with last year’s budget agreement.
Sigh. The most that will happen will be that AA will be compelled to rename its new Concourse D MIA expansion as Concourse T. Naturally they’ll make the T a gold letter.
“Senior Trump staffer and Global Entry member furious at length of Immigration line upon arrival at O’Hare. Demands accountability from Gov. Pritzker”
American will send that fat lady lobbyist of theirs in to give him some love and all will be forgiven.
Pete did not much but take Paternity leave….
And not hide from pedophiles, and the current abusers of the justice system.
Of course we won’t expand on what Pete said because that would go against the party line. Christian values ftw