Southwest’s mass cancellations resulted from technology-related shortcomings versus weather-related issues: Francesca Page
Travel journalist Francesca Page says mass flight cancellations are less likely to happen to other airlines because of Southwest’s ‘inadequate’ technology.
Senators from both sides of the aisle scorched Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for his job performance.
Lawmakers skewered Buttigieg in Thursday’s Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, "Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protections." The hearing discussed the technological meltdown of Southwest Airlines that stranded many Americans amid the holiday season.
Ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas slammed Buttigieg for not being there, "Notably absent from today’s meeting is Secretary Buttigieg."
Cruz said, "The DOT didn’t give any mea culpa to impacted travelers. The Biden DOT didn’t issue refunds, didn’t issue reimbursements, it just screwed up their flights and then proceeded to say, ‘We want to be in charge of how the airlines behave."
: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg does a television interview with CNBC outside the White House October 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Even Democrats appeared to blast his competence in his position.
In her opening statement, committee chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., declared, "This sector needs a more effective policeman on the beat. They need someone over at the Department of Transportation who is going to get the job done."
Her office later claimed she was referring to DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.
Stranded Southwest Airlines passengers look for their luggage in the baggage claim area at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28, 2022. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Another prominent Democratic leader, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also called out Buttigieg over flight cancelations and delays in July.
Buttigieg said on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" in September that airline travel "is going to get better by the holidays."
In late December, as the Southwest was canceling thousands of flights, national co-chair of Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, Nina Turner criticized Buttigieg for a wide array of logistical chaos around the country during his tenure.
"What’s happening with the railroads, airlines & the supply chain is a result of a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation as a means to pad his resume for President," she tweeted. "Secretary Buttigieg is a prime example of failing up."
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Photographer: (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Buttigieg also faced criticism for his leadership in January when the FAA suffered a technical outage that forced flights to be grounded across the country.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said at the time he was "not surprised" that Buttigieg "doesn't know anything" because "that's consistent with how he's handled any kind of question or issue that we've had in our transportation sector since he became secretary."