DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg tells TPG air travel is improving, but air traffic control issues linger

03.11.2023 - 12:59 / thepointsguy.com / Pete Buttigieg

"I know every airline is feeling the pressure to deliver and be there as we go into the holidays."

That's the word from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who gave TPG a wide-ranging interview on the state of travel and travel infrastructure as the Joe Biden administration marks the two-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law Nov. 15, 2021. The full video of the interview is at the bottom of this article.

The secretary not only talked about how airlines are doing recovering from delays and cancellations but also about the shortage of air traffic control workers, the administration's work on passenger rights and how the massive infusion of funds from the infrastructure law is rolling out to the nation's ports, trains, airports and other major construction projects.

When I mentioned that the summer went fairly smoothly in terms of delays and cancellations, Buttigieg told me that the airlines are in much better shape heading into the holiday season. He said we've seen dramatic improvements on two fronts.

"One is the performance itself, so people don't get stranded," he said, "and then the second is customer protection for what happens if you do get stranded."

"Both of those have advanced light years in the last year and a half or two years," Buttigieg noted, adding that the administration's action on passenger protection and flyer rights "has clearly made a big difference in what you can expect when you do experience a disruption."

Related: Airlines pushed again by DOT to be better on delays and cancellations

"Of course," he continued, "what we really prefer is not to have that disruption happen in the first place, and I think our pressure on the airlines as well as a willingness to work with the airlines when we can help with, for example, more efficient routing or other operational improvements in air traffic control are all part of the reason why this year we got to a cancellation rate that's actually lower than before the pandemic, even as we saw an all-time record high in terms of the number of passengers traveling over the summer holidays."

Buttigieg said that as we go into the winter holidays, the Biden administration will closely watch how the airlines perform to ensure fewer people have disruptions.

Last year, the airlines had major meltdowns as winter storms kicked off days and, in some cases, weeks of delays and cancellations. Southwest Airlines was the carrier that struggled the most to recover, and Buttigieg told me he has assurances that things will be better this year.

"The CEO of Southwest just briefed me on the steps they are taking that he has committed will make sure that what that particular airline went through last year won't