(HorizonPost.com) – Customers of Southwest Airlines were “stranded” by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, according to a Fox News chyron.
Due to a combination of poor weather and a system malfunction brought on by underinvestment, Southwest has had to cancel more than 15,700 flights since December 22.
The Ingraham Angle guest host Raymond Arroyo showed a video of Buttigieg responding to the debacle on Wednesday’s episode.
In his appearance on Good Morning America, Buttigieg stated, “What this shows is a system failure. He said that earlier this year, particularly over the summer, they observed numerous issues with numerous airlines. He pressured them to strengthen their customer service commitments and put them in writing.
“Now that they have done so, we can enforce those commitments. I therefore reminded them of their commitments and let them know that we would hold them responsible for things like covering those passengers’ expenses,” Buttigieg said.
Arroyo made fun of his remarks.
“Oooh, Mayor Pete’s going to hold them accountable,” he said, referring to Buttigieg’s previous position as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, where a chyron on the screen read, “Mayor Pete Leaves Southwest Customers Stranded.”
Holding the airline responsible does not assist the stranded customers “right now,” the host claimed.
According to Arroyo, people want their expenses covered and a refund for chaos. That doesn’t help them. To hold the airlines accountable, you have to understand the problem.
The Ingraham Angle wasn’t the only Fox News program to blame Buttigieg. Co-hosts of The Five debated whether the transportation secretary was doing everything he could to assist impacted customers.
According to William McGee, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project and a former aircraft dispatcher, the current state of affairs at Southwest may be a direct result of Buttigieg’s failure to address business practices that lead to flight cancellations.
Additionally, Buttigieg has been criticized for not going far enough in his proposed tightening airline refunds rules. Even though Southwest Airlines is currently experiencing thousands of cancellations, Buttigieg has yet to fine the airline.
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