During an interview with NBC News aired on Tuesday’s edition of “Hallie Jackson Now,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to questions on how the air travel system will handle Memorial Day travel by stating that while the system has improved “we’re not out of the woods. We have seen demand come roaring back for air travel, and the system has struggled to keep up.” And airlines have “a long way to go.”
Host Hallie Jackson asked, “I think some people are having flashbacks to last Memorial Day and the nightmare headlines. Is there going to be a nightmare version 2, come Memorial Day?”
Buttigieg answered, “Well, let me start with the improvements that we’ve seen this year. So far, in 2023, every single month, cancellation rates have stayed under 2%. That’s very encouraging. But we’re not out of the woods. We have seen demand come roaring back for air travel, and the system has struggled to keep up. So, a lot of improvement, not out of the woods yet.”
Jackson then asked, “What is your level of confidence right now in the system writ large? Can the system handle it, are you confident?”
Buttigieg responded, “Well, first of all, the system that we have built is extraordinarily safe, and we’re going to make sure that passengers stay safe and that’s the top priority.”
After Jackson said that passengers are more worried about convenience, Buttigieg said, “Yeah, I think once you are certain about safety, then we look at the convenience issue that was so frustrating last year, unacceptable really, which is why I summoned the leaders of the airlines. We ratcheted up the customer service protections and the enforcement and we got a lot of meaningful gains. Those are going to pay off this summer. So far, this year, that picture is much improved. We’re pressing the airlines to keep it that way, and we’re acting to do what we can to help with what’s under our control.”
Buttigieg also said that while airlines have “stepped up, there’s a long way to go.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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