Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has slammed the Trump administration's decision to cancel a Biden-era rule that allowed passengers to be compensated by carriers for flight disruptions.
‘Not A Surprise,' Buttigieg Says
Buttigieg criticized the Trump administration over the decision in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday. "Our billionaire President put an airline lobbyist in charge of the Department of Transportation," Buttigieg said.
The post pointed towards the current U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's history as a lobbyist for major U.S. airlines before joining the Trump administration. Buttigieg added that the Trump administration's decision was "not a surprise" to him.
DoT Plans To Withdraw ANPRM
The DoT had said that it plans to withdraw the Biden-era Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANPRM, which dictated that airlines must compensate passengers for flight disruptions. “Consistent with Department and administration priorities, the Department plans to withdraw the ANPRM,” the document said.
The move has been hailed by pro-airline lobbies, who argued that such a rule would’ve raised ticket prices for customers in the U.S. Airlines in the U.S. are required to compensate customers for canceled flights but not for delays.
Source: Office Of Information And Regulatory Affairs
Buttigieg Attacks Trump's Crypto Gains, Duffy Says ATC Needs $19 Billion
The comments follow Buttigieg's criticism of Trump's cryptocurrency activities, which led the family to accumulate over $5 billion in paper gains. "This level of corruption is not normal or acceptable," Buttigieg said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Duffy had said in July that the administration would require an additional $19 billion in funding to revamp the U.S.'s aging Air Traffic Control system. Lawmakers had previously approved a $12.5 billion package to revamp the system.
Bryan Bedford Appointed As FAA Administrator
The Trump regime also appointed Bryan Bedford, who was the former CEO of Republic Airways, as the FAA Administrator in July. Bedford's appointment came under heavy criticism from the Democrats, who opined that the government was prioritizing profits over passenger safety.
The criticism came after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had slammed the decision to appoint Bedford over the 1,500-hour pilot training rule. Bedford had reportedly declined to commit to upholding the rule at the Senate confirmation hearing.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
Photo courtesy: JHive from Shutterstock
