After a chaotic Memorial Day Weekend left thousands of travelers stranded with canceled flights and unconscionable delays – the Biden administration has issued a response.
Warning airlines their behavior is unacceptable – U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called a virtual airline meeting with execs to find a solution.
But instead of suggesting hiring more employees – he flat out told airlines to cancel their slew of summer flights – and just wait until you hear the details.
Here we go again.
Greedy airlines are determined to make a buck – and are more than happy to sell tickets for flights they can’t staff.
And while they laid off thousands of employees during COVID-19 – they still haven’t seemed to get their staffing needs under control – and anyone who has traveled this spring or summer has already felt the brunt of airline execs’ inability to manage flight operations.
So team Biden steps in to “save the day” …
… except their solution is to simply cut flights and keep travelers from having their “revenge travel” summer of freedom.
Of course.
Reuters reported:
“Buttigieg called the virtual meeting with U.S. airline CEOS after more than 2,700 flights were cancelled over the Memorial Day holiday, which prompted two U.S. senators to ask whether airlines were being held accountable for the disruptions.
He “pushed airlines to scrutinize whether they can reliably operate the schedules they have published and future schedules under consideration,” the source said.”
Essentially – he knows they can’t reliably operate.
So now what?
Other airlines around the world are taking drastic measures.
In an effort to control chaos at the KLM airport, a Dutch airline, made the radical decision to
fly empty planes back to Amsterdam leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Some airlines have even physically removed seats off of planes to control the number of passengers.
Of course – all of this is unacceptable.
Passengers pay for a ticket to get to their destination – and they shouldn’t be forced to “abandon” their bags or be stranded at the airport because the airlines don’t know how to manage the flow of people.
The operational nightmare is bound to make travel even more challenging this summer.
Especially when airlines refuse to take responsibility – and instead blame the FAA.
Reuters continued:
“Industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A), which confirmed the virtual meeting with Buttigieg, told Congress last week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must ensure the air traffic control system is capable of meeting demand.”
But your average traveler doesn’t care whose fault it is.
All Proud American Travelers want is to book a flight, arrive at their destination on time, and enjoy exploring all the world has to offer.
Let’s hope airline execs and the FAA get themselves together – or we’re bound to have a brutal summer of travel.
What are your thoughts on Biden asking airlines to cancel their flights?
Have you run into any travel hiccups at the airport this year? If so, what was your experience like?
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