Thousands of flight delays and canceled flights have left Americans frustrated or stranded, and transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is weighing possible consequences for airlines.
"That is happening to a lot of people, and that is why we are paying close attention to what can be done and how to make sure that the airlines are delivering," Buttigieg said.
The transportation secretary was forced to drive when his flight from Washington to New York was canceled.
If consumer protection standards are not met, the Department of Transportation could choose to take enforcement action. Air Canada was fined $2 million for slow refunds, but the fines of this type have historically been small.
Two days after meeting with airline CEOs to press them on recent disruptions and urge them to find ways to stick to summer flight schedules, Buttigieg made his comments. More than 2500 flights were canceled in the US over Memorial Day weekend.
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Dozens of Delta passengers were stuck at the Atlanta airport for more than 24 hours as thousands of flights were delayed or canceled.
There are challenges with air traffic control, weather, and unscheduled absences in some work groups that impact Delta's operations. Delta has had more disruptions than any other airline.
Insider asked the Department of Transportation and Delta if they had any comment on the secretary's recent comments.
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