Fox News places blame on Pete Buttigieg for 'stranded' Southwest customers

29 December 2022

Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is being blamed by Fox News for the thousands of canceled Southwest flights that left millions stranded in airports, Huffpost reports.

During the busiest travel period of the year, multiple airlines suffered delays and cancellations due to a winter storm, but Southwest has and continues to suffer with the highest cancellation rate.

“Mayor Pete Leaves Southwest Customers Stranded” is the headline that appeared on-screen during a Fox News "Ingraham Angle" segment, fully blaming the former 2020 presidential candidate for Southwest's shortcomings.

According to Insider, Buttigieg has noted that Southwest promised over the summer that they would “take care of customers” in the case of delays and cancellations, and now the Department of Transportation will hold them accountable to that promise.

Buttigieg told CNN, "Now that we have those commitments that were made to us over the summer, we're going to be using that as a tool to hold them accountable. And I made that clear to Southwest leadership.” He continued, “Now... the CEO pledged to me that they will not only meet but they will exceed the customer service standards and commitments that they have made to us in the past and that we're in a position to enforce."

As the incriminating headline appeared on the screen, guest host Raymond Arroyo mocked the former South Bend, Indiana mayor’s words. “Oooh, Mayor Pete’s gonna hold them accountable,” said Arroyo. “This guy’s actually bragging about making Southwest put customer service commitments in writing.”

Other Fox News show hosts have blamed Buttigieg for the cancellation chaos alleging that, “We don’t see any help from this administration when American people are in trouble because – Buttigieg could make some things happen. He can get some buses… It might not be Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It might not be the way you get there, but we will get you there because that’s the American way.”

Southwest said in a statement earlier this week that cancellations can be attributed to the airline's scheduling tools, which its staff had previously complained is outdated.

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