Pete Buttigieg is trying to make flying these days less terrible

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has recently focused on what he calls "front of the house" concerns for America’s flyers — in other words, improving the experience around flying.

Earlier this month, Buttigieg announced $1 billion for upgrading America’s airport terminals and traveled the country to tout the effort. The Department of Transportation has also prodded airlines to ensure parents and children can sit together and released a new bill of rights for disabled flyers.

These efforts add up, he said in a Yahoo Finance Presents interview this week, to changes that are “going to make a big difference for the passenger experience.” He added that “decades of underinvestment have taken their toll, but now we're in a position to change that.”

U.S. passengers' more immediate frustrations stem from a recent wave of flight cancellations, especially during Memorial Day and the July Fourth travel weekends. A recent Department of Transportation report found that complaints against airlines are more than three times higher now than pre-pandemic levels.

‘Still a lot of work to do’

The delays and cancellations have eased as of late, but the tracker FlightAware isn't expected to take down its misery map anytime soon. Even Buttigieg himself had his flight canceled, but it’s unclear whether we'll see permanent changes that will improve the core of the flying experience.

In Tuesday’s interview, Buttigieg touted the recent lessening of delays but acknowledged ongoing problems such as a persistent pilot shortage.

“There's still a lot of work to do,” he said, noting that he's looking for airlines to improve the situation.

Still, he stressed, “If they don't do the right thing, that's what our enforcement powers are for.”

The Transportation Department has already acted to a certain extent, with Buttigieg gathering airline executives earlier this summer to discuss the delays. He also notes that, in 2021, his department proposed new rules around delays and levied its biggest fine history in 2021 for a failure to issue timely refunds.

But many want him to do more. A recent letter from Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a series of actions, including stiff fines on airlines that are reportedly scheduling flights they know won't ever get off the ground.

The White House and Transportation Department have signaled that more could be coming, especially in the context of encouraging competition among airlines.

“In the coming months, what you will see from this administration is delivering on more,” actions to encourage competition among airlines and other sectors, said Brian Deese, President Biden’s top economic adviser, during a recent speech in Washington.

‘We have more to work with’

In the meantime, Buttigieg has emphasized these investments will pay off for passengers in the long-term. The key source for that effort is the Airport Terminal Program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure law Biden signed late last year.

The program will give out annual waves of $1 billion for terminal upgrades over the next five years. The first $1 billion was announced recently as “just the beginning of what we are going to do to modernize our airports,” says White House Senior Adviser Mitch Landrieu, who is overseeing implementation of the law.

In total, the administration has set aside $20 billion for various airport improvement projects in the coming years. Biden officials contend the cash infusion allows the government to take a more active role in the flying experience beyond its traditional focuses on concerns such as maintaining runways and managing air traffic-control.

Buttigieg emphasizes that the money coming from the infrastructure law will be strategically used to make a difference in hubs like LAX as well as out-of-the way locations like Chamberlain, South Dakota, which he says currently has a mobile home operating as its general aviation terminal.

The government's other efforts include a recent notice “urging U.S. airlines to do everything in their power” to seat children under 13 with their parents following instances of children as young as 11 months not being seated with their caretakers. The Transportation Department said it will “consider additional action” if the situation doesn’t change.

Another recent effort is a new bill of rights for disabled flyers backed by the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations addressing issues like dignity and respect as well as access to airports and airlines.

Overall, Buttigieg promises the ongoing efforts will yield results if people have patience. “We have more to work with than we have had in a very long time,” he notes.

Ben Werschkul is a writer and producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC.

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