Buttigieg warns bad weather may impact holiday travel

During a press conference at Reagan National Airport, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said inclement weather could pose a challenge during the holidays.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is warning that bad weather could disrupt holiday air travel. “We may see some bad weather around the holidays,” Buttigieg said, alongside FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker during a press conference at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C. “Winter weather may be a challenge, and it will certainly be a challenge in the next few weeks,” Buttigieg said. The FAA has opened military airspace over the holidays and is cooperating with the commercial space industry to limit private launches. It has opened 169 new East Coast routes to keep traffic moving smoothly. Buttigieg stressed that 2023 has seen the lowest commercial flight cancellation rate in the last five years and airlines performed admirably over the Thanksgiving travel rush, but he said he still wants to see the number of delays come down. He told reporters that airlines can’t control weather, but that there’s a “tipping point” where there are additional cancellations and delays that the airlines can control. Buttigieg said he wants to hold them accountable for those disruptions.