From small town Mayor to Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the Department of Transportation in the Biden Administration. The industry is hopeful that the appointee will be able to tackle critical initiatives related to safety, climate, infrastructure and more to bring the industry back better than ever post COVID-19.
Transport Workers Union of America International President John Samuelsen offered, “Secretary Pete Buttigieg is more than up to the task of leading the Department of Transportation at this critical time. He has proactively built relationships with unions and other stakeholders — relationships that began, in some cases, years before he sought national office.
He has demonstrated an understanding of the issues frontline workers face in the transportation sector and he has led the dialog on innovative policy proposals to ensure that our middle class is the primary beneficiary of the next generation of technological change. He is a man of true integrity who will be an exceptional public servant at this time.”
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes commented, “JetBlue congratulates Pete Buttigieg on his Senate confirmation to become the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Secretary Buttigieg brings to the role a strong understanding of the importance of infrastructure investment, which we’re hopeful will include modernizing the nation’s air traffic control system, a top priority for JetBlue.
We also welcome President Biden’s immediate focus on climate change and look forward to collaborating with the Secretary on opportunities that lie ahead. And with considerable and significant challenges still facing the airline industry amid the pandemic recovery, we’ll also look to the Secretary for support to ensure we emerge in a position to help power the economy when the crisis is over.”
According to the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) president Capt. Joe DePete “This is a very critical time for our nation’s transportation systems and there is a lot of work ahead to bring U.S. aviation back to pre-pandemic levels. As the world’s largest nongovernmental aviation safety organization, ALPA has spoken with Secretary Buttigieg and is confident that through strong leadership and working together with crucial stakeholders, DOT is poised to bring many significant improvements to this vital industry.”
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said, “On behalf of Delta’s 75,000 employees, I’d like to congratulate Pete Buttigieg on his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. We look forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg and his team in the weeks and months ahead as we position the U.S. airline industry to help lead our nation’s economic recovery.”
