Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wants air travelers to get more from the airlines this holiday season. The senator said she's concerned that the Department of Transportation is giving gifts to airlines rather than to passengers who rely on them.
“Instead of lowering the cost of air travel, former airline lobbyist Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ended a rule that would’ve forced airlines to compensate Americans for expenses when flights are canceled. Who does Sean Duffy think he is helping other than the airline industry? It sure looks like he’s putting his former lobbying clients ahead of the American people," Warren told USA TODAY in a statement.
In a letter to the Office of the Inspector General, Warren asked that an inquiry be launched into Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, whom she said she suspects is unethically favoring airlines through his policy decisions. Warren wrote in the letter that Duffy previously worked for a consulting firm that lobbied on behalf of airlines, and suggested that he may be making policy decisions more in line with that role.
The senator said that the secretary's policy changes ultimately shift the financial burden of travel disruptions from the companies to consumers.
