The incumbent United States Secretary of Transportation has remarked that 
Boeing
still has a lot of work on its hands to fix its culture and that only the future will show whether the plane maker has made the right moves to improve the quality and safety of its products.
Work to do
In an interview with Reuters, Pete Buttigieg
, the Secretary of Transportation of the US, said that Boeing still faces deficiencies and that the plane maker has “much more to do.” Buttigieg also remarked that the company’s culture was a work in progress.
Buttigieg added that a full assessment of its progress to improve the quality and safety of its commercial aircraft will be made once it consistently improves its results across its production sites.
However, he will not have much time to judge the company’s progress since the president-elect, Donald Trump, whose election win was confirmed without an attempted insurrection on January 6, has already selected former Representative Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation ( DOT
) in November 2024.
Photo: Jonathan Hendry | Simple Flying
During his time as a representative in the House of Representatives, the former Fox News show host served as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the chairman of its subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. Duffy left Congress in 2019.
Trump and, consequently, Duffy should take office on January 20, replacing Joe Biden and Buttigieg, respectively. Airlines for America
(A4A), a trade association uniting major US carriers, congratulated Duffy on November 18, 2024.
Duffy still has not been confirmed by the Senate. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and the incoming chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, hoped to confirm Duffy in a hearing in early January, according to POLITICO.
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The announcement was made earlier today.
Working with the new administration
In a statement, A4A said that its member airlines were looking forward to working with Duffy to ensure flying remains the safest transportation mode in the world while operating more than 26,000 flights and transporting 2.6 million passengers daily.
“US airlines look forward to working with the new administration to address the ongoing air traffic controller shortage and modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS).”
The Regional Airline Association (RAA), the advocacy group for US-based regionals such as Endeavor Air, Horizon Air, SkyWest Airlines
, and others, cited Trump’s recognition of Duffy’s leadership in promoting policies that put forward the interests of families, farmers, and small businesses, especially in rural communities, which were the values shared by the association, according to its November 18, 2024, statement.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
Faye Malarkey Black, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the RAA, said that safe and reliable commercial air service was critical to protecting and growing economic vitality and quality of life in small communities.
“We warmly congratulate Congressman Duffy and are eager to work with him in support of safe and reliable air service to American communities of all sizes.”
In addition to ensuring proper oversight of Boeing – if he chooses to pursue this policy – Duffy will have a lot of work to do to get the NAS back on track, with the most pressing issue being the air traffic controller (ATC) shortage.
One Congressional staffer told The Air Current that it was unclear how Duffy would tackle issues related to aviation and the aerospace industry, including Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers based in the US.
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Consumers versus businesses
Some airline executives have already embraced that Trump and his administration will bring a more business-friendly legislative approach. Ed Bastian, the CEO of 
Delta Air Lines
, said that the new administration could be a breath of fresh air, adding that Trump had pledged to review the regulatory environment, including the “overreach [the aviation] industry has experienced” during the Biden administration.
Buttigieg rebuffed those comments in December 2024. The government official who has pushed forth legislation to protect passengers, including refunds for canceled and/or delayed flights, as well as improvements for travelers with disabilities, told The New York Times that if anyone says that the last few years have been an overreach, they are “out of touch with his customers, because the public response to this work has been overwhelmingly positive.”
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