Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg faces one of his biggest tests yet as tens of thousands of outraged Southwest Airlines travelers remain stranded at airports across the country.

Buttigieg is under pressure to help get travelers home, ensure they are reimbursed for unexpected costs and take steps to prevent this kind of meltdown from happening again.

…

Southwest has canceled more than 15,000 flights over the holiday period due to rampant scheduling glitches and winter storms, disrupting travel plans for millions of customers.

“What’s happening this week is just the latest and perhaps the worst manifestation of problems that have been going on since Buttigieg took office,” said William McGee, a former aircraft dispatcher who is a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project.

McGee and other consumer advocates who push for tougher rules on airlines say Buttigieg has failed to crack down on industry practices that have led to widespread consumer complaints. They note that Buttigieg hasn’t levied any fines against large carriers for canceling flights at the last minute or failing to provide refunds.

“We had high hopes for him, and I think, quite frankly, he has been a tremendous disappointment. He could be doing much more, and for whatever reason he has chosen not to use the authority that he clearly has,” McGee said.

…