Airport Safety Concerns

Under the current administration, the definition of a bad airport has taken a new turn. Newark Liberty Airport, never a favorite among travelers, is now facing significant issues with outages and worker shortages. Despite these concerns, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy claims that Newark is perfectly safe. Interestingly, Duffy recently changed his wife’s flight to avoid Newark, but he insists that this decision was taken out of context.

Damage Control Efforts

Following a 45-minute ground stop caused by an equipment outage on Sunday, Duffy appeared on Meet the Press to address the situation. When asked about the safety of flying in and out of Newark, Duffy stated, "I fly out of Newark all the time, my family flies out of Newark." However, as previously reported by Gizmodo, Duffy had changed his wife’s flight from Newark to LaGuardia, citing concerns about delays. During a House Appropriations Committee meeting, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) questioned Duffy about this decision, suggesting that he had diverted his wife’s flight due to safety concerns.

Contradictory Statements

Duffy responded by saying, "That’s not true. It’s partially true." He explained that his wife was flying to an event and that he had changed her flight to LaGuardia due to severe delays at Newark, not because of safety concerns. While it is true that Newark has experienced significant delays, the source of these issues is evident. For example, Sunday’s outage resulted in over 250 delays and at least 80 cancellations. Additionally, the airport has faced several outages and staff shortages in recent weeks.

Shifting Blame

Throughout the ordeal, Duffy has blamed the Biden administration for the issues at Newark. During the committee hearing, Duffy stated, "We didn’t have 3,000 controller shortages in the last 100 days. There was four years that came before where nothing was done." However, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says that the number of controllers nationwide has risen and remained steady under the Biden administration. Furthermore, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had requested additional funding for air traffic controllers last year, but was blocked by House Republicans.

A History of Undermining the DOT

The Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Department of Transportation (DOT) are well-documented. In February, hundreds of FAA employees were fired amidst Trump’s mass layoffs. Although Duffy claimed that no one with a "critical safety" position was fired, the president of the union representing FAA employees disputed this claim, stating that all of the fired employees were part of the safety net.

Insisting Everything is Fine

Despite the concerns and evidence to the contrary, Duffy insists that everything is fine. When asked about flight safety by Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), Duffy deflected the question, stating that the department is working to streamline its operations and do more with less. He claimed that this would allow for additional funding to be allocated to infrastructure projects in communities. However, this response fails to address the underlying issues at Newark and raises further questions about the administration’s prioritization of safety and effectiveness.