Delta Airlines said itis investigating allegations that a pilot used a message to passengers to blame a grounded plane on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Last Monday, flights throughout Florida were forced to remain on the ground due to major issues with the air traffic control system, according to Reuters.
U.S. FAA says it fixed computer issue that delayed Florida flights | Reuters
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration worked on finding a solution, but not before setting restrictions on air traffic entering Florida, leading to delays throughout the US. In Atlanta, a Delta pilot reportedly blamed the problem on Buttigieg when informing the passengers that their flight was grounded, prompting a huffy passenger to tattle to Delta on Twitter.
In the now-deleted tweet, the passenger said it was “completely unacceptable” for the pilot to make the “political dig” about Buttigieg over the loudspeaker at the gate. According to Newsweek, the tattletale subsequently deleted his Twitter account. But in the Age of Twitter, where users frequently tattle on airline staff hoping to get them fired, Delta tripped all over itself to “investigate” the tattletale’s now-deleted complaint.
Delta Looking Into Pilot Blaming Pete Buttigieg for Flight Problems (newsweek.com)
The guy’s tweet and account were likely deleted after he got hammered by other Twitter users who called out the tattletale for complaining to Delta.
Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Governor Ron DeSantis, replied to the now-deleted tweet pointing out that the US is not China and Americans are free to “criticize our government officials.” In 2021, one Blue-Check Twitter user lost her mind after she heard a Southwest Airlines pilot use the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” as he greeted passengers on the intercom.
Southwest was forced to issue a statement saying that the pilot’s use of the popular phrase “was not reflective of the Southwest hospitality for which we are known.” Canceling thousands of flights after Christmas probably isn’t “reflective of the Southwest hospitality” either. But here we are.