Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris is better for business and the economy than some portray, contends Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
"You can expect a continued focus in this administration on sustaining the historic economic and job growth we have experienced. This administration has demonstrated that you can be pro-worker, pro-consumer, pro-competition, pro-little guy, and business thrives too," Buttigieg told me in a live interview on Yahoo Finance.
Buttigieg was speaking in an official capacity and unable to comment specifically on the presidential election. It's widely believed Buttigieg is being vetted by the Harris campaign to join her on the Democratic ticket as vice president.
Added Buttigieg, "It's not like profitability has collapsed as we have been supporting workers, unions, and better wages."
In the meantime, Buttigieg does have a day job — one that is keeping him focused on saving travelers a few dollars and lots of headaches.
The Biden administration put forth a new rule on Thursday that would ban airlines from charging junk fees to seat families together on a flight.
The Department of Transportation would require that airlines seat parents next to their children (age 13 or under) for free when adjacent seating is available at time of booking.
Buttigieg says his department has received "hundreds of complaints" on this issue.
"It's certainly one of the most troubling in terms of severity," Buttigieg said.
Per a DOT release, "Mandating fee-free family seating would lower the cost of flying with young children — saving a family of four as much as $200 per roundtrip if seat fees are $25."
The rule proposal is just the latest effort by the Biden administration to ensure major airlines aren't sticking it to the passengers.
In April, the DOT rolled out fresh rules requiring airlines to automatically give cash refunds to passengers for canceled or significantly delayed flights.
The delays covered would be more than three hours for domestic flights and greater than six hours for overseas flights.
Buttigieg says he has been "frustrated" by airline execs pushing back on these new rules.
These rules came in the wake of Southwest Airlines' (LUV) holiday 2022 meltdown that led to massive delays for passengers. The airline launched a $140 million compensation program for the delays earlier this year in a settlement with the DOT.
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Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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