Send raft-equipped planes to help reduce Florida flight delays, Buttigieg tells airlines
Ahead of the busy holiday travel season, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has a request for airlines: Send more planes equipped with rafts to Florida.
Airspace around Florida is congested for a multitude of reasons, and Buttigieg said he'd like airlines to use more of the offshore routes located over the Atlantic Ocean off Florida's east coast. Those routes — which require extra survival equipment, including rafts, on board in case of emergency — were underutilized last winter, he said in a letter Thursday to airline CEOs.
Federal regulations consider aircraft that fly more than 50 nautical miles (57.5 miles) from the shoreline to be conducting "extended overwater operations." In these cases, the planes require additional equipment, including rafts, life jackets, pyrotechnic signaling devices (such as flares), emergency beacons and a survival kit. Not every aircraft contains this equipment, which is expensive to both acquire and maintain — not to mention, it weighs a considerable amount.
Buttigieg's letter comes after an early summer of significant flight delays around Florida. While the worst of the delays have subsided, airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to dispute their root cause. Airlines believe air traffic control staffing is insufficient, particularly at a facility near Jacksonville, Florida, that handles traffic en route to and from the Sunshine State. For its part, the FAA has said that airlines need to work on staffing up, as well as right-sizing schedules.
More: Space ships, storms and other reasons your Florida flight could be delayed this summer
Buttigieg addressed both sides of the debate in the letter, which had a largely upbeat tone; his notes resembled comments made in September by acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen.
He said that the facility near Jacksonville, known as the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, has increased its staffing by 10% (though those are trainees who will largely contribute longer-term to the facility). He also noted progress made with airspace closures due to space launches.
As for airlines, he said that the industry has learned from what he called an early summer "stress test." He added that the industry had made progress with "long-term staffing issues" and singled out the huge pay increases that regional airline pilots have seen recently, as those carriers grapple with a pilot shortage.
More: The room where it happens: Inside the FAA Command Center
Buttigieg also turned his attention to two other key markets that have seen growth in recent years: Denver and Phoenix. He implored airlines to share growth plans with the FAA as early as possible to ensure ATC staffing resources are properly deployed.
"FAA is also seeing indications that routes between Colorado and Arizona could experience even higher volume than last year," Buttigieg wrote in the letter, a copy of which TPG received.
"The sooner you can make FAA aware of growth plans in high-growth markets such as Denver and Phoenix, the more effective we can be in aligning resources to make sure air traffic controllers are ready to respond," he added.
Airlines for America, the industry's lobbying group, responded to the letter, saying that while they were encouraged by the additional ATC staffing in Jacksonville, they hope to see more staffing nationwide.
We are pleased Secretary Buttigieg and the FAA recognize that air traffic to and through Florida has increased significantly. This year, U.S. passenger airlines increased staffing to above pre-pandemic levels, and the FAA has recently increased ATC staffing in that area by 10 percent. However, as the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has pointed out, more ATC staffing is needed to efficiently handle the volume of flights in the entire National Airspace System (NAS). We support continued resources to address this shortage and look forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Transportation and the FAA.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees