Airlines Flights Could Face Disruptions, Warns Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg has run out of patience. New technology is not a thing of the future, it’s here now.

To that end, the Department of Transportation Secretary is warning airlines to finish retrofitting their planes to accept new 5G technology. Flights, he said, could be disrupted as soon as this week if planes aren’t ready for 5G technology.

American, Southwest and Frontier Airlines all said their fleets are retrofitted. Planes that do not have 5G technology will not be allowed to land in bad weather or low visibility. The warning from the secretary came in a letter to the lobby group Airlines for America. Wireless companies such as Verizon will begin boosting their 5G signals on July 1.

This is not new.

Nor is it a surprise.

The debate over 5G technology and airlines has raged for years. Moreover, it has shown a spotlight on just how old and outdated the airline technology really is.

It appears the deadline may be pushed back. Again. Various airlines have told government officials that supply chain issues are preventing them from getting the correct equipment and technology to make the transition. But A4A officials told the government they expect all airlines to comply.

“Carriers have repeatedly communicated this reality to the government,” said Marli Collier, a spokeswoman for the group. “Nevertheless, thanks to careful planning, A4A member carriers are confident in their ability to maintain the integrity of their schedules, despite the impending deadline.”

Delta Air Lines said that about 20 percent of its fleet do not have the correct radio altimeters to utilize 5G transmissions. The DOT said it estimates that 80 percent of airline fleets will comply and be ready for 5G. The rest are at the mercy of companies that provide equipment and technology.

And with this summer looming as one of the biggest air travel periods in recent memory, it is incumbent upon the airlines to make the switch.