Hello, all, and since it's my first post of 2024: Happy New Year (albeit February already).
Earlier this week I had a chance to interview Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in person following a press conference in Charlotte, NC. You can read my report on the interview at the link below, and keep reading here for the behind-the-scenes on this story.
Read more: DOT Sec. Pete Buttigieg is a points and miles fan — but he tells TPG he turns down the free upgrades
I’ve spoken with Buttigieg by Zoom and phone a few times before (and physically collided with him once at an FAA summit as he was walking up to the stage lol), though never in person, and never without a set topic.
Those who follow the news may know that Buttigieg is very, very good at press appearances. He comes off as polished and is clearly well-rehearsed, and he’s masterful at bringing the conversation back to his talking points. He’s a good interview and gives good sound bites, but I’ve learned not to expect to break news when I speak to him. Even hard-hitting questions can come back to talking points.
But I hate to waste an opportunity to speak with a Cabinet official by asking variations of the same questions as usual and getting the same answers as everyone else. So before this interview, I reached out to a few peers, looking for inspiration, wondering if anyone had anything that they’d been wondering themselves.
One peer, who covers the airline space for a major outlet, said that I should ask about Buttigieg’s frequent flyer status and what he hates about traveling. I thought they were joking, but they were serious, rejecting my comment that it would just be a fluff piece: “People like human stories,” they said. And “people would read the shit out of a story about govt officials’ frequent flyer miles and/or status.” (That peer asked me not to name them here.)
Plus, I haven’t seen much reporting about the DOT chief’s relationship with travel. This might be a chance to hear from him outside of the talking points and write a more unique story.
So, that’s what I did. A few people have said that it was a softball, but I stand by the assertion that this is not a fluff piece, nor is it meant to be one.
Instead, it’s a glimpse at the country’s chief travel regulator and policymaker and his personal relationship with air travel, a space that he regulates. I think it led to an interesting story, and I’d repeat the topic with any other person in a similar position.
Take a look at the interview over on The Points Guy, and as always, I’m eager to hear your thoughts.