Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, has been urging people for the past week to dress and comport themselves better as a way of restoring “civility” to air travel.
On Tuesday, he added another item to his list of concerns: the quality of the snacks handed out on commercial flights.
In an interview posted Tuesday on the conservative news site Blaze Media, Mr. Duffy said he would prefer that airlines offered options that are not heavy on butter, sugar or what he described as “crap.” He finds the standard choices of cookies or small bags of pretzels lacking, he said.
“I would love some better snacks,” he said. “I would love a little healthier snack on the airplane.”
The comments were not part of a formal policy. Mr. Duffy framed them as a personal preference and an example of how small changes could contribute to a better travel experience.
Recently, Mr. Duffy has been promoting a broader campaign encouraging travelers to observe more traditional standards of travel attire and conduct.
Last week, he released a 1960s-style public service announcement called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You.” In it, he asks travelers whether they are dressing with respect, saying “please” and “thank you,” and supervising their children.
Also of late, Mr. Duffy has faced criticism for the Trump administration’s decision to roll back passengers’ rights, including a proposed rule that would have required airlines to pay cash compensation for significant flight disruptions within their control.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat who is widely expected to run for president in 2028, criticized the secretary’s move to eliminate fines for airlines responsible for canceling and delaying flights.
“His grand alternative??” Mr. Newsom wrote on social media. “Wear a nice dress on the plane.”
Mr. Duffy has defended the withdrawal as a common-sense decision, adding that the rule would have resulted in higher ticket prices and that the agency was trying to balance the interests of passengers and airlines. Airlines are still required to refund customers for canceled flights, but they are not obligated to compensate passengers for delays.
Mr. Duffy is also overseeing significant efforts to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system and address longstanding staffing shortages. These shortages were laid bare during the recent government shutdown, during which Mr. Duffy ordered cutbacks to flights at 40 airports.
In this context, his remarks about cookies and pretzels offered a lighter moment. Yet they also fit within his larger message. Courtesy, presentation and small comforts are all part of the experience he is trying to promote.
Whether airlines will adopt his wishes remains uncertain. Delta declined to comment, and requests for comment from the airlines trade group and other major U.S. air carriers were not immediately returned.
Mark Walker is a Times reporter who covers breaking news and culture.
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