Josh Hawley scolds airline executives for putting Americans through a 'horrible' flying experience

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., skewered airline executives on Wednesday, arguing their service has been a "disaster" for the American people.

During a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), senior executives from American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines were questioned about their companies increasing fees on customers. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the chair of the subcommittee, announced the hearing in late November, just as the committee released the findings of its PSI Majority Report. The report highlighted how major airlines have increasingly used ancillary or junk fees to boost their revenue, which has driven up costs for consumers, according to Blumenthal.

Hawley expressed frustration with the executives, claiming that it is a "disaster" for Americans to travel with their airlines. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., grilled executives at major airlines about how they run their businesses, arguing that the American people have had enough. (C-SPAN)

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"I mean, you guys do appreciate that flying on your airlines is a disaster, don't you?" the senator asked. "I'm slightly amazed by the general attitude of all of you here. Flying on your airlines is horrible. It's a terrible experience. I mean, I say this as a father of three young children, but I can't tell you… nobody enjoys flying in your airlines. It's a disaster."

Hawley retold a personal story of when his family flew during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"You charge people fees that they know nothing about. You harass them to death," he said, before singling out an American Airlines executive, Steve Johnson. "I'll never forget, Mr. Johnson, during COVID when an attendant on your airline threatened my wife because our then-5-year-old son, his mask had slipped. This is back when we all had to wear those ridiculous masks — his mask had slipped below his nose. This flight attendant came up to my wife and said if she didn't keep that mask over his nose at all points on this four-hour flight, she would personally see that my wife was banned from flying."

Steve Johnson, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer at American Airlines, testifies before Congress on Wednesday.

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"This has happened over and over to families. It's terrible. It's absolutely terrible. And your attitude here today seems to be, ‘Well, devil may care, there's nothing we can do about it.’ Well, I think we are going to do something about it," Hawley said.

During that same hearing, Blumenthal offered a similarly scathing commentary, suggesting that "[a]irlines these days view their customers as little more than walking piggy banks to be shaken down for every possible dime."

After the hearing, Blumenthal told reporters that outrage at the airlines was bipartisan.

"The fury and frustration on both sides of the aisle was pretty dramatic," he said. 

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Fox News' Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.