Look! A dog peeing in grass!

This is not uncommon Governmental business... he hasn't issued any new orders, just proclaimed that he COULD! It's a "threat" to try to goad the airline industry to do more to address the problems EVERYONE has been facing (in the US) with airline staff shortages (esp. flight crews!).

Just an aside, so you don't think I'm anti-airline:

• To maintain your pilot status/rank for a specific aircraft type, you have to FLY that aircraft type a minimum number of hours per year. Failure to maintain the hours means you lose your "license" to pilot that aircraft until you re-certify (not a short, and not an inexpensive process).
• COVID-19 grounded a LOT of planes - some of them were "mothballed" (that is: sent to long-term storage facilities in the desert). You don't just trot out to the storage facility, gas up, and take off! There are a LOT of steps necessary to re-certify an aircraft before it can be put back into service! (not a short, and not an inexpensive process).
• Flight crews (pilots, co-pilots, flight attendants, etc.) are not generally staffed by stupid, untalented, UN-ambitious people! When they were furloughed by the airlines during COVID, they didn't go home and pout - they found other jobs! And a LOT of them actually found BETTER jobs!

So, long story short: airlines don't have enough planes OR crew to maintain all of the routes they already have, much less add new ones... and 2022 is looking like a RECORD year for travel!

OOPS!

BTW: The Buttigieg statements are no better or worse than Trump's constant threats to sue people - before, during, and after his Presidency! In other words, this is a common tactic... in business, politics, government, even on the elementary school playground (if you don't do this, I won't sit with you at lunch today!)