\n<\/p>\n
S<\/span>ean \u201cDog\u201d Duffy is a legend in the lumberjack world: a three-time world champion in the 90ft lumberjack speed climb who is renowned for his prowess in mounting and rolling big bits of wood. Not just a lumberjack, Duffy also made waves on late-90s reality TV shows The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars. And now Duffy is parlaying his experience on Road Rules into his role as US transportation secretary.<\/p>\n Duffy has got a lot on his big lumberjack hands: transport infrastructure in the US is, to use the technical term, a hot mess. More than a third of the country\u2019s bridges need major repair work or replacement. There has been little historical investment in railways and the country lags behind the rest of the industrialized world when it comes to high-speed trains. Meanwhile, there\u2019s a chronic air-traffic-controller shortage, which was exacerbated by the recent government shutdown when a number of controllers, fed up with the dysfunctional system, took early retirement.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry, though, Sean Dog is on the case! On Monday the transportation secretary held a flashy press conference with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr at Washington DC\u2019s Reagan national airport to talk about his plans to usher in a golden age of air travel. The pair didn\u2019t spend much time on the boring ins and outs of air-traffic-controller recruitment, which Duffy has made a few moves to address elsewhere. Nor did they discuss shrinking airplane seats or junk fees that force you to pay more for basic things like seat selection. Instead, they did a lot of pull-ups for the camera. Duffy did 10 pull-ups. RFK Jr, who is 71 years old, did 20.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t think of anything more pleasant than … [being] surrounded by travelers who just worked up a sweat<\/p>\n Why were we treated to this testosterone fest? Because Duffy has a plan to make air travel more pleasant \u2013 and has managed to conjure up $1bn in grant money to do so \u2013 seemingly by transforming airports into wellness spaces. \u201cMaybe I want a workout area where people might get some blood flow doing some pull-ups or some step-ups in the airport,\u201d the transport secretary mused.<\/p>\n Paul Saladino, an influencer who has been a big believer in the \u201ccarnivore diet\u201d and raw milk, was brought on to flesh out this plan. \u201cWhat if we could create small spaces for Americans in airports to get mini workouts?\u201d Saladino enthused. \u201cMaybe some treadmills for people who want to walk near their gate \u2026 maybe some exercise bikes?\u201d<\/p>\n Why not indeed? I can\u2019t think of anything more pleasant than cramming myself into a tiny seat in a crowded airplane surrounded by travelers who just worked up a sweat doing pre-flight push-ups.<\/p>\n If the thought of stale sweat at 30,000ft doesn\u2019t make you queasy, I have something else that might turn your stomach: RFK Jr paying tribute to \u201ca mother\u2019s breast\u201d. The press conference touched on airports needing more breastfeeding spaces, which, to be fair, is a valid point. It\u2019s just a shame Duffy and RFK Jr had to make it creepy and pronatalist by bringing on conservative podcaster Isabel Brown to talk about encouraging young women \u201cto embrace the beauty of motherhood\u201d.<\/p>\n Duffy has plenty of ideas for upgrading air travel. Last month he unveiled a civility campaign called The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You. The website explains that it\u2019s supposed to \u201cjumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel\u201d.<\/p>\n If we\u2019re going to have a conversation about civility, <\/em>any chance we can start with the people, I don\u2019t know, running the country? Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, is constantly posting on X about \u201ccucks\u201d and telling journalists to \u201cshut the fuck up\u201d. And then there\u2019s Potus himself. Trump recently called a journalist \u201cpiggy\u201d during a press gaggle on Air Force One, which is certainly one way to jumpstart a nationwide conversation about restoring courtesy to air travel.<\/p>\n Likewise, Duffy has a sartorial vision for this golden age of air travel; he wants people to dress up for their basic-economy flights. In a press conference before Thanksgiving, Duffy urged flyers to \u201cdress a little better\u201d. Don\u2019t ask how you\u2019re supposed to simultaneously dress fancy and<\/em> use the airport as a workout space, by the way. On that he was unclear.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not the only skeptic: various TikTokers are wearing pyjamas to the airport in protest against governmental entreaties to dress better. Even the Magasphere thinks Duffy has some weird priorities. \u201cI\u2019m sick of people in government going: \u2018Well, the golden age of travel starts with you. Dress up. Be courteous,\u2019\u201d rightwing podcaster Tim Dillon said on a recent episode. \u201cHey Sean, no one has any money. No one has any goddamn money, you fool.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, that\u2019s not entirely true. The ultra-wealthy are living in a golden age of private air travel. And I\u2019ve got a funny feeling that you\u2019re not going to catch any of them doing pull-ups at the airport next to the likes of me and you.<\/p>\n