By DAVID KOENIG

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded Thursday to criticism from airline executives who claim the Biden administration has over-regulated them, pointing out that some of these airlines are making large profits despite new passenger protection rules.

Buttigieg said the rules imposed by his department, including automatic cash refunds after the cancellation of flights, will enjoy broad public support and “stand the test of time”.

The comments come after the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines said they hope the government will be more business-friendly when President-elect Donald Trump returns to power. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the Trump administration would be “a breath of fresh air” for his industry.

“I know some airline CEOs have expressed hope that the next administration will be less passenger-friendly and more business-friendly than this administration,” Buttigieg responded during a news conference to discuss Thanksgiving travel. “The passenger protections we have put in place rightly have broad public and bipartisan support. I just don’t come across many people who object to the idea that you should get an automatic, hassle-free refund, for example.

Buttigieg argued that strong passenger protections are good for the airline industry.

“Some of these companies have had very healthy profits, even with this new higher level of consumer protection, which demonstrates to me that these things can travel together,” he said.

This appears to be a reference to Delta, the most profitable US airline in recent years. Delta won $2.6 billion during the first nine months of this year and $4.6 billion last year.