Former FAA Chief Randy Babbitt said the situation was ‘funny’ and the investigation was closed with no penalties issued.
Republic CEO Bryan Bedford. (Photo: Republic Airways | YouTube)
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FAA was previously investigated by the agency regarding his 2010 appearance on the CBS program “Undercover Boss.”
According to a Wall Street Journal report on Friday, the FAA scrutinized Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford for acting as a flight attendant undercover at Republic’s then-subsidiary Frontier Airlines.
During the episode, Bedford appeared to perform flight attendant duties in an attempt to check on employee morale and operations amid a merger and pay cut for workers. In one instance, he participated in a preflight safety briefing where he admittedly fumbled saying part of it.
The Journal reported that the investigation was brought up during the Senate’s vetting process for Bedford to lead the FAA. Bedford reportedly wrote in a notice to senators that Frontier later “clarified that I did not serve as a crew member on the flight,” and that he understood the FAA later dropped the matter.
Then FAA Chief Randy Babbitt told the Wall Street Journal that the investigation had closed and nothing came of it.
“To be totally candid with you, I thought it was pretty funny,” Babbitt told the Journal.
A confirmation hearing for Bedford is now reportedly scheduled for June 11.
Bedford’s nomination has been a rocky one. In March, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) – a pilots union representing over 79,000 pilots in the U.S. – expressed concerns over his nomination for FAA head.
“We have concerns about the nominee’s past efforts to lower pilot training and safety standards and we look forward to hearing his assurances that he will maintain the current requirements,” said ALPA President Jason Ambrosi in an emailed statement to AirlineGeeks at the time.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on June 7, 2025, at 9:50 a.m. ET to accurately reflect the union representing Republic pilots.
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
Air India’s Boeing 787 likely had its emergency-power system online before crashing after takeoff last week. According to a Wall…
Canadian airline WestJet said it is dealing with the effects of a “cybersecurity incident” and warned customers about possible service…
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg will not attend the Paris Air Show this week. A recent Reuters report stated Ortberg told…
Leave a Reply