Please Don’t Make Airports Healthy Again. Just Make Them More Efficient.

4 hours ago7 min read

A video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, performing pull-ups in the middle of Reagan National Airport recently went viral, and it wasn't just a bizarre personal fitness flex. It was the lead-in to a policy announcement.Alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Kennedy unveiled a plan to invest a billion dollars into transforming airports into 'wellness spaces,' complete with gym equipment, expanded children's play areas, and healthier food options. This initiative, framed under a 'Make Travel Family Friendly Again' campaign, arrives alongside Duffy's earlier calls for more 'civility' in air travel, including suggestions that passengers dress better.The public reaction, spanning social media mockery and critical news coverage, was swift and largely derisive. The core of the criticism is simple and almost universally felt: this fundamentally misunderstands what people actually want from an airport.Travelers don't crave a gym or a kale salad at Gate B12; they crave efficiency and a reduction of the inherent misery of modern air travel. The best airport experience is the one you notice the least—a seamless, quick passage from curb to gate with minimal lines, delays, and stress.People already vote with their wallets for this principle, shelling out for TSA PreCheck to bypass security theater and for airline lounge access to escape the chaotic gate area. The idea of 'wellness' at an airport feels like a dystopian band-aid on a gaping wound, a performative distraction from the systemic failures that make flying so arduous.Look beyond the pull-up bar, and you'll see the real issues Duffy's department is failing to address: a critical shortage of FAA air traffic controllers that compromises safety and causes delays, the dissolution of a Biden-era rule requiring airlines to compensate passengers for lengthy cancellations, persistently high airfares laden with nickel-and-dime fees for basic comforts, and the relentless shrinkage of seat dimensions to boost airline profits. These are the pain points that unite travelers across the political spectrum.The desire for a slightly more humane journey—through more legroom, fairer pricing, reliable scheduling, and basic dignity—is a non-partisan consensus. Kennedy's airport calisthenics and Duffy's sartorial advice, therefore, aren't just silly; they're strategically cynical.By generating outrage over a gym no one asked for, they divert attention and political capital away from the expensive, complex, and lobbyist-heavy reforms that would actually make a difference. It's a classic political maneuver: offer a flashy, cheap solution to the wrong problem so you don't have to tackle the real one.

#airports

#travel efficiency

#RFK Jr.

#Sean Duffy

#wellness initiative

#Biden-era compensation

#flight delays

#editorial picks news