“Over the past several years, my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength and support,” Dickson said in a letter to FAA employees shared with CNN. “Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them. As I wrote in my letter to President Biden, it is time to go home.”
In a statement, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he is grateful for Dickson’s “years of service to our country and his lifelong dedication to making sure our aviation system is the best and safest in the world.”
“While all of us at USDOT will miss Steve as a leader and as a colleague, we are very happy for him and his wife, Janice, as they embark upon this next chapter together,” Buttigieg said.
The FAA has faced a number of challenges during Dickson’s tenure.
The former Delta Air Lines executive was nominated to lead the FAA as the country’s airlines were coping with the grounding of Boeing 737 Max jets following two deadly crashes.
And in 2021, the United States saw the worst year on record for unruly airplane passenger behavior, according to FAA data. The agency logged 5,981 reports of unruly passengers as of December 31, and of those, 4,290 — nearly 72% — were Covid-19 mask-related incidents.
Dickson executed the administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy for disruptive passengers, saying at the time of his order: “Flying is the safest mode of transportation and I signed this order to keep it that way.” The policy, which skips warnings or counseling and goes directly to legal penalties for unruly behavior, was extended at least until the federal mask mandate is lifted.
Dickson, a pilot himself, began his career in the military and later flew commercial aircraft including the Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767. In his post at Delta he was responsible for flight safety and pilot training.
This story has been updated with additional details.
