The Partnership for Open & Fair Skies today announced the addition of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), AFL-CIO, into the coalition. The Partnership includes the Air Line Pilots Association, the Allied Pilots Association, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants, the Communications Workers of America, and the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, along with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

“We are excited to welcome the Transport Workers Union to the Partnership. TWU understands that the massive subsidies provided to the Gulf carriers are jeopardizing American jobs and the economy,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “It’s not just hundreds of thousands of airline employees who will pay the price if the Gulf carriers are allowed to continue violating the Open Skies agreements. These workers and the U.S. airlines drive more than $1.4 trillion in economic activity and more than 11 million American jobs. TWU and the other members of the Partnership are asking the U.S. government to open consultations with Qatar and United Arab Emirates and to seek a freeze on new Gulf carrier capacity while those talks take place. Otherwise, the increasingly enormous subsidies that Qatar and the UAE are providing to their state-owned airlines will harm U.S. consumers and businesses.”