Chicago Sun-Times: Billions for Gulf airlines undermine American jobs
“On the line is the security of tens of thousands of jobs — many of them right here at O’Hare International Airport — and that’s a concern for Americans not only on Labor Day but every day. The dispute between the U.S. airlines and the Gulf carriers should be a priority for the Obama Administration; it must put pressure on the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to stop subsidizing their airlines so generously — $42 billion since 2004 — that American carriers simply cannot compete. […]
The billions in subsidies that flow to the Gulf carriers give them an indisputably overwhelming — and entirely artificial — competitive advantage.
The goal is not protectionism, but a level playing field, to preserve American jobs.”