Individuals sent letters expressing concern for lost aviation jobs if administration fails to act

Washington, D.C. (December 1, 2015) – Over the last month, more than 10,000 aviation professionals and concerned citizens have sent letters to President Obama asking him to level the playing field for U.S. airlines and their workers. The letters call on the Obama administration to enforce Open Skies agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to curtail the $42 billion in subsidies and unfair benefits the Gulf carriers are receiving. Without immediate action by the administration, American workers and businesses will continue to face unfair competition from the state-owned Gulf carriers.

“More than 10,000 airline workers and concerned citizens are sending a strong message to President Obama that it’s time to enforce our Open Skies agreements and save American jobs,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “They know that failure by the Administration to act will lead to a severe loss of American jobs, cuts in services that communities across the country rely on and a badly damaged U.S. aviation industry. The Obama administration should hear these concerns loud and clear and stand up for American workers and businesses once and for all.”

In addition to employees from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, aviation employees from across the industry have weighed in with the Administration, including employees from FedEx Express, Alaska Airlines, Air Wisconsin, JetBlue, Express Jet and many retirees.

The letters express real concern for the future of the more than 300,000 direct American aviation jobs that depend on a strong U.S. aviation industry. Economists estimate that well over 1,500 American jobs are lost for every daily international roundtrip flight a U.S. airline is forced to cut due to unfair competition from the Gulf carriers. Domestically, U.S. airlines are losing market share by astonishing numbers in cities the Gulf carriers have recently entered. Bookings on U.S. carriers dropped an average of 10.8 percent in Boston, 7.6 percent in Dallas-Fort Worth, 21.4 percent in Seattle and 14.3 percent in Washington, D.C.

The Partnership, along with over 260 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 22 U.S. senators, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing over 1,400 mayors of major U.S. cities, and dozens of business, trade and economic groups around the country, is asking the U.S. government to request consultations with the UAE and Qatar and ask for an immediate freeze on the introduction of new passenger service by the Gulf carriers during these consultations.