Six Unions Representing New Yorkers Call on US to Protect Jobs; Open Consultations with Qatar and United Arab Emirates under Open Skies Agreements

Today, the Air Line Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association issued an open letter to US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker urging them to open consultations with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates under the Open Skies agreements and request a freeze on all new routes between the state-owned airlines and U.S. markets. The unions pointed to a recent report identifying $42 billion in subsidies and unfair benefits the two countries have provided to their three biggest state-owned airlines – Qatar, Etihad and Emirates – in direct violation of US Open Skies policy.

According to the report, each daily international airline trip that is lost or foregone results in more than 800 net jobs lost. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines combined have more than 31,000 employees in the New York region. Meanwhile, Emirates and Qatar Airways are racing against the clock to dump more subsidized capacity in the market and divert passengers away from the U.S. airlines, recently announcing expanded service to Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, and in New York.

“For Open Skies to work it has to be fair,” said the letter which was signed by the Air Line Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association, Association of Flight Attendants, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association. “The United States needs to make sure that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are not continuing to offer tens of billions of dollars in unfair subsidies, which could devastate an important part of the New York economy…We urge you to open consultations with Qatar and the UAE [and] request a freeze on all new routes by Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline to U.S. markets.”

Open Skies agreements are individual policies between the United States and other countries that allow US airlines to fly to international cities and vice-versa. A coalition of labor unions and airlines have joined together to highlight the Open Skies violations and call for consultations as well as a moratorium on new flights from Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline.

The full text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx
Secretary of Transportation
US Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave SE
Washington, DC 20590

The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
US Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Penny Priztker
Secretary of Commerce
US Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20230

Dear Secretaries Foxx, Kerry and Pritzker,

We are deeply concerned that Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline are receiving subsidies and other unfair benefits from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which puts U.S. carriers at risk and threatens employment prospects for many hard-working New Yorkers. As leaders of local chapters representing many of the 31,000 men and women American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines employ in the New York region, we ask you to take action to address these subsidies that threaten the livelihood of workers and their families.

The $42 billion in subsidies and other unfair benefits that the Gulf carriers have received over the last ten years, as outlined in Restoring Open Skies: The Need to Address Subsidized Competition from State-Owned Airlines in Qatar and the UAE, have already allowed them to divert passengers from the U.S. carriers. This in turn reduced their ability to add routes and is now threatening existing ones. Every international flight that is lost ends up costing the U.S. an average of 821 net jobs.

This unfair competition will eventually have a negative impact on the New York economy –and hardworking New Yorkers and their families. It’s the employees who live and work here in New York – from maintenance workers to seasoned pilots – that will see their jobs put at risk because of these unfair subsidies.

For Open Skies to work it has to be fair. The United States needs to make sure that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are not continuing to offer tens of billions of dollars in unfair subsidies, which could devastate an important part of the New York economy.

On behalf of our members, we urge you to open consultations with Qatar and the UAE as soon as possible. Furthermore, we ask that you request a freeze on all new routes by Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline to U.S. markets while consultations are going forward. Open Skies agreements only work if the parties play by the same rules.

Sincerely,

• Captain Thomas Brielmann, Delta – Air Line Pilots Association Council 66
• Laura Glading, Association of Professional Flight Attendants National President
• Captain Paul Jackson - President, Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association
• Captain Glenn Johnson, United – Air Line Pilots Association Council 5
• George Miranda, Principal Officer Teamsters Local 210, President Teamsters Joint Council 16, Int’l VP at Large
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters
• Sara Nelson, Association of Flight Attendants International President
• Captain Brian Rosenstein, ExpressJet – Air Line Pilots Association Council 177
• Captain Keith Wilson – President, Allied Pilots Association

Cc:

Senator Gillibrand
Senator Schumer
Representative Zeldin,
Representative King
Representative Israel
Representative Rice
Representative Meeks
Representative Meng
Representative Velazquez
Representative Jeffries
Representative Clarke
Representative Nadler
Representative Maloney
Representative Rangel
Representative Crowley
Representative Serrano
Representative Engel
Representative Lowey
Representative Maloney
Representative Gibson
Representative Tonko
Representative Stefanik
Representative Hanna
Representative Reed
Representative Katko
Representative Slaughter
Representative Higgins
Representative Collins