Employees from 3 Major U.S. Airlines Request Swift Action, Citing Job Loss as Concern

Washington, D.C. (November 12, 2015) – The Partnership for Open & Fair Skies released a new video today featuring airline employees urging President Obama to act swiftly to address the massive Gulf carrier subsidies that are costing American aviation jobs. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and seven unions representing 300,000 airline workers are calling 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 have received.

“While the Obama administration ponders, the Gulf carriers are rapidly expanding into U.S. markets, harming American aviation jobs and jeopardizing vital air service to small and mid-sized communities,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “It’s time for President Obama to get personally involved and enforce our bilateral agreements. The administration needs to stand up for American workers and American businesses and stop the governments of the UAE and Qatar from gaming the aviation marketplace.”

The video can be viewed here.

With the backing of wealthy nations, the Gulf carriers are undercutting prices and distorting the international aviation marketplace, forcing U.S. airlines to withdraw from routes and entire regions, including the Indian subcontinent. 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. 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.

Acknowledging the severity of the issue, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Transportation and State opened a public comment period over the summer and received over 5,000 comments, more than three-quarters of which were in favor of a level playing field for the aviation industry. The Open Skies agreements that the United States signed with the governments of the UAE and Qatar provides for consultations between the governments to ensure that competition is fair.

This week, more than 3,000 people have sent letters to President Obama asking him to enforce our nation’s agreements with the UAE and Qatar. Airline employees from various U.S. airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Air Wisconsin and FedEx Express all urged the president to enforce our Open Skies agreements to protect American workers.

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.