WASHINGTON, DC (June 6, 2017) – According to a news report, the U.S. Travel Association may have broken the law by failing to register for its lobbying activities on behalf of two foreign, state-owned airlines from the United Arab Emirates: Emirates and Etihad Airways. By not registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) or the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), according to the report, U.S. Travel may have misrepresented the extent of its work on behalf of foreign organizations to the public.

“Despite claiming to represent the American travel industry, the U.S. Travel Association is promoting the interests of the United Arab Emirates by lobbying on behalf of Emirates and Etihad Airways,” said Jill Zuckman, chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. “It has become increasingly clear that U.S. Travel ought to change its name to UAE Travel.”

For more than a decade, Emirates and Etihad Airways have received billions of dollars in documented subsidies from the UAE government – a violation of the UAE’s Open Skies agreement with the United States. These subsidies enable the Gulf carriers to fly wherever they want regardless of profit or demand. The airlines’ aggressive expansion into the United States, funded by illegal subsidies, makes fair competition impossible and threatens 1.2 million American jobs.