The U.S. travel community is urging the Trump administration to affirm its support of the country’s Open Skies aviation agreements, noting that Open Skies policy aligns perfectly with the president’s stated priorities of supporting domestic jobs, correcting the U.S. trade imbalance, and reducing government regulatory meddling.
In a letter sent February 9 to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow writes: “By reducing government interference in air travel, [Open Skies] agreements have led to hundreds of thousands of new American travel and manufacturing jobs, billions in U.S. economic growth, lower airfares for travelers, more flights to airports to and beyond major gateways, and new opportunities for U.S. airlines.”
The association’s letter comes on the heels of renewed attacks by the Big Three U.S. airlines (American, Delta and United), who since early 2015 have petitioned the U.S. government to break Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in order to curb competition from Middle Eastern carriers Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Among the reasons Dow cited for Open Skies’ alignment with Trump’s economic priorities:
Writes Dow of the Big Three’s campaign against Open Skies: “While their arguments are couched in compelling terms, the Big Three airlines are not seeking a level playing field to compete. Instead, they are lobbying for government intrusion that would benefit themselves, but hurt American manufacturing jobs, threaten U.S. economic growth and undermine U.S. national security interests.”
Dow closed by expressing his sincere hope that the new administration will reaffirm America’s longstanding support for Open Skies.