WASHINGTON DC (June 25, 2019) — Business Travel Coalition (BTC) today applauded the Trump Administration for safeguarding the long-standing and pioneering United States (US) Open Skies aviation policy and the associated consumer competitive choice that Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines (Big Three) sought to eliminate in their mega-million dollar political campaign to crush new entry to the US by Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways (Gulf Carriers).
The Administration yesterday announced a final breakthrough-resolution to that ultimately-failed anti-competitive and anti-consumer campaign against airline new entry. In the Joint Statement on the Sixth US-UAE Economic Policy Dialogue, the two governments reaffirmed the US-UAE Open Skies agreement and all flying rights without limitation guaranteed by it. That Joint Statement unequivocally emphasized the “ongoing commitment of the United States and the United Arab Emirates to fully maintain all aspects of their Open Skies relationship.” (See https://btcnews.co/2ZME1zI.)
“Beyond ending an unfortunate chapter in US-UAE aviation relations, this is an important victory for Open Skies policy, individual consumers and government, university and corporate organizations that field millions of business travelers to Europe and across the globe annually,” stated BTC chairman Kevin Mitchell. “At a time of historic market concentration. such as some 90 percent of seats in the US-Europe market controlled by the Big Three and their alliance and joint venture partners, who collectively are immune from antitrust oversight, consumers need more, not less, competitive choice,” added Mitchell.
In a world where antitrust immunity allows alliances and joint ventures to fix prices, collude to constrain capacity at profit-maximizing levels, and coordinate schedules, the competitive choice preserved by this reaffirmation of Open Skies policy is a huge victory for consumers.
About BTC Founded in 1994, the mission of Business Travel Coalition (BTC) is to interpret industry and government policies and practices and provide a platform so that the managed-travel community can influence issues of strategic importance to their organizations.
