Airlines are aggressively lobbying Congress and the Obama administration on a host of issues, from foreign competitors to consumer rules. Among the items on their agenda:
COMPETITION
-Delta, United and American airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association are pressing the administration for a freeze in the number of flights to the U.S. by Persian Gulf airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. The U.S. airlines also want Washington to open discussions with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar about whether the Gulf carriers are violating aviation treaties. The U.S. airlines say the Gulf carriers have received huge subsidies, allowing them to charge lower fares and gain market share. Consumer advocates say the U.S. carriers are trying to ward off competitors, especially in the lucrative trans-Atlantic market.
-The three U.S. carriers and their pilot unions are fighting an application by Norwegian Air International, a subsidiary of the third-largest low-cost carrier in Europe, to expand its flights to the U.S. from Europe and Asia. They say the subsidiary’s business model will drive down wages and undermine safety, which Norwegian denies. The Ireland-based subsidiary plans to hire pilots through a Singapore broker and base them in Thailand.
-Delta Air Lines has been campaigning to block the U.S. Export-Import Bank from helping foreign competitors like Air India and the Gulf carriers finance the purchase of planes from Boeing, saying the planes are used to compete on routes flown by U.S. airlines. The aircraft maker is the nation’s largest exporter in dollars. The bank’s lending authority lapsed on July 1 after tea party conservatives in Congress prevented its renewal.