Friday, March 26, 2010

Foreign Companies Will Not Own Controlling Interest in US Airlines Anytime Soon

I never thought I’d see the day that the United States would make good on its promise to the European Union (EU) to allow for greater foreign ownership of US airlines in return for open skies policy.

Now a recent agreement confirms that is not going to happen and is a big win for the US. It makes the previous open skies agreement permanent, which is good for both sides of the pond, yet it dodges the foreign ownership demand that was there after the last round..
According to the US Department of Transport (DOT), the new agreement . . .affirms that the terms of the 2007 agreement will remain in place indefinitely. It also deepens U.S.-EU cooperation in aviation security, safety, competition, and ease of travel. In addition, it provides greater protections for U.S. carriers from local restrictions on night flights at European airports. It also includes a ground-breaking article on the importance of high labor standards in the airline industry.
The new agreement underscores the importance of close transatlantic cooperation on aviation environmental matters in order to advance a global approach to global challenges.
Hmmm, vagueness or real......