FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Captain Dennis Tajer, 847-902-8481; Gregg Overman, 817-302-2250/817-312-3901

Allied Pilots Association: “It’s Time to Stand Up to This Abrogation of Our Open Skies Agreements”

FORT WORTH, Texas (Dec. 12, 2017) – U.S. airline and airline labor union representatives met today with officials from the U.S. State Department to discuss the United States’ Open Skies agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Following this meeting, Allied Pilots Association President Capt. Daniel F. Carey issued the following statement:

“We deserve a level playing field, and we are pleased that the Trump administration has initiated discussions with Gulf states regarding the issue of subsidies to Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways. Massive government subsidies have enabled these carriers to expand irrespective of demand or profit-and-loss considerations, threatening hundreds of thousands of middle-class jobs in the U.S. airline industry. It’s time to stand up to this abrogation of our Open Skies agreements. Full and equal compliance is the responsibility of all participating parties.”

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots union in the United States — is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s website is AlliedPilots.org. American Airlines is the world’s largest passenger airline.