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Airlines for America Commends Bipartisan Effort for Answers on Abu Dhabi Agreement

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Grandpa +65

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Airlines for America Commends Bipartisan Effort for Answers on Abu Dhabi Agreement

Senators send letter raising significant concerns; questioning DHS?s authority to enter into agreement with UAE
Press Release: Airlines for America (A4A) ? Fri, May 10, 2013 11:21 AM EDT

Ailines for America ( A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today commends a group of bipartisan senators for demanding answers on the Department of Homeland Security?s (DHS) decision to establish a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport, going against recent direction from Congress and enabling a foreign government to pay for core security functions. In a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, Senators Dan Coats (R-IN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and nine of their colleagues expressed significant concerns over the agency?s authority to enter into the agreement, as well as the dangerous precedent it sets.
In April, DHS directly defied Congress? clear guidance in the FY 2013 continuing appropriations act by signing an agreement to establish a customs preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi Airport, a facility no U.S. carrier serves. Domestic Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities are partially funded by the airlines and passengers entering the United States through $1.5 billion in annual taxes they pay.
?We question whether the Department has the authorization to enter into such an agreement, and we are concerned by the precedent being set by the department?s actions,? the letter notes. ?By establishing a foreign funded preclearance operation at an airport with so little traffic bound for the United States, we question whether the Department is choosing preclearance locations based on risk or based on a pay-to-play process.?
No U.S. airlines fly to Abu Dhabi, and only one state-owned Middle Eastern carrier serves the U.S. from Abu Dhabi.
Reducing wait times at U.S. airports should be a top priority of DHS and CBP -- not using U.S. tax dollars to benefit a foreign government, particularly when wait times at U.S. points of entry continue to be excessive,? said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. ?We thank Senators Dan Coats (R-IN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for their bipartisan leadership to demand answers over this ill-conceived decision, which harms U.S. citizens, jobs, the economy and the global competitiveness of the U.S. airline industry.?
A4A recently launched a campaign calling on the Department of Homeland Security to drop its plan to provide preclearance U.S. national security services at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Joining A4A in this national call to action are the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Airports Council International ? North America (ACI-NA), Consumer Travel Alliance, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), and the Regional Airline Association (RAA). The campaign?s website www.DrawtheLineHere.com invites Americans to sign a petition. Hundreds of letters from concerned citizens have already been delivered to the White House and DHS.

ABOUT A4A
Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. America needs a cohesive National Airline Policy that will support the integral role the nation?s airlines play in connecting people and goods globally, spur the nation?s economic growth and create more high-paying jobs.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/airlines-america-commends-bipartisan-effort-152100889.html
 
It appears certain politicians in the US think a US custom facility "way over there" isn't "for sale", especially since no US airlines go there.... Homeland Security will be getting an earful from the Senators I'm sure.

Qatar just offered to build a new ICAO headquarters in Doha, and wanted to move everyone out of the current Montreal headquarters. Luckily the US and Canada refused to participate. I guess everything is not for sale.


Bye Bye---General Lee
 
The ICAO move isn't decided yet.....it could still happen.

They are moving in to try and take everything over.....world domination without firing a shot.
 
Perhaps R.A. should start competing instead of bitching ? Put a 777 on the route to Abu Dhabi and make use of that excellent customs pre-clearance station. We'll see how well Deltas Business Elite compares to a 3 Class Etihad service.
 
Perhaps R.A. should start competing instead of bitching ? Put a 777 on the route to Abu Dhabi and make use of that excellent customs pre-clearance station. We'll see how well Deltas Business Elite compares to a 3 Class Etihad service.

Do you want to go to Abu Dhabi? Not many from the States do. Most of the people going to the different Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, etc) are going there as laborers to help build the massive infrastructure that is going on there, many from Nepal, India, Pakistan, etc. Other than that, most passengers use those cities as transit hubs. So, not too many O&D pax, except Dubai, where DL does have a daily 777 that does fill up. Even UAL doesn't go to Abu Dhabi, rather Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Doha. Zero US pax Carriers, because it's not that popular of an O&D city. Got it yet?


So......... If you want to hitch a ride to a place that has Arizona heat plus Florida humidity in the Summertime, go for it! But Abu Dhabi probably doesn't need this facility.


Bye Bye---General Lee
 
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Perhaps R.A. should start competing instead of bitching ? Put a 777 on the route to Abu Dhabi and make use of that excellent customs pre-clearance station. We'll see how well Deltas Business Elite compares to a 3 Class Etihad service.

Yeah, that makes sense. Compete head to head with a government subsidy....

Stick to being a Sheetstirrer Dicko....route management is not your game.
 
Yeah, that makes sense. Compete head to head with a government subsidy....

Stick to being a Sheetstirrer Dicko....route management is not your game.


Meh ..... Government subsidy versus multiple trips through bankruptcy and the RLA. Each airline is stacking the deck as far and as fast as it can. None play fair, and the crying over this terrible inequity is laughable.

If Delta can't compete with the "Government subsidy" why do they fly to Dubai ? Or is Abu Dhabi special ? Meanwhile, we have geniuses like The General asserting that nobody wants to go to Abu Dhabi. If that's the case, why is Etihad filling 777s to the U.S with some very high yield passengers ?

Write your congressmen Bill. Mr. Anderson is counting on you. It worked with the LGA slot swap deal. Remember ? The deal that resulted in a fleet of RJs flying those routes instead of you.

RA would rather whine and codeshare. He doesn't want to compete with Delta metal, flown by Delta pilots.
 
Meh ..... Government subsidy versus multiple trips through bankruptcy and the RLA. Each airline is stacking the deck as far and as fast as it can. None play fair, and the crying over this terrible inequity is laughable.

If Delta can't compete with the "Government subsidy" why do they fly to Dubai ? Or is Abu Dhabi special ? Meanwhile, we have geniuses like The General asserting that nobody wants to go to Abu Dhabi. If that's the case, why is Etihad filling 777s to the U.S with some very high yield passengers ?

Write your congressmen Bill. Mr. Anderson is counting on you. It worked with the LGA slot swap deal. Remember ? The deal that resulted in a fleet of RJs flying those routes instead of you.

RA would rather whine and codeshare. He doesn't want to compete with Delta metal, flown by Delta pilots.

Dicko,

You aren't a genius. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, but Dubai is the largest city. Etihad does fill 777s to the US from there, but not full of residents from Abu Dhabi, rather connections from places like India, Pakistan, etc. DL wouldn't fill a 777 probably to Abu Dhabi, and they wouldn't connect pax there or continue onto Pakistan. Understand yet? No US airline goes to Abu Dhabi for a reason, not enough O&D pax, yet Homeland Security wants to set up an entry point there. Again, Etihad connects people through there, and they are owned by their Gov't.

Hopefully you can read the above and try to understand. And, DL service is getting better, with new lie flat seats, menus, and inflight entertainment options. Regardless, that doesn't matter to you, which is obvious.


Bye Bye---General Lee
 
I guess everything is not for sale.

Oh sure it is, General, some things are just more expensive than others.

Reminds me of a very old joke. A tourist group is walking through Paris. The guide explains:

-Over there we have women for 300 franks, over there for 500 and over there for 1200.

One of the tourists:

-Don't you have any decent women in Paris?

The guide:

-Oh, oui, monsieur, of course we do, but they cost much, much more.
 
General,

Try to use your powers of decuctive reasoning instead of spewing the company line.

Why are British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and Virgin Australia all flying into Abu Dhabi ? Does Lufthansa pick up local passengers and take them onwards to Pakistan ? The answer is no.

You've been baffled again by R.A. and DALPA. There's no money in flying your own passengers.
 

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