Cabotage. Can PAC stop it?
Dear fellow ALPA members,
After announcing more than $162 billion worth of widebody aircraft orders at the Dubai Air Show last week, Emirates Chairman Sheikh Al Maktoum and Etihad CEO James Hogan were both asked if they believed U.S. and European governments would allow their airlines access to airports on a scale large enough to accommodate so many aircraft. Hogan was somewhat measured saying ?the economic impact of well over $100 billion in new aircraft orders clearly far outweighs any perceived negative impact on U.S. airlines operating internationally.? Al Maktoum was more direct: ?We are buying a product from their countries. So why would they not allow us to fly to these airports? If they don?t, they can take their planes back.? In as many words, these men admitted that their carriers are attempting to secure support from our government by hinting at economic repercussions if they don?t get their way. I hope you?ll join me in standing up against this blatant threat to our industry and our careers.
The 150 B-777s and 50 A380s Emirates ordered last week are capable of carrying more than 80,000 passengers and 1.3 million cubic feet of belly cargo at a time. By the time all of the aircraft Emirates currently has on order arrive, they will be the largest airline in the world several times over. That huge amount of excess capacity will need to land somewhere and the United States, as the largest and most lucrative airline market on the planet, will be their principal target.
As Al Maktoum?s comment makes clear, these carriers are relying on our government to tip the playing field in their favor. Emirates is already one of the top customers at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, where it receives very large subsidies from our government to purchase planes like the ones noted above. Currently, they are also trying to convince the Department of Transportation to allow them to fly individuals whose travel is being paid for by the U.S. government ? a move that runs completely counter to the Fly America Act. Not to be outdone, Etihad is still pushing forward on a new Customs and Border Patrol pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi, where no U.S. carriers fly. Over the next ten years, these airlines will be reaching out to our government time and again and asking for support as they invade our routes, undermine our industry, and weaken our profession; ALPA and ALPA-PAC are working to ensure those requests are denied.
This direct and aggressive attack on our careers cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. We are facing an avalanche of money from these carriers and we have to be able to fight back. Our unity in purpose and a fully funded ALPA-PAC are our greatest weapons in countering this very real threat; I hope I can count on your support for the PAC and your advocacy as we battle to ensure our industry stays strong and our careers secure for decades to come.
President
Air Line Pilots Association, International
Dear fellow ALPA members,
After announcing more than $162 billion worth of widebody aircraft orders at the Dubai Air Show last week, Emirates Chairman Sheikh Al Maktoum and Etihad CEO James Hogan were both asked if they believed U.S. and European governments would allow their airlines access to airports on a scale large enough to accommodate so many aircraft. Hogan was somewhat measured saying ?the economic impact of well over $100 billion in new aircraft orders clearly far outweighs any perceived negative impact on U.S. airlines operating internationally.? Al Maktoum was more direct: ?We are buying a product from their countries. So why would they not allow us to fly to these airports? If they don?t, they can take their planes back.? In as many words, these men admitted that their carriers are attempting to secure support from our government by hinting at economic repercussions if they don?t get their way. I hope you?ll join me in standing up against this blatant threat to our industry and our careers.
The 150 B-777s and 50 A380s Emirates ordered last week are capable of carrying more than 80,000 passengers and 1.3 million cubic feet of belly cargo at a time. By the time all of the aircraft Emirates currently has on order arrive, they will be the largest airline in the world several times over. That huge amount of excess capacity will need to land somewhere and the United States, as the largest and most lucrative airline market on the planet, will be their principal target.
As Al Maktoum?s comment makes clear, these carriers are relying on our government to tip the playing field in their favor. Emirates is already one of the top customers at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, where it receives very large subsidies from our government to purchase planes like the ones noted above. Currently, they are also trying to convince the Department of Transportation to allow them to fly individuals whose travel is being paid for by the U.S. government ? a move that runs completely counter to the Fly America Act. Not to be outdone, Etihad is still pushing forward on a new Customs and Border Patrol pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi, where no U.S. carriers fly. Over the next ten years, these airlines will be reaching out to our government time and again and asking for support as they invade our routes, undermine our industry, and weaken our profession; ALPA and ALPA-PAC are working to ensure those requests are denied.
This direct and aggressive attack on our careers cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. We are facing an avalanche of money from these carriers and we have to be able to fight back. Our unity in purpose and a fully funded ALPA-PAC are our greatest weapons in countering this very real threat; I hope I can count on your support for the PAC and your advocacy as we battle to ensure our industry stays strong and our careers secure for decades to come.
President
Air Line Pilots Association, International
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