CBP Facility to be Opened in Abu Dhabi

[Furloughed80]

Still don't think ME carriers are a threat?

April 16, 2013
Fellow ALPA Pilots,
A few weeks ago I wrote to you about our significant ongoing efforts in working with Congress to prohibit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security?s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from establishing a CBP preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We knew that our work could easily be undone if we didn?t move swiftly and strategically to ensure our victory. As we continued to climb this steep hill, we learned that the administration is nevertheless moving forward with this misguided plan. How does the administration defy the clear intent of Congress? Well, this is Washington. This is hardball. And when you have an efficient and well-funded government like the UAE, almost nothing is impossible.
Today, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi is in Washington, D.C., to meet with the president of the United States. On the agenda: the development of the Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility. If that isn?t enough, the facility will be paid for with a mix of U.S. taxpayer dollars and funds from the UAE under a vague fee-reimbursement program. Talk about a stretch.
The administration claims they are proceeding with the facility in the interest of ?national security.? The United States is ?pushing out its borders,? they said to us. What does this mean for us? Once again, sound aviation policy is traded away for something else?in this case, giving an allied nation in the Gulf a significant economic boost to their state-owned airline.
We?ve seen this trade-off playbook before with the continued tax burden imposed on U.S. airlines and wide-body aircraft financing at favorable rates to our competitors by the Export-Import Bank. The establishment of a preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi is one more action that puts U.S. airlines at a disadvantage to its international competitors.
ALPA, individual airlines, Airlines for America, Regional Airlines for America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO?s Transportation Trades Department, Airports Council International-North America, the Global Business Travel Association, and Consumer Travel Alliance have all spoken out?with one voice?in opposition to the Abu Dhabi preclearance facility.
To all of us, the concept of building a facility and staffing it with U.S. workers in a foreign country where no U.S. airline flies is baffling. However, the visit by the crown prince indicates that this concept is one step closer to becoming reality.
Your union is not giving up on this fight. We should not hand one of the fastest-growing international airlines in the world, Etihad Airways, the ability to offer its passengers the convenience of clearing U.S. Customs and Immigration while still in the UAE. This gives them a significant competitive advantage over U.S. airlines in attracting customers seeking to fly from Asia or the Middle East to the United States. And, if the administration is ultimately successful in opening this facility in Abu Dhabi, we can anticipate them doing the same in Dubai, Qatar, Jordan, and other major Middle Eastern allied nations as well.
We need every ALPA member to step up and help us in our fight. Here are three actions you can take right now:
If you haven?t already, please join ALPA?s Call to Action opposing the administration?s CBP preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi and leave no doubt that this must be stopped.
Support ALPA-PAC, one of our best tools to help halt this misguided plan on Capitol Hill, where we must take and win this fight.
Visit www.DrawTheLineHere.com to sign a petition urging the White House to end the Abu Dhabi preclearance facility plan. Forward the petition to your family and friends to get them involved.
I will keep you informed of this situation and our efforts as the days and weeks unfold. We will continue to focus on what is best for our airlines and our jobs.
Respectfully,

Capt. Lee Moak

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

www.DRAWTHELINEHERE.com to fight this mess.

 

[Furloughed80]

www.DrawTheLineHere.com

 

[redflyer65]

What are the pros vs. cons here?

I know we have pre-clearance in plenty of other cities as well. Let me hear the arguements..

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

Red,

Basically the US Government will primarily fund the construction of this facility and we have NO US carriers serving Abu Dhabi.

Meaning, the Middle East carriers will start plowing passengers into our cities from the pre-clearance facility and that gives them an advantage. Singapore-AbuDhabi-New York means they just preclear and have unfettered access. With lots of A380's coming, they can fly to every major city in North America.

Besides the security argument, why should the US Government buy the Emirates who are fat rich anything? They just bought a Lambo for a police car for Allahs sake.

This stinks of payback for the black ops prisons and interrogations and basing of our extra Flattop jets over the past 15 years.

 

[Varmint]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/w...y-has-beachhead-at-foreign-airports.html?_r=0

Sounds like the US government has also been pushing for pre-clearance of passengers from the middle east in the name of security.

Who is going to win....a bunch of whinny pilots or something that the US government is going to claim is being done in the name of national security.

 

[Golden Falcon]

ALPA has other worries, why go after this??? whose fault is it that US carriers dont fly here??

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

You'll wondering where did my job go when they try to use their money and influence and break down the Cabotage laws and start flying ORD-MIA or even (gasp) Lubbock to Hobby.

This is a threat to us all with low wages, no real work rules, no seniority....that's the way the Middle East Carriers roll.

Lahood spoke at a dinner for the American Arab league last night, so I ask you, who do they work for?

I'd rather be a "whiny" pilot than take this one lying down.

 

[BoilerUP]

Any compelling reason US carriers can't switch from DXB to AUH to take advantage of the CBP pre-screening?

The only current US markets served by Etihad from AUH are ORD and JFK, while Emirates, United & Delta serve DXB to a number of US cities. So why AUH for the CBP facility and not DXB?

 

[Dornier 335]

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