AFA-CWA: It's Time to Stop Illegal Subsidies to Gulf State Airlines

Multi-billion dollar subsidies by the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline have resulted in the "text book" example of an un-level playing field and violate longstanding agreements with the U.S. and other nations.

That's why the three largest U.S.-based international carriers and aviation unions including AFA-CWA, the Air Line Pilots Association, the Allied Pilots Association, the Teamsters, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Transport Workers Union and Southwest Airlines Pilots Association have joined forces and formed the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies. The coalition is calling on the U.S. government to take these concerns up immediately with representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson said these illegal subsidies – more than $42 billion over the past decade – mean Gulf carriers can fly oversized planes that aren't even half full on major international routes. "After ten years of bankruptcies at U.S. airlines, lost pensions, drastic wage cuts and lost jobs, Flight Attendants and other aviation workers will tell you from experience that no airline can operate for long under those conditions without subsidies. Gulf carriers, propped up by their governments, can tip the scales in their favor and crowd American carriers out. That's not just bad news for consumers looking for international options; it is bad news for our economy and the small or mid-sized cities that make it thrive."

Read Nelson's column in the Huffington Post.

A new analysis released by Georgetown University professor Dr. Rob Britton, "Reconsidering the U.S.-UAE Aviation Relationship," found that every time a U.S. airline loses a route to one of these Gulf carriers, a net loss of more than 800 U.S. jobs is the result. "If the U.S. government does nothing about the Gulf states' Open Skies violations, service at all major hub airports will be at risk, and small cities may lose their flights and their connections to other communities," Nelson said.

In a letter to Congress, seven union leaders pointed out that, "Because Qatar and the UAE have banned unions or have severely restricted any right of association, Gulf carrier workers do not have legal rights or say in work conditions or safety standards. These factors are allowing the Gulf carriers to expand precipitously, harming American companies in the process."

They called on Congress to join with the administration to resolve the subsidies issue with the UAE and Qatar.

CWA locals in Detriot wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker about the issue.

Tell the Obama administration to defend U.S. aviation jobs by signing this petition. 

AFA-CWA is the largest Flight Attendant union representing Flight Attendant professionals at 18 airlines.