Three biggest U.S. airlines face off with Gulf carriers again

The unfair government subsidies to leading Middle East carriers have once again come into focus with three biggest U.S. airlines up in arms after a lull for several months.

The chiefs of U.S. carriers such as American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are determined to reviving their stalled complaint and meet with top federal government officials. The allegation has been that Middle East airlines like Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are being unnecessarily favored over three U.S. biggies with the grant of government subsidies. The chiefs of U.S. carriers have been prompted with the change in government in the country and the threat being posed by Emirates Airline, which recently announced that it is planning to launch new flights between Athens and Newark Liberty. Such a move would seen as Emirates Airline completely bypassing the United Arab Emirates, its home nation.

It may be recalled that American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines had earlier leveled serious allegations that Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways had received billions of dollars in subsidies from the previous U.S. governments, which prompted them to offer below-market fares thus openly violating the so-called open-skies treaties. The Middle East carriers had however denied the charges saying that they haven’t received subsidies, but on the contrary had some smaller U.S. carriers including JetBlue Airways as their allies.

Media reports recently said that the three U.S. carriers have now decided to seek a meeting with the top federal government officials and request that negotiations should once again open over the issue with Middle East carriers as well as their respective governments.

Emirates Airline had earlier launched flights to New York from Milan in 2013, but decided not to add more flights after the U.S. carriers strongly protested raising their subsidy claims allegation. The chiefs of the three U.S. airlines have expressed their concern that if Middle East carriers are allowed to launch more such flights then this would pose a severe threat to them and curtail their earnings.