THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

The Honorable Janice D. Schakowsky 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congresswoman Schakowsky: 

May 7, 2014 

Thank you for your letter regarding the application ofNorwegian Air International Limited 

(NAI) for authority to conduct U.S. services. 

Given that a number of interested parties have filed responsive pleadings to NAI's application 

and this matter is currently pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I 

cannot comment on the merits ofNAI's application. I assure you, however, that we will give full 

and careful consideration to all of the pleadings filed on the record before we reach a 

determination in this matter. 

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket 

DOT -OST -2013-0204, as a contact outside the record of this case. You may track the progress 

of this case and view the publicly available documents filed in the docket by accessing the 

Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov and searching for Docket 

DOT-OST-2013-0204. 

I hope this information is helpful. 

Anthony R. Foxx 
JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY 9TH DISTRICT, ILLINOIS 

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE 

HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT 

COMMIHEE ON INTELLIGENCE 

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The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

-April9, 2014 

2367 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

Telephone: 202-225-2 111 

Fax: 202-226·6890 

TTY: 202-224-3901 

5533 N . BROADWAY, SUITE 2 

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Telephone: 7 7 3-506-7100 

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} 852 JOHNS DRIVE 

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Telephone: 84 7-328-3409 

Fax: 84 7-328·3425 

Re: Application ofNorwegian Air International Limited, Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204 

Dear Secretary Foxx: . 

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the application by Norwegian Air 

International Limited (NAI), currently pending before the Department of Transportation. I 

believe that application, if approved, would seriously undermine the rights of workers and would 

set a dangerous precedent by allowing corporations to outsource operations to countries with 

weak labor protections. 

According to the Department of Transportation's notice of applications, (Federal 

Register, Volume 78, Number 243, Pages 76701-02), NAI has applied for exemption authority 

and for a foreign air carrier permit. The airline is seeking an operating license from Ireland in 

order to avoid the requirements of Norwegian labor law. That license would allow outsourcing 

of airline crew beyond the EU, and it is my understanding that NAI plans to "rent" pilots from a 

Southeast Asian employment company to allow the airline to avioid meeting higher Norwegian 

standards for wages and working conditions. 

Approval of NAI's application would allow it to adopt a business model that would 

undermine fair wages, working conditions and respect for workers' rights. Approval would not 

only affect the workers at NAI but would put airlines that follow their country's labor laws at a 

severe competitive disadvantage. It would set off a race to the bottom by encouraging 

corporations to hire workers in countries that allow low wages and benefits. It would result in 

the loss of jobs that provide good wages and benefits - eroding the middle class at a time when 

we are desperately trying to strengthen and expand it. 

As a long-time proponent of workers' rights and a member of Congress who represents 

many airline workers, I urge you to reject NAI's application. Approval would send a signal that 

efforts to undermine labor law and to outsource jobs to countries with the lowest wages are 

acceptable, and that is clearly not in the workers' or the public interest. 

510-140414-028 sky.house.gov PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER 

·· 

E·MAIL: jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov 
The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

April 9, 2014 

Page 2 

Thank you for your attention. 

s 1 0-140414-028 

Sincerely, 

Schakowsky 

ember of Congress 
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-1309 

PUBLIC DOCUMENT 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS 

1 .. S10-140414-028 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

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