Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts 

May 11 , 2015 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

The Honorable John Kerry 

Secretary of State 

U.S. Department of State 

220 I C St., NW 

Washington, DC 20520 

Dear Secretaries Foxx, Kerry and Pritzker: 

The Honorable Penny Pritzker 

Secretary of Commerce 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

1401 Constitution Ave., NW 

Washington, D.C. 20230 

Decades ago, Texans had the foresight to invest in building the infrastructure necessary to sustain a 

highly successful Aerospace and Aviation Industry. Today, that industry directly employs more than 

150,000 of our residents and plays a significant role in the state's economy, particularly in North Texas 

and the Gulf Coast. 

As the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, I have a keen interest in making sure Texas is a place 

where businesses can continue to thrive and contribute to the nation's economy. Consequently, you can 

imagine my concern when I learned of our U.S. caiTiers being disadvant2.ged in the international 

marketplace by benefits being bestowed upon the state-owned airlines of Qatar and the United Arab 

Emirates. 

As you know, U.S. Open Skies policy is in place to ensure fairness in competition between global 

airlines for routes and passengers and excludes governments from providing excessive subsidies to 

their carriers. In the period since Qatar and UAE signed Open Skies agreements 10 years ago, the 

Persian Gulf governn1ents have reportedly supplied their airlines with more than $40 billion in 

subsidies and other benefits, including loans the carriers are under no obligation to repay. 

Provided a level playing field, I am convinced our airlines can compete with any airline in the world. I 

have also been assured that our domestic carriers support fair and equitable Open Skies policy. I also 

believe it is the responsibility of our U.S. government to ensure the Open Skies agreements signed with 

other countries are upheld. 

As such, I am calling on you today to take action to remedy this inequitable and unsustainable 

situation. Specifically, I an1 asking that the Obama Administra~ion request that Qatar and UAE open 

discussions over their Open Si<ies agreements and cease their subsidies without delay. 

For U.S. airlines, the issue at stake is one of simple fairness in competition. Communities across the 

country are concerned about the impact these state-airline subsidies will have on their local economies. 

In fact, it is estimated that for every international roundtrip flight that is forgone or lost by a domestic 

airline, an average net loss of more than 800 American jobs is lost with them. 

Comptroller.Texas.Gov 512· 463·4444 

P.O. Bo·x 13528 Toll Free: 1· 800·531·5441 ext: 3·4444 

Fax: 512·463· 4902 
May 11,2015 

Page Two 

In Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) serve as 

the number one hubs for American Airlines and United Airlines. These important airports are in direct 

danger of losing jobs. Additionally, the more than two dozen Texas airports that feed those airportsas well as airports across the country- will all suffer as a result of jobs lost due to unfair competition. 

It's time to ensure U.S. Open Skies agreements are doing the job they were created to do - provide a 

level playing field to allow competition to flourish. I'm hopeful you agree and look forward to the U.S. 

government taking action to remedy the market-distorting subsidies provided by Qatar and UAE to 

their airlines. 

Glenn Hegar 

cc: The Honorable John Cornyn, Senator, State of Texas 

The Honorable Ted Cruz, Senator, State of Texas 

The Honorable Brian Babin, Congressman, 36th District of Texas 

The Honorable Kevin Brady, Congressman, 8th District of Texas 

The Honorable John Culberson, Congressman, 7th District ofTexas 

The Honorable Blake Farenthold, Congressman, 27th District ofTexas 

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman, 18th District of Texas 

The Honorable Michael McCaul, Congressman, 1Oth District of Texas 

The Honorable Pete Olson, Congressman, 22nd District of Texas 

The Honorable Randy Weber, Congressman, 14th District ofTexas 
GlennHegar Tezaa Comptroller of Public Accounts 

P.O. Box 13528 Austin, TX 78711 ·3528 

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The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

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