Ms. Laura R. Glading President THE SECRETAR Y OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON , D

. C

. 2 0590 May 7, 201 4

Association of Professional Fli ght Attendants 1004 West E ul ess Boulevard Eul ess, TX 76040 Dear Ms. Glading: Thank yo u for your l etter regarding t h e ap pli cati on ofNorwegian Air International Limited (NA I) for autho ri ty to co nduct U .S. serv ices. Given that a number of interes ted parties have fi led respo n s ive p lead in gs to NA I 's app li cation and this matter is currently pend in g before the Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the merits ofNAI's app lication. I assure you, however, that we wi ll give f ull and careful cons ideratio n to a ll of the plead ings filed on the rec ord before we reach a determination in th is matter. As is our s tan dard practice , I am placing a copy of yo ur letter and my response in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204, as a co ntac t outs ide the record ofthi s case . You may track the progress of this case and view the publicly avai lab le documents fi led in the docket by accessing the Federal Docket Management System at www.reg ulati ons.gov and searchin g for D ocket DOT-O ST-20 1 3 -0 204. I hop e thi s inform ati o n i s he lpful.

An th ony R. Foxx

### Association of Professional Flight Attendants Proudly Representing the Flight Attendants of American Airlines

April 2, 2014

The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary US Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary Foxx: Office of the President

I write to you on behalf of the hard-working Flight Attendants ofAmerican Airlines, ofwhich there will be over 24 , 000 following the completion of our company ' s merger with US Airways. After years of turmoil in our industry , my colleagues and I are looking forward to our company ' s new and enhanced ability to compete globally. Unfortunately though , we are barely out of the starting gate and already an unscrupulous foreign carrier is trying to undercut us. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants urges you , in the strongest possible terms , to deny Norwegian Air International Limited ' s (NAI) application for an exemption and foreign air carrier permit. NAT's parent company is engaged in an obvious ploy to circumvent the long-established agreements between the United States and the European Union. In particular, Article 17 bis of the Open Skies Agreement states that " the opportunities created by the Agreement are not intended to undermine labour-related rights and principles contained in the Parties ' respective laws. " It is clear that by operating as an Irish airline , despite having no intention to fly any routes to or from Ireland , NAI is attempting to skirt the labor laws of its home country. By contracting with Southeast Asian staffing companies , NAI is further attempting to undercut the wages and working conditions of its flight crews . As such , NAI's business strategy violates both the letter and the spirit ofthe US-EU Open Skies Agreement. There is a pressing public interest in NAI's application for an exemption and foreign air carrier permit. US air carriers , and the hundreds of thousands of Americans they employ, continue to



# s 10-140408 -032 1004 West Euless Blvd. • Euless, Texas 76040 Tel: (817) 540-0108 •Fax : (817) 540- 2077The Honorable Anthony Foxx April 2, 2014 Page2 struggle to compete with foreign carriers that are propped up by their home governments. Adding a transatlantic airline that refuses to fairly compensate its employees to the market will further weaken all American carriers. For the Flight Attendants of American Airlines, the NAI model is offensive and unacceptable. Please consider our membership when making a determination on NAI ' s application. Thank you.

ura Glading President Association ofProfessional Flight Attendants



# s 10-140408 - 032Association of Profe ss ional Flight Attendants l'nJ/t•ssi onal Flight Attcutlnm s of

A m cri a m Airlinr s 1004 Wesc Euless Blvd

Eul ess. T exas 76040 Addr ess Service Requeste d



# s 10-140408-032 

### The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary US Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Washington, DC 20590 US

. POSTAGE))PITNEY BOWES**~-'** ..:::-



# _ __. 

# -- ZIP 76040 

## $ 

## 000 48° 02 1V'i • 0001372646APR 02 2014