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The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx Secretary ofTransportation US Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Washington , DC 20590
The Honorable John F. Kerry Secretary of State US Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington , DC 20520
The Honorable Penny Pritzker Secretary of Commerce US Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20230 May II , 2015

Dear Secretary Foxx, Secretary Kerry and Secretary Pritzker:
I am writing to bring your attention to the actions of the governn1ents of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which threaten the environment of health y and fair competition between airlines established by Open Skies policy. In direct violation of the bilateral Open Skies agreements signed between the U.S. and the two Gulf States, Qatar and the UAE provided te ns of billions of dollars in unfair financial support to three government-owned airlines , severely di storting the international market and giving them a tremendous advantage over their U.S. competitors.
As Mayor of Charleston , home to a major U.S. airport that supports thousands of jobs in my city and the surrounding area, I am deepl y concerned about the deterioration of Open Skies policy which has brought innumerable benefits to air travel and the American economy. Without action by the U.S. governn1ent, Qatar and the UAE will continue to funnel billions of dollars' worth of subsidies and other unfair forms of financial s upport into three state-owned carriers, Qatar Airways , Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline

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### Secretary Foxx, Secretary Kerry and Secretary Pritzker May 11. 2015: Page Two

Over the past ten years, the three Gulf carriers have collectively received at least $42 billion from their host governments. This has allowed them to dramatically expand their fleets and lower their fares below what their competitors can match, forcing U.S. carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to shut down previously profitable international routes. If allowed to continue, this will lead to the disappearance of a substantial number of high quality U.S. jobs. In fact, airline experts estimate that every international roundtrip flight lost by a U.S. airline results in a net loss of 821 U.S. jobs. These are losses we cannot afford.
Please support Open Skies policy by opening consultations with the governments of Qatar and the UAE, as provided in the Open Skies agreements themselves, to discuss these troubling developments. Additionally, the U.S. government should request a freeze on new capacity from the Gulf carriers to the U.S. while the negotiati ns go forward.

JPRjr/mc



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The Honorable Anthony R

. Foxx Secretary of Transportation US Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Ave SE Washington , DC 20590

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