THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D

. C

. 20590

The Honorable Michae l H

. Michaud U.S. Hou se of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman M ichaud: Ap ril 03, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding the app lication ofNorwegian Air International Limited (NAI) for authority to conduct U.S. services. Given that a number of intere s ted parti es have filed responsive p leadings to NA I 's appl ication 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 assu re you, howev er, th at we will give fu ll 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 yo ur letter and my response in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204, as a contact outside the record ofthis case. You may track the progress of this case and view the pub li cly available documents fil ed in the docket by accessing the Federal Docket Management System at www .regul ation s .gov a nd searchin g for Docket DOT-OST-20 13-0204

. I hope thi s information is helpful. Sincerely ,

Anthony R. FoxxMICHAEL H

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The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary U.S. Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary Foxx: February 6, 2014 P uBLIC B urLO:·.us Atm E MERGENCY**EtNIRON\'E ~T** 

I write to express concerns with Norwegian Air International Limited's (NAI) application for a foreign air carrier permit. As you know , approval ofthe permit would allow NAI to provide commercial air service to and from the United States. The Department ofTransportation (DOT) is tasked with evaluating the airline's competitive position to ensure equality with U.S. air carriers and determining whether such service would be in the public interest. I am concerned that NAI's application seeks to undercut employment laws and gain an unfair advantage over U.S. carriers. It is my understanding that, despite lacking operations in Ireland, NAI intends to operate as an Irish airline in order to circumvent Norway's labor laws. Doing so will allow the airline to outsource pilots and flight crews tlu·ough a Southeast Asia-based company governed by Singapore law. This aiTangement would allow Singapore ' s inferior wage requirements and working condition standards to apply to NAI's flight crews. Not only would NAI's operating model put U.S. carriers, and their employees, at a competitive disadvantage, it could also jeopardize safety. Without operations through Ireland, it is unclear how the Irish Aviation Authority will provide adequate safety oversight to NAI. It appears as though NAI's intention is to exploit intemationallegal and regulatory loopholes in order to gain an unfair competitive advantage over U.S. airlines. Approval ofNAI's application would jeopardize American jobs, safety, and I do not believe it is in the public interest. I respectfully request that DOT fully consider these factors as it reviews NAI's foreign air carrier permit application. Thank you for your attention to this request and I look forward to working with you on this important matter.

BANGOR ; 6 S TATE ST REET

. S U IT E 1 01 B A

NGOR, M E 04 4 0 1 P Ho,. E: (207) 942
- 6935

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- 5907 Sincerely,

Michael H. Michaud Member of Congress

LEWISTON : 1 79 L ISOO ll ST REET , G RO UN D FL OO R**~STO N,**  M E 0 4 240 P HON E: (207) 782-3704

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