The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx 

Secretary of Transportation 

US Departsnent of Transportation 

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 

Secretary of State Kerry & Secretary of Transportation Foxx, 

As the Obama Administration reviews the evidence provided by the U.S. airlines of the 

massive government subsidies received by state-owned carriers from the Persian Gulf, we 

write to urge you to begin Open Skies consultations with Qatar and the United Arab 

Emirates and freeze all new routes from their respective government-owned airlines 

while consultations are taking place. There is much at stake for the U. S. airline industry, 

the state of Michigan, and the nation for the Administration given the unfair competition 

being waged by Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline against our carriers. 

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have thoroughly documented the 

more than $42 billion in subsidies and other unfair government benefits that have been 

funneled to the Gulf carriers over the last decade. The subsidies funneled by Qatar and 

the UAE to their state-owned airlines are in clear violation of our Open Skies policy, and 

the amount is likely much higher, when considering subsidies provided before and after 

the 2004-2014 timeframe. 

The airline industry is critical to the nation's economy: It drives nearly $1.5 trillion in 

U.S. economic activity, it directly employs 580,000 Americans, and it supports more than 

11 million jobs nationwide. Delta Air Lines alone employs more than 7,500 people at 

Detroit Metropolitan Airport and generates over $210 million in annual tax revenue. The 

commercial airline industry as a whole provides an estimated economic impact on our 

state of $17.6 billion. 
If Delta and the other major U.S. carriers are forced to cut back on international routes 

due to the unfair competition, cities with major airports like Detroit and throughout 

Michigan will feel the pain. As U.S. airlines are then forced to also trim domestic routes, 

the pain will spread to cities and towns with small and mid-sized airports. Given that 

every daily internafional roundtrip flight lost by U.S. airlines equates to more than 800 

U.S. jobs lost, we know that the pain would be severe. Delta and its regional carrier 

Delta Connection employ 10,000 people statewide in Michigan. We want that number to 

rise, not drop, in the years to come but the Gulf carriers' rapid, subsidy-fueled expansion 

into the U.S. market — an expansion that is not creating any new passenger demand or 

stimulating U.S. tourism — is threatening airline industry jobs here in Michigan and 

across the U.S. 

The Open Skies agreements that Qatar and the UAE signed with us give you the right to 

call for consultations and hold off on any new routes from their airlines. On behalf of 

those we represent, we ask the Administration exercise that right and address the Gulf 

airlines' massive and unfair subsidies. 

Sincerely, 

~ 

Arlan Meekho 

Senate Majority Leader 

Michigan Senate 

Kevin Cotter 

Speaker of the House 

Michigan House of Representatives 

Tim Greimel 

Democratic Leader Democratic Leader 

an Senate Michigan House of Representatives