THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

The Honorable Adam Smith 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Smith: 

May 21,2014 

Thank you for your letter regarding the application ofNorwegian Air International Limited 

(NAI) for authority to conduct U.S. services. 

Given that a number of interested parties have filed responsive pleadings to NAI's application 

and this matter is currently pending before the Department, I an1 sure you understand that I 

cannot comment on the merits ofNAI's application. I assure you, however, that we will give full 

and careful consideration to all of the pleadings fi led on the record before we reach a 

determination in this matter. 

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket 

DOT -OST -2013-0204, as a contact outside the record of this case. You may track the progress 

of this case and view the publicly available documents filed in the docket by accessing the 

Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov and searching for Docket 

DOT -OST -201 3-0204. 

I hope this information is helpful. 

Anthony R. Foxx 
ADAM SMITH 

9TH DISTRICT, WASHINGTON 

2264 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515 

(202} 225-8901 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

RANKING MEMBER 

(!Congress of tbe 1intteb ~tates 

j!)ouge of l\epregentatibeg 

~nsbington, tBCC 20515-4709 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Secretary Foxx: 

April 11, 2014 

DISTRICT OFFICE 

15 SOUTH GRADY WAY, SUITE 101 

RENTON. WA 98057 

(425} 793-5180 

TOLL FREE 1-888-SMITH09 

http://adamsmith.house.gov 

http://twitter.com/Rep_Adam_Smith 

https:/lwww.facebook.com/RepAdamSmith 

I write to express my concern with the application for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit filed by 

Norwegian Air International Limited (NAI) with the U.S. Department ofTransportation. NAI's 

application to operate in the United States as a foreign air carrier of Ireland, under the Open 

Skies Agreement, is of concern due to the impact that their proposed hiring practices could have 

on the U.S. workforce. 

NAI reportedly plans to outsource their employees by using staffing agencies in foreign 

countries. I am deeply concerned that this new business model could initiate the decline of wages 

and working conditions in the U.S by setting up individual employment contracts that could 

undennine employees' ability to bargain collectively. Should other carriers choose to follow 

NAI's example, it could very likely hamper some of the fair and equal competition opp01tunities 

that the Open Skies Agreement was meant to facilitate. 

I appreciate the thoughtful process through which DOT is considering NAT's application and ask 

that you review pertinent staffing information in your review of their application. I also ask that 

you take my concerns regarding the impact on the U.S. workforce into consideration during your 

review. Thank you for your attention to my letter. 

Siner y, 2J! 

ADAM SMITH 

Member of Congress 

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