LAS VEGASDepartmentofAviation________ROSEMARYAVASSILIADIS=DIRECrtDRPOSTALSOX11005_________LASVEGAS,NEVADA69111-1005/______(702]261-5211FAXt702)597-9553McCARRANINTERNATIONALAIRPORTMay20,2015TheHonorableAnthonyFoxxSecretaryofTransportationU.S.DepartmentofTransportation1200NewJerseyAvenue,SEWashington,DC20590DocketNo.DOT-OST-2015-0082TheHonorablePennyS.PritzkerSecretaryofCommerceU.S.DepartmentofCommerce1401ConstitutionAvenue,NWWashington,DC20230DocketNo.DOC-2015-0001TheHonorableJohnF.KerrySecretaryofStateU.S.DepartmentofState2201CStreet,NWWashington,DC20520DocketNo.DOS-2015-OO]6DearSecretaryFoxx,SecretaryPritzkerandSecretaryKerry:AsDirectoroftheClarkCountyDepartmentofAviation,whichoperatesLasVegasMcCarranInternationalAirport,IwriteinsupportofmaintainingthecurrentOpenSkiesagreementswiththeUnitedArabEmiratesandQatar.LasVegasMcCarranInternationalAirportisopposedtotheproposalbyseveralU.S.airlinestofreezethecapacityoftheMiddleEasterncarriers,essentiallyabrogatingtheOpenSkiesagreementswiththeUnitedArabEmiratesandQatarundertheguiseofproposing“consultations”undertheagreements.AlthoughLasVegasdoesnotpresentlyhaveservicefromtheMiddleEasterncarriers,IhaveseenfirsthandhowinternationaltravelandtourismhaveplayedavitalroleintheeconomicrecoveryinSouthernNevada.ThisisdirectlyattributabletotheOpenSkiespolicies,whichallowedforeignaircarrierstobringmorethan3.3millionvisitorsdirectlytoLasVegaslastyear.Overthepastsixyears,theprincipalgrowthinourairserviceatLasVegasMcCarranInternationalAirporthasbeenprovidedbyinternationalaircarriers—nearly60percent,comparedto2.75percentgrowthbydomesticcarriers.ManyforeignflagcarriersservedLasVegasbecauseoftheOpenSkiespoliciesthatpreventdomesticcarriersfromcontrollingwhichcommunitiesgetdirectservicefromoverseas.Wecurrentlyhavenonstopservicefrom28differentinternationalcitiesinNorthAmerica,CentralAmerica,AsiaandEurope.Noneofthisdirectinternationalserviceisprovidedbythedomesticcarriers.ClarkCountyBoardofCommissionersS.solnk.Clmirrnan•LrnjBrown,VreCharmanSusonBrwjer•TornCollins•ChrisGIunrhigliosl•MoryBeth&ow•LawrenreWeeklySecretaryFoxx,SecretaryPritzker,andSecretaryKerryOpenSkiesMay20,2015Page2Foryears,thedomesticcarriersexercisedundoinfluenceofgovernmentdecisionsregardingwhichcitiesreceivednonstopairservice.Thedomesticcarriersallowtheirhub-and-spokesystemtodictateinternationalroutes.TheC]arkCountyDepartmentofAviationwasafoundingmemberofU.S.AirportsBetterInternationalAirService(USABIAS)combiningwithotherunderservedcommunitiestoadvocateforanewapproachtobilateralnegotiationsofairservice.OpenSkiesistheproductoftheseefforts.Since1992,theU.S.hasnegotiated114OpenSkiesagreementswithothernations,includingmostofourforeignaviationpartners.OpenSkieshasreducedgovernmentregulation,fosteredcompetition,expandedinternationalairservicetoandfromtheUnitedStatesandexpandedtheinternationalaviationmarkettoU.S.citiesdomesticcarriersrefusetodirectlyconnecttoforeignmarkets,includingLasVegas.TheseagreementswereoriginalLynegotiatedwiththefullsupportofmajorU.S.internationalcarriers,includingbothpassengerandcargooperators.InternationalservicehasprovidedsignificanteconomicbenefitstoLasVegasandthecontinuationofOpenSkiespolicies,withouttheuncompetitiveinterferencefromthedomesticcarriers,isfundamentaltoournationalgoalofattracting100millionvisitorsby2021—agoalthatwilladdbillionsofdollarstooureconomyandgeneratemillionsofnewjobs.OpenSkiesfosterscompetitionandcompetitionworks.Airfaresareonaverage32percentloweronroutessubjecttoOpenSkiesagreementsthanonroutesthatareregulated.NewentrantsintotheAmericanmarket,includingairlineslikeEmirates,Etihad,andQatarAirways,willincreaseinternationaltraveltotheUnitedStatesandgrowtheeconomiesofthecommunitiestheyserve,aswellasournationaleconomy.Sincetheemploymentrecoverybegan,thetravelindustryhasadded$70,000jobs,33percentfasterthantherestoftheeconomy.Travelisournation’stopindustryexport,accountingfor10percentofallU.S.exports,witharecord75millioninternationalvisitorscomingtoourcountryin2014.Travelersgenerate$2.1trillioninGDPeachyear,supportingalmost15millionAmericanjobs.PoliciesthatfosterthegrowthoftraveltoandwithintheUnitedStatesaregoodforoureconomyandourcountry.Robust,vibrantcompetitionisgoodfortravelersandforthetravelindustryasawhole.SuspendingcapacityexpansionfortheseinternationalcarriersbysuspendingourOpenSkiespoliciesunderminestheAdministration’sNationalTravelandTourismStrategy.In2013,thethreeGulfcarriersbrought140,600internationalvisitorstotheU.S.Thesevisitorsspentnearly$1billionhere,whichgeneratedmorethan$2billionineconomicoutputandsupportedmorethan15,000Americanjobs.IftheU.S.governmentweretofreezetheGulfcarriers’frequencies,assomeU.S.carriershaverequested,thiswoulddamagethesuccessoftheOpenSkiesagreementsandsendawrongsignaltoourtradingpartners,jeopardizingtheentireOpenSkiesframework.foralmost25years,OpenSkieshasbeenthefoundationofAmericanpolicyininternationalaviation,apolicybasedonexpandingtravelratherthanregulatingorconstrictingit.OpenSkiesisapolicybasedonthefundamentalbeliefthatmorecompetitionisgoodforconsumersandbringsadditionalvisitorstotheUnitedStates.OpenSkieshasstimulatedinternationaltravelandmustbecontinuedwithoutinterferencebythedomesticcarriers.IurgeyoutoopposerequestfromtheU.S.carriersandreaffirmthecurrentOpenSkiesagreementswiththeUnitedArabEmiratesandQatar.ClarkCountyBoardofCommissioners5tSioIk.Ch..krnn•LarryB,o.VIChrnr,,mnSmsnB.-sar•Ton.Collins•ChrisGisnohiglls,.l•Ms,yB.’hSoo•LswrenoWrskly,v,.Sincerely,Aviation