However, again just as in manufacturing industries, the aviation industry includes alliances that are formed or sustained for sound business reasons, quite apart from regulatory barriers. Alliances can provide companies access to new markets relatively quickly and with relatively little investment. Just as in other sectors, alliances in the aviation industry may be fairly short-lived, as partners disagree over strategy, fear they are on the short end of the bargain, or determine they have learned enough about the market to invest their own resources. But the point is that, in the midst of the uncertainty that. comes with significant market change, alliances can be a rational business response. First, any agreement we conclude must move us closer toward the goal of an international aviation system in which decisions on routes and rates are determined in the market, not by government regulation, which in effect allocates economic rents.
Open skies is the optimal form of agreement.
Indeed, in our view, it is the emerging norm in the world, which we strongly support. Second, within reasonable limits we are prepared to be flexible on how we reach an open skies outcome in any given relationship. Experience shows that we can find ways to accommodate concerns of our partners during a modest transitional period, to the long-term benefit of both consumers and carriers. Third, as we have said previously, we are prepared to negotiate liberal agreements with those few trading partners with which our aviation relationships lag well behind those generally prevailing, if those agreements would significantly advance our interests. However, in any agreement other than the immediate achievement of open skies, we will take care to avoid an equilibrium situation that removes the incentive for our partner to proceed toward complete liberalization.