Airlines From U.S., Middle East Reach Resolution On Government Subsidies

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 - 2:27pm
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A decade-long dispute between the top three airlines in the United States — American, Delta and United — and the top three Persian Gulf carriers appears to have reached a resolution. But who came out on top remains up for interpretation.

For years U.S. airline executives and their labor unions have said that Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines compete unfairly in some routes because they receive what amount to subsidies from their governments. Now Americans for Fair Skies and the Fair and Open Skies Group are praising President Donald Trump for protecting U.S. airlines from those unfair practices.

But, the United Arab Emirates is interpreting the deal differently — and both sides are claiming victory. For more on where the truth lies, The Show talked with Robert Mann, who runs the airline industry analysis firm R.W. Mann and Company Incorporated and is a former airline executive.

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