Domestic Air Travel Offers

Just think, overseas carriers are likely to operate in the United States in direct competition with our new flying units. "John Strohm, a Huntsville, Ala based computer scientist, says, "If I could operate Japan Airline or Cathay Pacific on U.S. domestic services at fares similar to those of U.S. carriers, I would buy these fares in one New York minutes.

As soon as other passengers have seen the stunning services that some overseas carriers provide, they often ask themselves: Of course, multinational carriers are active in that particular countries, but they are not allowed to fly point-to-point to domestic flights. This legislation, which is aimed at protecting US citizens and workplaces, has had exactly the opposite effect.

The removal - or at least partial elimination - of obsolete restraints could significantly enhance effective competitive conditions and enhance better after-sales services. The ban on overseas air companies to offer domestic services would have made perfect business a generation ago, when the U.S. aviation sector was strictly controlled by the German federation, observers say. "Competing with overseas airliners and investing in US airliners could quickly enhance air travel services, lower tariffs, lead to new start-up companies and reduce overcrowding," says Paul Hudson, FlyersRights.org CEO.

It states that even if we wanted to allow British Airways or Lufthansa to operate from New York to Chicago, we would still want the EU to allow us to do the same and that would mean renegotiating the contract. There are other obstacles in the way, among them the resistance of the trade unionists who argue that loosening these rules would put US employment at risk, and domestic airline companies who do not want to compete.

They both rightly point out that some airlines are receiving government grants or face lower fiscal and regulation costs, which seems to penalise US airlines. "Avianca, for example, the allegedly Columbian carrier belonging to a Brasilian, offers services between different Spanish towns; and LAN, the Chilean carrier, links several Columbian towns," he says.

"In view of the domestic airlines merger, I think that overseas carriers should be permitted to fly domestic flights," says Harry Kopy, a playwright in Sayreville, N.J. "It could introduce more competitive forces, perhaps reduce the costs of an airfare or even help eliminate some June charges. "A clear consensual picture emerged from many of the conversations I have had with regular passengers:

By far, the advantages of opening up the internal markets to external competitiveness are outweighed by the disadvantages. The possibility of buying a trans-continental Cathay Pacific or Qatar Airways ticketing would oblige US carriers to lower fares and improve their services, ending a disgraceful downward spiral that has dominated domestic air travel for the last ten years.

US carriers would no longer take us for granted. Would they? Recently, in the context of the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement, the EU has worked to open US airspace to competitive bidding. Imagine what air travel would look like if Virgin became the default.