ALPA Says It Is 'Disappointed' By The Ruling

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Norwegian Air International in its bid to provide service to the United States.

USA Today reports that the three-judge panel found that there was no precedent under federal law or the Open Skies Agreement that would justify denying the airline's application.

Unions representing workers at U.S. Airlines had urged the court to deny the application, saying Norwegian would hire workers at lower wages. The airline countered that the criticism was unfounded as it was buying jets from Boeing and hiring American workers.

In a statement, ALPA president Capt. Tim Canoll (pictured) said that the union is "disappointed by the Court’s decision that allows Norwegian Air International to serve the United States under a business model that will put U.S. jobs at U.S. airlines at risk from unfair foreign competition.

“Norwegian Air International’s flag-of-convenience business model allows it to avoid labor laws by basing different portions of its operations in different countries. The NAI plan before the U.S. Department of Transportation was designed to erode labor standards—an outcome at odds with the express intent of the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement.

“[This] decision makes it more important than ever that the U.S. Senate makes clear the same commitment to enforcing U.S. trade agreements as the U.S. House did in its version of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. The U.S. House reauthorization included the text of H.R. 2150, a bill sponsored by Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Drew Ferguson (R-GA), which will require the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure foreign air carrier permits are in the American public’s interest and as a result prevent airlines with flag-of-convenience plans from flying to and from the United States in the future.

“While we are disappointed, ALPA is no less determined in calling for the United States to enforce its trade agreements and ensure U.S. workers have a fair opportunity to compete internationally. We will work with lawmakers to build on the already strong Congressional support for ensuring foreign airlines comply with U.S. trade deals and review this court decision and take appropriate action to defend U.S. workers’ jobs.”

(Images from file)

FMI: Original report, www.alpa.org