The campaign by Delta, United, and American to limit consumer flight choices and raise prices by enacting protectionist policies against Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar went nowhere with the Obama administration.
However Delta’s CEO declared that thanks to Donald Trump they’d get another bite at the apple to build a wall on the border with Qatar and make Akbar al-Baker pay for it. Delta’s CEO declared himself very encouraged by Donald Trump.
Copyright: idealphotographer
Last month it looked like the airlines were making headway against consumers with the Administration, even so far as considering “terminating the [Open Skies] agreements with those countries and using the one-year period before the termination goes into effect to negotiate” new terms.
But it was the administration’s “nationalists pushing for aggressive trade restrictions and others, like [National Economic Council Director Gary] Cohn, urging caution.”
In the days following violent protests in Charlottesville, with white supremacists clashing with counterprotestors, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon — the leader of the nationalist faction in the West Wing — has stepped down. That weakens the hand of those pushing for trade wars. It weakens the hand of Delta, American, and United in the Administration.
Good!
Fuck yea
Not only good, but great! The US3 can take their garbage product and drown in financial losses during the next recession.
But it’s good for America, and that’s what matters:)
@Gene. Yeah that’s what everyone said about the banks in 2008, until they realized it meant they couldn’t get a mortgage for the next 10 years.
@gary Any impact on the potential for privatizing air traffic control?
@johhny – Bannon wasn’t key to that effort one way or another. The administration doesn’t have much legislative juice right now though generally.
Your intense focus on the Middle East airlines is very strange. So strange that you’re making up reasons to write multiple posts on this issue almost every day. Are those award tickets THAT valuable to you? My guess is that most of your readers do not share your passion on this issue.
In any event, I think it’s a safe bet to believe that Steve Bannon’s departure will have zero impact on whether Trump limits the ME3. To my knowledge, Bannon has never said a word on this issue. Honestly, I think the biggest reason there’s been no action by the Trump administration on this issue so far is that the Trump administration doesn’t yet have the bandwith to deal with it. If they ever get staffed up and organized, I’m sure Trump will do something about it — if the real ME3 losses haven’t already led to further USA service cutbacks.
@iahphx this has nothing to do with award tickets, or reader passion.