Equal Rights for Airlines

The editorial (Oct. 16) regarding the proposed British Airways/USAir deal told only part of the story. Primary to the objections of Delta, United and American Airlines is the lack of quid pro quo, or equal rights, to compete. The editorial suggests that freedom to fly within the United Kingdom might suffice for a fair deal for the U.S. carriers; however, nothing could be further from reality. The U.S. aviation market comprises fully 40% of the world’s air traffic. There is no country in the world that can offer a commensurate value for “open skies,” let alone the British.

But that facet of this deal is not the most damaging to our carriers. It is the potential loss of incremental revenue on routes that they currently fly. For example, a passenger from Raleigh, N.C., to Kenya may fly American Airlines from Raleigh to New York to London, then British Airways to Kenya. This itinerary would involve one change of airline in London. The same passenger could elect to fly USAir, Delta, or United on a similar routing through their hubs to London, and on to Kenya, changing airlines in London. But under the proposed deal with BA/USAir, the computer listing for this flight would show one airline from Raleigh to Kenya (seamless service) even though a change would still be required in London. Research has shown that consumers prefer seamless service by a 4-to-1 ratio over switching air carriers. The potential loss of revenue for the U.S. airlines on these types of flight segments is enormous.

The above scenario will give British Airways access to roughly 13,000 city pairs, 8,000 of which the U.S. carriers cannot serve! Simply allowing U.S. carriers unlimited access to the U.K. will not fix the problem, as service to countries beyond the U.K. would involve a bilateral treaty with each country, many of which will not allow U.S. airlines to complete with their government-run airlines.

There are a host of other issues in this deal that bear examination; such as existing U.S. law that prohibits this kind of deal, the safety standards and regulations to which this “new” airline will be held, U.S. or some other nation’s, and the potential exportation of another industry overseas.

The U.S. airline industry is currently in poor financial shape, and yet it remains the system that other countries around the world emulate. It seems odd that instead of helping our carriers back to profitability, the U.S. government saddles them with costly unnecessary regulations, and then attempts to ship jobs overseas. All we are asking for is a chance to compete on equal footing so we can let our American ingenuity and talents decide who will come out on top. Don’t give another industry away.

CARL W. BATTIS

Captain, American Airlines

Member, National Safety Committee

Allied Pilots Assn.

Westminster