Airline Open Skies Agreement

Capt. Paul Rice First Vice-President of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l Remarks Before the Executive Board of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l Tuesday, May 4, 2010 Good morning. It’s a pleasure to stand before you today. Much of the work that I’ve had the privilege to lead and coordinate in both the ALPA Collective Bargaining Committee and the International Affairs Committee confirms the common ground that we all share as we take to the skies every day. Differences in geopolitical boundaries, the history of our airlines, and the size of our aircraft all fade behind us as the earth slips away and we remember the sheer joy of flying. We recognize that each of us shares similar concerns about our careers, our families, and our future. In our industry, news from around the globe can affect us here in North America, and a contract signed on another continent far away can affect our contract here, even if we have never flown to that particular corner of the world. Failing to look into the future while we learn from each other’s past is no longer an option if we are to succeed in protecting our jobs and promoting our profession. The world’s pilots must work together. As many of you already know from reading the just-published international issue of Air Line Pilot magazine, the United States and the European Union have initialed a new Open Skies protocol. While this agreement isn’t perfect, the fact is that many of the European governments’ objectives were not met, but many of the pilots’ goals were achieved. This was no accident. In fact, it’s a testament of why the world’s pilots must work together. Throughout the talks, ALPA fully engaged as a member of the U.S. delegation. We relied on our relationship with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and State as well as that of the Obama administration to communicate our concerns and promote our priorities. We also worked together with our allies at the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department and other pilot...