US airline CEOs urge US to hold Qatar, UAE accountable for alleged trade agreement breach

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz, in an opinion piece in USA Today, stated the UAE and Qatar breached trade agreements with the US by subsidising government owned airlines Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, thus allowing the airlines to operate loss making services (USA Today, 12-Jul-2019). The CEOs claimed Qatar and the UAE are jeopardising more than 1.2 million American jobs by contravening the countries' open skies agreements, adding every long haul international route a US carrier loses to a subsidised Gulf carrier causes the loss of 1500 US jobs. Mr Parker, Mr Bastian and Mr Munoz urged the US to hold Qatar and the UAE accountable by acting decisively.