(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
The Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) in conjunction with the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) are urging President-elect Trump to reverse the decision to grant Norwegian Air International a foreign carrier permit.
The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent decision came three years after NAI, an Irish subsidiary of Norwegian Air, first applied for a foreign air carrier permit in 2013.
According to the unions, the Obama administrations late-December decision to grant NAI a foreign carrier permit enables NAI to “execute on its flag of convenience (FOC) scheme.” The permit allows for Norwegian to establish an Irish subsidiary in order to take advantage of Ireland’s impotent labor, tax, and social laws.
“The Obama administration has tilted the field of play in favor of a foreign competitor and put thousands of good-paying, middle-class, U.S. aviation jobs at risk. It will be up to the Trump administration to save them,” said SWAPA Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Chip Hancock.
Captain Jon Weaks, SWAPA President, stated, “President-elect Trump was elected on a pro-American worker platform and has already delivered wins for several American companies. It is our sincere desire that the president-elect will right this wrong by repealing this detrimental ruling.”
The DOT has maintained that the United States and European Union’s bilateral agreements leave the agency no basis to reject the permit.
“Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application,” noted the DOT in its final order.
© 2017 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.