Open Skies Opinions
The Open Skies agreement, which allows European and American airlines to fly freely between the two continents, has been operational for several months. As a result, a handful of European airlines have announced new routes between the US and the EU. The most recent announcement comes from British Airlines subsidiary OpenSkies Airline with a new premium route from Amsterdam to New York. Starting now, a daily flight will depart from Amsterdam/Schiphol mid-afternoon and arrive in New York/JFK in the evening.
A handful of US airlines have also initiated routes in and out of Heathrow, thus expanding their coverage as well. The Open Skies legislation is clearly a positive step in the right direction for travelers in the US and abroad. More competition in the market will likely drive down fare prices and provide a greater variety of options for travelers to fly abroad.
One of the key elements of the agreement allows EU airlines to fly in and out of the US from any city in Europe. The agreement does not, however, allow foreign airlines to assume rights to domestic routes in the US. Ben Casnocha, a frequent flyer and entrepreneur who recently visited Techstars, writes an interesting post surmising what would happen if the Open Skies agreement were pushed to this extreme.
I think it’s safe to say that International airlines flying domestic routes would have a considerable influence on the (low) standards our domestic carriers currently exhibit in terms of customer service, timeliness, and overall operations. However, I also think there’s a chance this might stick a fork in the remaining US airlines that currently operate domestic flights. If they aren’t able to respond quickly and change (which hasn’t exactly been their forte in the past), it is highly probable that Americans will stop flying with them in favor of a better experience with foreign airlines. This could be devastating for frequent flyer programs as well as the US economy in general.
Your thoughts?
