Open Skies Agreement Pros and Cons
Written by Wendy Garraty
So has this meant a change in passenger selection since the March agreement? It was predicted that there would be a jump in the number of flights to New York, but now there are also additional options for those who want to fly to Los Angeles, Houston, Washington and more. Of course, the same applies if you fly the other way. Tours around the world are always popular with vacationers, so being able to choose from more options to decide which airline to fly with when jumping from Europe to the US or vice versa will likely be a significant advantage. In the late 1980s, glasnost and perestroika were huge political movements, but largely showcases. Chernobyl is an excellent example of the Soviet attempt to control the narrative and the willingness to lie not only to its citizens, but also to its allies about the full effect of radiation. At that time, the USSR was “reducing” its military spending (they had just come out of the book) while trying to appear more open, which was a way to turn the West‘s eyes away from the affairs of the USSR. It was signed at the twilight of the USSR — at the end of 1989 there were revolts in East Germany and in many satellite Soviet states. The Soviet economy had bathed, they had lacked everything, and they had obtained wheat from the West. The wheels came from the tractor, so to speak, so the Russians signed agreements with the West to appear more inclusive and open, to ensure food, currency and political support. The Soviet Navy and the U.S. Navy conducted joint exercises, and USSR warships docked in San Diego, while U.S. Navy ships docked in Vladivostok. It was a show.
This show included Open Skies. With Heathrow Airport currently at full capacity, there are concerns that the Open Skies deal will increase pressure on the hub as new routes are introduced, raising the spectre of further delays and baggage issues. However, the AUC‘s Fremantle says Heathrow should be able to increase capacity alongside the increase in new flights. “We have supported additional capacity at Heathrow in general,” he explains. “Heathrow is full; [it is working] at full capacity. so nothing can be done at the moment, but we supported it to the end. “These two things actually go hand in hand; more capacity at Heathrow and open skies. This should create a situation where passengers have more flights and more choices. As with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from which the government recently withdrew, Russia has not always been a perfect party to the agreement. For years, for example, they restricted flights via Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Polish border; and Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia. In particular, they announced a lower limit of 500 kilometers for open-air flights over Kaliningrad in 2014 and limited several flights to more than 500 kilometers, according to the Foreign Ministry.
They also denied air access to a ten-kilometer corridor over the disputed region of Georgia, which Russia claims to be part of Russia but which is recognized by the international community as Georgia. The United States responded by restricting Russian flights over its territory. Engel supports U.S. restrictions. The State Department concluded that the actions taken by Russia do not constitute an obstacle to the collection of U.S. intelligence in the territories. But they found that the Russian restrictions violated Article VI of the treaty. I postulate that countries look at the deal from a time when reconciliation was possible and Russia could join the West – there were discussions about NATO membership.
When Open Heaven is gone, nothing changes. It simply removes the façade of peace that we have been building for 20 years and pretends that it is not there. Last year, ministers across the EU backed a deal that would allow any airline based in the region to operate flights to the US, while any US-registered airline would also be able to operate flights to destinations across the EU. An exception to the deal, however, is that EU airlines do not have carte blanche to operate their own domestic routes in the US. The pact will now enter into force in March and has been hailed by many for effectively liberalising the transatlantic aviation market and giving airlines more freedom to operate different flights between the two regions. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, under the agreement, more than 60% of passengers travelling on long-haul routes from the UK will fall under the jurisdiction of a “liberalised” agreement that does not seek to limit the number of international flights that airlines can offer. More than 90% of the UK‘s international air traffic – including international airspace – will take place under the Open Skies agreement or other outdoor transport pacts, he said. The most obvious advantage of the deal for UK air travellers is that when booking a flight across the Atlantic from Europe, there are many more options to choose from – and with more choice comes the possibility of cheaper fares. “The liberalisation of the aviation market is good for consumers because it lowers prices and offers more choice,” said James Fremantle, head of industrial affairs at the Air Transport Users‘ Council (AUC). “There are cheaper air fares because there is more competition. This means you have more choices of themes and airlines that operate the routes, which ultimately means cheaper fares. A number of airlines have announced plans to open new routes from the end of March to take advantage of the deal.
Air France, Delta, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways have all announced plans to launch various new flights from London to destinations in the US, while British Airways is set to go further and create an airline – initially named OpenSkies – that will focus on offering flights it was unable to offer before the deal was finalised. “British Airways has already started its pure business class flight from Paris to New York right away, so this is another choice for passengers compared to what was previously available,” Fremantle said in March. “I can‘t think of anything bad that can come out of it from the consumer‘s point of view. This should really open up the market and offer better choice and cheaper rates. The Telegraph has created a table comparing the different fares likely to have been offered between Heathrow Airport and Los Angeles after March 30 this year. Of the six airlines selected by the newspaper, British Airways offered the cheapest fare at £300, while the other fares did not exceed the £399 mark. From the moment Russia emerged from the Soviet rubble, they had called for the removal of Jackson-Vanik and the establishment of normal, lasting trade relations. The United States was not interested in doing so, as Russia had long escaped international law and had never fully embraced democracy.
The Chechen wars saw serious human rights violations, including a very powerful rape campaign (read Andrew Meier‘s book on this), installed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, and then began many conflicts, including Georgia in 2008. Russia has never adhered to the rule of law, it has no truly free press, and much of the country is run by a cadre of leaders who are almost politically connected and empowered by Putin. But as long as deals like Open Skies are in place and Jackson-Vanik is gone, it gives the appearance of a certain willingness on Russia‘s part to enter into dialogue with the West. .