Wednesday, March 28- European Union

Wednesday, March 28

Four years ago the EU and US began to discuss a possible deal to open the transatlantic air travel way for competition. On March 22, 2007, the EU announced "EU and US close to Clinching Open Skies Deal." October of this year is the date that this deal is expected to go into effect, and open skies will begin. Most EU Member States support this deal, while the UK is a bit unsure. The UK wants Washington to guarantee they will disgard their limits on EU airlines investing in US rivals, while the US wishes to continue their limits on foreign air companies. "The move will see up to 12 billion euros in economic benefits as increased competition brings down ticket prices, according to the European Commission, which negotiated the deal on behalf of the EU."
I like the idea of this deal going into effect. Not only will it increase benefits for the airlines, but for customers as well. It will bring down prices, and perhaps even offer more flights throughout the day, which is very convenient. Airlines will fill their planes more often with lower ticket prices. Maybe I will be travelling to Ireland sooner than I think, depending on how much ticket prices really do drop.

http://euobserver.com/19/23755