OPINION:
We’re told that the House Oversight Committee’s “government-wide investigation into the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing efforts to target, influence, and infiltrate every sector and community in the United States” will enable us to “combat the CCP’s influence operations” so we can assess “what steps are being taken to thwart the CCP’s political and economic warfare campaign.”
Only right now, with regard to the airline industry, the Biden administration seems intent on helping the Chinese with their economic warfare campaign.
At the same time this administration is warning of a variety of dangers to overseas travelers and imposing new restrictions on how U.S. airlines operate within the country, it is trying to expand the footprint in the U.S. for Chinese airlines for international flights.
The administration has proposed to open new flight routes for airlines controlled by the Chinese Communist Party so that China can more fully compete for the business of U.S. travelers without the U.S. demanding anything from China in return.
This comes not only at a time when U.S. airlines companies are still struggling to recover from COVID-19 and other factors but also at a time when Chinese airlines, most of which are controlled by the Communist Party, have a significant economic advantage over their overseas competitors.
Since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. has ordered its carriers not to violate Russian airspace, for obvious security reasons. Since the Chinese remain free to use Russian airspace, they can take shorter routes, which enables them to spend less on fuel and thus undercut American air carriers and seize market share in the U.S. and elsewhere.
What some have called President Biden’s “China first aviation policy” is, as Reuters reported on April 11, a proposal from the U.S. Department of Transportation to boost weekly round-trip flights from 35 to 50 per week for Chinese passenger airlines. U.S. carriers are also allowed 50 flights per week, but they already aren’t using all their slots because they are being undersold by the Chinese. And they are being undersold by the Chinese because the Chinese can save so much money by using Russian airspace.
On top of that, this comes at a time when Mr. Biden is trying to garner support from the jet travel class by imposing more rules on the airlines. On April 30, Mr. Biden posted to X his new directive: “My new airlines rule is simple: If you’ve had a flight canceled or significantly delayed, experienced delayed luggage, or paid for a service on a plane that wasn’t provided – your airline is required to issue you an automatic cash refund.”
Nobody outside the Biden administration seems to think this is a good idea.
Then-Rep. Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican and chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Democrat and ranking member, wrote to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to complain about the move. They wrote that no new flights to China should be added until demand picks up sufficiently and the Chinese lift slot constraints they place on U.S. airlines at the Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports.
The unions for pilots and flight attendants asked Mr. Buttigieg to pause new flights between China and the U.S. until China stops engaging in anti-competitive policies. They said that this added competitive pressure comes at a time when the secretary is pushing for more armrest room for passengers as part of what they labeled the “biggest expansion of passenger rights since deregulation.”
So Mr. Biden’s plan for the airline industry is to give advantage to the airline controlled by the Chinese Communist Party over U.S. carriers. He wants to give the Chinese more access to our markets but not fight for more access for U.S. carriers to theirs. He’s also making American airline companies less competitive with his mandates and vote-seeking gimmicks.
The House Oversight Committee is looking into attempts by the Chinese government to influence American politics. It wouldn’t be stunning if some members of Congress started to wonder why American air carriers were being disadvantaged in favor of the Chinese given that the move makes so little sense economically or politically for an incumbent locked in a tough reelection battle.
Why does Mr. Biden prioritize helping Chinese airlines at the expense of American carriers when it seems there is so little to gain for him? We don’t know, but whatever the reason, he needs to explain it or abandon the effort. Because what we do know is this — this is not good for U.S. airlines.
• Brian McNicoll is a freelance writer based in Alexandria, Virginia, a former senior writer for The Heritage Foundation, and former director of communications for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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