Norwegian Air International (en Anglais)

[Spoutnick]

Bonjour,

Un article intéressant mais par forcément accessible par tous publié ce jour dans Aviation Week. Je sais que c'est en Anglais mais j'ai trouvé le point de vue du syndicaliste tasunien intéressant.

Opinion: Norwegian Air Circumventing The Rules

In the board game of Monopoly, the rules are straightforward. Pass “Go,” collect $200. Do not pass “Go,” do not collect $200.

When it comes to the rules of international aviation in the U.S., the standards are similar. Apply for and receive a foreign air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the Transportation Department, begin flying routes in and out of the U.S. Do not receive the certification, do not begin flying those routes.

Seems simple. But a Norwegian air carrier is brazen enough to believe it should be exempt from the rules. Recently, Norwegian Air International (NAI), a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), announced plans to offer “cheap” Boston-to-Cork flights—that is, if the Transportation Department approves NAI’s application for an AOC.

There is one small catch. The NAS doesn’t need Transportation Department approval to launch this service. It already uses a U.S. AOC to offer service between Europe and U.S. cities. Since Norway is signatory to the U.S.-EU open-skies agreement, NAS has the same access to U.S. routes as other European airlines.

So why would this company set up a new subsidiary that does need approval of its application to fly to Boston? The answer is the NAI plan has nothing to do with gaining access to the U.S. aviation market and everything to do with circumventing strong Norwegian labor laws. It seeks to establish a flag-of-convenience business model that would be harmful to both U.S. and European airlines and their workforces. NAI will be based in Ireland with Bangkok-based crews, hired through a Singaporean agency. Norway said “no” to this scheme, so the company shopped around for a country that would say “yes.”

This flag-of-convenience model would give the company’s CEO free reign to undercut U.S. and European airlines by ducking collective-bargaining obligations and bypassing labor laws in his own country. The U.S.-EU open-skies pact bars this rogue business model through a labor article that ironically was hailed by Europe as a breakthrough. Article 17 bis states: “Opportunities created by the agreement are not intended to undermine labour standards or the labour-related rights and principles contained in the Parties’ respective laws.” I’m not sure how forum-shopping for cheap labor isn’t a violation.

Airlines and unions on both sides of the Atlantic have urged the Transportation Department to reject NAI’s application. U.S. lawmakers—Republicans and Democrats—have also weighed in with letters of opposition to NAI’s scheme. And lawmakers have included language in appropriations bills that prohibits the Transportation Department from issuing any AOC that violates Article 17 bis. In a town better known for excessive partisanship, it appears that NAI’s half-baked and illegal operating plan has galvanized a high level of bipartisanship.

With NAI’s plan landing with a thud in Washington, the company is resorting to gimmicks. This summer, NAI “promised” the Transportation Department that it will hire only European and U.S. pilots for its transatlantic flights and that those employees, who will be employed under individual contracts, will have a “chance” for full employment at Norwegian 24-36 months down the road. We called NAI on its bluff. Those commitments amount to unenforceable empty promises that can’t get around the fact that the NAI model violates the open-skies agreement.

Notwithstanding NAI’s rhetoric and ever-evolving tactics, this debate has never been about feeding the appetite for cheap flights. The case still sitting at the Transportation Department has always been about the U.S. government rejecting those who would game the nation’s aviation trade rules. And it has been about Norwegian Air’s executives who believe aviation trade rules apply to everyone but them.


Edward Wytkind
President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, which represents 32 unions across the transportation sector.

Source : http://aviationweek.com/commercial-avia ... ting-rules?

[DC8]

Le concept existe déjà hors USA, , j'ai un copain Cdb 787 chez eux depuis l’année dernière , effectivement contrat Singapour (*) , base Bangkok, tu de demmerdes pour ta retraite et ton assurance maladie.
(*) = pas possible d'etre syndique

C'est le futur , et c'est un futur que je ne souhaite pas a mes enfants.

Norwegian, Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, is continuing to expand its international operations by signing an agreement to purchase 19 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners – the order will help more than quadruple its current long-haul fleet to 38 aircraft within the next five years.

The agreement is the largest single order of 787-9s in Europe and includes purchase options for an additional ten aircraft of the same type. The new order will enable the company to launch even more long-haul routes and expand its existing network in the coming years.

Norwegian already operates Dreamliner aircraft from its London Gatwick base, serving the UK’s only low-cost long-haul flights to US – Dreamliners are used on services to New York, Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood. A further low-cost route from Gatwick to Boston will be launched in May 2016, while next month will see the launch of low-cost Caribbean flights with the UK’s only direct route to Puerto Rico – both new routes will also be served by Dreamliner aircraft.