Trump Plays Politics With National Security To Help US Airline Monopoly

Back in March, the Trump administration suddenly instituted a ban on having laptops and tablets as carry-on luggage on flights from 10 Middle Eastern airports in eight countries to the United States. The UK shortly followed with a similar ban. The ban was prompted by information that terrorists had a computer bomb that could escape detection by the equipment those airports used. What was interesting about the ban was that the airports included in the list by the United States did not quite match up with the list provided in a similar ban by the UK.

There were airports in four countries on the US list that were not on the UK list – UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Morocco. Adding these additional countries meant that five specific airlines were also effected by the US ban. Those airlines were Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Etihad Airways, and Royal Moroccan Air. Significantly, these are the biggest competitors to the US airline oligopoly in travel to and through the Mideast. The US airlines have been complaining for years about the Open Skies rule that allows these foreign airlines easy entry into the US market.

The inclusion of the UAE, which include the important hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi was especially critical. At the time, an important UAE  commentator wrote, “There is no doubt that a significant reason behind the electronic ban is to stifle competition from Gulf airlines, and to encourage U.S. bound passengers to fly on American carriers.”

Today, Emirates Airline announced that it was cutting back service to the US because of the security and laptop restrictions. The airline announced that it was cutting service on five US routes because of reduced demand.

If you are inclined to believe the worst, as I am, this is just a further indication of the total corruption of the Trump administration. It seems the administration is willing to even play politics with national security in order to support its corporate benefactors. Combined with its other foreign policy blunders, it does not bode well for the future.