Free Skies

The US and the EU made quite some progress in their meeting on transatlantic aviation liberalization when they met in Washington recently; brokering a deal that would pretty much allow airlines to fly freely across the Atlantic.

The deal is still somewhat tentative, in particular as the EU is ‘run by committee’, it still requires ratification by all member states, but nonetheless it’s certainly a gigantic leap in the right direction.

And the deal couldn't really come soon enough, as some of the trade restrictions were verging on ridiculous. Apparently, since being bought by Air France, the Dutch airline KLM would actually be considered French and therefore prohibited from flying between Holland and the US!? Has no-one heard of substance over form?