Prior to next week's scheduled bilateral aviation talks in Tokyo, executives of Northwest Airlines reaffirmed the carrier's position Sept. 18 to firmly support an "open skies" policy that would fully liberalize the air service market between the United States and Japan.
"Northwest's primary reason for supporting an open skies approach is because this is what is best for consumers," James Lawrence, the airline's executive vice president, told a news conference. "Open skies will lead to more flights, better overall service levels and more fare competition."
Although the Japanese and U. S. governments decided to set a deadline to reach a new agreement by the end of September and plan to hold five days of official vice-ministerial aviation talks starting Sept. 15, the sides remain at odds over the new pact.