Joint Application of United and SIA Page 3 of 5 of authorization requested will "give the applicants flexibility to meet marketplace demands and... enable them to maximize the rights available under... open-skies agreement[s]," as the Department has concluded in approving other blanket codeshare applications. Order 1998-4-8 at 3. 2. Specifically, the Joint Applicants seek statements of authorization permitting United to display the "SQ*" designator code on United flights, and SIA to display the "UA *" designator code on SIA flights, 6 in conjunction with foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail: (1) between any point(s) in the United States and any point(s) in Singapore (on a nonstop basis and on routings via intermediate points); (2) between points in the United States; (3) between points in Singapore; (4) beyond Singapore to any point(s); and (5) beyond the United States to any point(s). The Joint Applicants' initial codeshare notice appears in Appendix A, and they will notify the Department no later than 30 days before commencing any codeshare services covered by this application to/from non-open-skies points or on routes for which they do not otherwise hold authority. 7 3. Similar blanket codeshare authority has been granted to numerous U.S. and foreign airline codeshare partners. See, e.g., Notices of Action Taken dated March 6, 2015 in Dockets DOT-OST-2010-0095 and DOT-OST-2011-0065 (Delta/Go!), January 23, 2015 in 6 Initially, United will display the "SQ*" designator code on flights it operates between Houston, on the one hand, and Atlanta; Austin; Dallas; Fort Lauderdale; Orlando; Miami; New Orleans; and Tampa, on the other hand. While there are currently no firm plans for SIA to display the "UA *" designator code on any of its flights, the Joint Applicants nonetheless request a statement of authorization for the display of United's "UA *" designator code on SIA's flights to afford them operational flexibility should they decide to expand their codesharing in the near term. 7 standard conditions on limited The Joint Applicants accept the Department's entry third-country codeshare services.
Joint Application of United and SIA Page 4 of 5 Docket DOT-OST-2012-0209 (American/TAM), September 17, 2014 in Dockets DOT-OST- 2014-0120 and DOT-OST-2004-19148 (United/Germanwings), August 27, 2014 in Dockets DOT-OST-2014-0136 and DOT-OST-2004-19148 (United/Air Canada rouge), and June 13, 2014 in Dockets DOT-OST-2014-0082 and DOT-OST-2004-19148 (United/Ethiopian). 4. The Joint Applicants are fit, willing and able to provide the proposed codeshare services. See, e.g., United: Order 2013-4-11 (reissuing United/Continental authorities to United), Order 2007-4-19 (blanket open skies), and Notice of Action Taken dated April 19, 2016 in Docket DOT-OST-2004-19148 (blanket worldwide codesharing); and SIA: Order 1997-12-26 (foreign air carrier permit). 8 Accordingly, the Joint Applicants only require statements of authorization to institute most of the proposed codeshare services. 5. United, however, also requires supplemental exemption authority to fully implement the proposed codeshare agreement and maximize its flexibility to provide global codeshare services by placing its code on SIA flights serving points for which United does not otherwise hold authority. United has worldwide blanket exemption authority to codeshare on a third-country basis with other foreign carriers. See Notice of Action Taken dated April 19, 2016 in Docket DOT-OST-2004-19148, at n. 3. United asks the Department to amend this exemption authority to the extent necessary to permit similar United codeshare services on flights operated by SIA. 6. The proposed United and SIA codesharing is consistent with the U.S.-Singapore Open Skies Agreement and MALIAT, which authorize liberal codesharing between airlines from 8 Pursuant to Rule 24 of the Department's Rules of Practice, the Joint Applicants request that the Department take official notice of all information and data that have been filed to establish their fitness.
APPENDIX A INITIAL CODESHARE NOTICE The Joint Applicants provide blanket notice to engage in reciprocal open-skies codeshare services as follows beginning on or about July 1, 2016, provided all necessary approvals have been secured: Between any point(s) in the United States and any point(s) in Singapore, on a nonstop basis and intermediate routings via open-skies points; Between points in the United States; Between points in Singapore; Beyond Singapore to any open-skies point(s); and Beyond the United States to any open-skies point(s).