Major airlines in the United States are being accused of collusion by the US Justice Department officials over claims that they acted together to keep the price of seats high on domestic routes and collaborated to protect their business monopolies. The Justice Department investigation is still in its initial phase and letters have been sent out putting American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United and Southwest on notice that they will face grilling in the weeks to come. Together, these airlines account for more than 80 per cent of the US domestic market in terms of actual seats on planes.

How strange then, that three of these carriers, Delta, United and American — who fly international routes — have been loud in lobbying Washington against the three major Gulf carriers — Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways — with unfounded claims that they operate with subsidies from their respective governments and, as such, engage in unfair competition.

The US adheres to an open skies policy — meaning that any airline can compete on any route. Given the success of the Gulf carriers in establishing very successful routes and marketing strategies in the US, Delta, United and American have lost out.

Open skies is supposed to mean all carriers compete on a level playing field. That level playing field is based on access to airports, competitive pricing and schedules that allow for greater international onward connections and ease of timing. What open skies should not mean is the collusion of carriers to create artificially high pricing on the most competitive routes — either US domestic or international.

There is certainly a perception — and the US Justice Department needs to do its due diligence in checking all the facts — that these US carriers seem unable or unwilling to compete in an open marketplace. And when they lose out to more efficient carriers on the international routes, they cry foul and make baseless allegations of government subsidies.

Open skies should mean that every passenger should be able to choose a seat on any route at the best possible price, on modern aircraft, with excellent in-flight services.

That is why Gulf carriers are winning.