Three major airline CEOs to speak at May 15 NPC luncheon

The leaders of the nation's three largest airlines will explore what they call unfair international competition at a National Press Club luncheon on Friday, May 15.

Richard Anderson, Delta Air Lines chief executive, W. Douglas Parker, chairman and chief executive of American Airlines Group, and Jeff Smisek, chairman, president and chief executive of United Airlines, will make a joint appearance at the Club entitled “Restoring Fair Competition to the Skies.”

They will argue that billions of dollars of subsidies from the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to their domestic airlines are giving them an unfair advantage and threatening U.S. jobs. The three airlines are part of a coalition called the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, which also includes several airline unions.

Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., with remarks beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session ending at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $23 for Club members, who can purchase two tickets at that rate, and $37 for all other non-member tickets.

Tickets may be purchased online by clicking here. For questions, please email [email protected] or call 202-662-7501. Tickets must be paid for at time of purchase.

Tickets for this event will be limited to members only until May 4.

Club members who wish to attend the pre-luncheon reception must RSVP separately to [email protected] 48 hours before the event. Space may be limited. You must have a paid reservation to the luncheon to attend the VIP reception.

To submit a question in advance, put AIRLINES in the subject line and email to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on the day of the luncheon.

Upcoming luncheons:

April 16 – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (6:30 p.m. dinner)
April 30 – Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus
May 4 – Internet pioneer Vint Cerf
May 8 - Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy