New US airline group backs Gulf carriers in row

New York

A CHALLENGE by US airlines that accuses three Gulf carriers of distorting competition via government subsidies took another turn on Monday with the formation of a US airline group that backs the Gulf-carriers' cause.

Four long-time supporters of US Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which remove restrictions on flying to and from those states, have formally banded together to create the US Airlines for Open Skies Coalition.