Open Skies Agreement

This item appears on page 90 of the May 2008 issue.

The Open Skies Agreement went into effect in March 2008, easing restrictions on which airlines could fly into which airports and opening competition for flights between the U.S. and the European Union.

Travelers should expect more direct flights but also more congestion at airports, as several new airlines will be competing for gates. Ticket prices are NOT expected to go down (because of high fuel prices and the purchases of new planes to fly the added routes).