As originally reported on Deutsche Welle, on Wednesday an alliance, Airlines for Europe (A4E), was formed between five of Europe’s major airline carriers. The goal of the alliance is to represent the interest of all the members in regards to negotiating with officials and policy makers on aviation issues facing Europe.
The alliance brings together budget carriers such as Easyjet and Ryanair with the sector's giants, including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and the International Airline Group (IAG), the parent company of both British Airways and Iberia.
The alliance has called for swift steps to stop European travelers "being fleeced by excessive airport charges." Citing a recent study, it revealed that airport charges at the 21 largest European aviation hubs had soared by 80 percent since 2005.
The alliance said it also intended to push for a more reliable airspace by reducing the costs of air traffic control through the completion of the Single European Sky scheme.
In the past, Europe’s airlines have often failed in their efforts to lobby European governments on issues from environmental regulations to passenger refunds in case of delayed flights. And airlines’ calls for Europe to streamline air-traffic management to lower costs has foundered against opposition from EU member states.
