Open Skies Inaugural Flight, Amsterdam

October 15, 2008

Good afternoon.

Over 525,000 people can’t be wrong.  That’s one of the reasons I am delighted to be here with you this afternoon.  What do I mean by that?  Over 525,000 people traveled from The Netherlands to the United States last year.  They went to conduct business, to spend time with friends and relatives, or to visit our fabulous cities and natural marvels.  They went to study at a U.S. university, or work for a multinational, or perhaps cover the long U.S. presidential campaign for a European television station or newspaper.  Right now they might be traveling for any of these reasons, and we look forward to extending a warm welcome to even more visitors to the United States. 

As of today these travelers have a brand new choice of airlines with the launch of Open Skies and its transatlantic service from Schiphol International Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

The name “Open Skies” is quite familiar to us.  We’ve been using the term since the late 1970’s when we began to pursue agreements with other nations to liberalize international aviation.  Of course one of the most significant landmarks on this long and arduous path was achieved in cooperation with The Netherlands when it signed the first open skies agreement with the United States in 1992, giving each other unrestricted landing rights.  I think it is only fitting that we are here today at Schiphol International Airport to celebrate a new Open Skies, as the successor to the many bilateral steps we have taken on the road to achieving a major breakthrough in the transatlantic economic relationship.

I have to take my hat off to British Airways for creating the first airline resulting from the historic U.S. -  EU Air Transport Agreement that went into effect earlier this year.  The name you have chosen is quite fitting.  The skies are wide open to airlines that want to fly between all 27 members of the European Union and the United States – a market area accounting for an estimated 60 percent of global air traffic.

Open Skies airline is exactly the kind of creative effort we were hoping to achieve with the U.S.- EU agreement.  By increasing travel and transport options, we are creating the conditions to encourage growth and competition, and benefit consumers.  In these difficult economic times it is even more important that we attend to opportunities to spur growth in trade and employment and encourage contacts between our citizens.  Consumers on both sides of the Atlantic will reap the benefits of new air services like Open Skies and I want to congratulate Dale Moss and his team for their evident good taste and business acumen in choosing JFK as their destination from The Netherlands.

I cannot miss this opportunity to remind you that there are new regulations in place for travelers who use the Visa Waiver Program to travel to the United States.  The United States launched the Electronic System of Travel Authorization – or ESTA – in August and so far things are going very smoothly.  ESTA is a simple, internet-based system that determines the eligibility of visitors under the Visa Waiver Program prior to boarding a carrier to the U.S. using basic biographic and travel information.  Right now the program is optional but it becomes mandatory on January 12, 2009.  The ESTA website information is now available in several different languages (including Dutch).  We are doing everything we can to ensure that the second phase of this program is also launched successfully in support of even more Visa Waiver travelers to the United States.

But today is first and foremost a celebration of Open Skies – of the new airline service between Amsterdam and a city that was once known as New Amsterdam.  We are about to embark on a year commemorating the 400^th anniversary of the British explorer Henry Hudson’s treacherous Atlantic crossing funded by the Dutch East India Company.  That voyage resulted in the European discovery of an island known at the time as Manna Hatta.  Today’s voyage will offer significantly enhanced amenities and a more reliable timetable, to say the least.

Yet it is in some ways an adventure nevertheless.  I wish you all success with this new endeavor and thank you for inviting me to be a part of this momentous event.