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American Airlines

Venezuela Fires Back at US over Flights

September 11, 2008 at 12:15 PM | 0 Comments

After the US government announced earlier this week that it can't vouch for the safety of flights leaving the country, Venezuela has ordered American carriers to cut back on service starting September 28. American Airlines, Delta and Continental operate about 70 of the close to 90 weekly flights between the two countries, and how many flights they'll have to trim still isn't known.

Venezuelan aviation chief José Martínez Bravo told the newspaper El Universal that the cuts are a result of an "imbalance in favor of American companies." But a letter to the three affected carriers mentions that:

The TSA insists on and maintains a policy of discrediting [Venezuela].

And so we wait for the (probably inevitable) next play in the governmental pissing match: Stepped-up border crossing regulations.

Related Stories:
· INAC Reducing Flights by US Airlines [El Universal, in Spanish]
· Flights from Venezuela May Not Be Safe [AP, via Google]
· UK Stepping Up Its Immigration Game [Jaunted]

[Photo of CCS in Caracas: inti]