Lawmakers to Suggest Path to Defuse U.S.-Gulf Airline Dispute

U.S. airlines have spent three years pleading for federal action to curb fast-growing Persian Gulf carriers, claiming their rivals benefit from billions of dollars in unfair government aid.

But now, a group of lawmakers is offering a more modest solution: vetting those claims through a decades-old Department of Transportation process created to prevent foreign governments from meddling in airline competition. Sending the dispute to DOT would be a way to defuse the longstanding dispute and preserve ties with the growing tourist and commercial hubs, they say.