U.S. signs open skies aviation agreement with Thailand

U.S. signs open skies aviation agreement with Thailand    The United States and Thailand have reached agreement on a comprehensive open skies framework to expand and liberalize their bilateral civil aviation relations, the U.S. State Department said Monday.
   The agreement was reached in Washington early Sept. 9 after talks between a Thai delegation, led by Transport Vice Minister Mahidol Chantrangkurn, and a U.S. delegation, chaired by State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs that included officials from the U.S. Transportation Department and representatives of U.S. airlines and airports.
   The agreement with Thailand will significantly modernize U.S.-Thai aviation relations by allowing airlines from the two countries to make commercial decisions with minimal government intervention. It will provide for open routes, capacity, frequencies, designations, and pricing, as well as cooperative marketing arrangements, including code-sharing.
   The United States has concluded open skies agreements with more than 70 countries and territories.