The government also can remove obstacles to global competition, the trade group said.

"I would label the creep of the foreign carriers as insidious," Calio said. "As the Middle Eastern carriers keep flying to more American cities ... they're taking away the international routes. It's really the international routes in many cases where the greatest profits are. Those profits subsidize small- and medium-size routes within the United States."

A4A said it would seek to have Congress enact legislation for elements of the National Airline Policy.