The Open Skies doctrine has been the key to expanding international air service to more U.S. cities. In 1989, eight cities formed the caucus known as U.S. Airports for Better International Air Service (USA-BIAS) and its membership continued at least until 2010. The focus of the group was rooted in Open Skies to move the economic needs of communities and their respective airports to the forefront of discussion with U.S. policymakers. Many of today’s policies concerning international routes are the result of the advocacy led by USA-BIAS.  The attached article is one that I wrote in 1994 during the infancy of this movement and on the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Convention. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was formed at this convention in 1944 as a special agency of the United Nations to regulate international air travel. Industry leaders met in Chicago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the convention and this article was passed to many of its delegates including Fred Smith, founder of FedEX to whom I was grateful to sit next to as an impressionable young(er) professional in the airport industry and have since worked with in my role at FedEx.  I hope you enjoy the history of this article and the backdrop from which international air travel is governed today. This article was published in the Transportation Law Journal and was my thesis required to obtain my Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) status / Certified Member (CM) status with the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).