Minister for Transport Martin Cullen held a meeting with the US Secretary of Transport Norman Mineta last night to discuss Ireland's stance on a new open skies protocol for transatlantic air routes.
The meeting comes ahead of talks next week between the EU and the US which are expected to result in airlines being allowed to choose their destinations, without government approval.
This change would see an end to the Shannon stopover. The Government is trying to negotiate a transitional period before that happens.
Before leaving for the US, Mr Cullen said: "I will be stating very, very forcefully that we need a transitional period for Shannon because I will be making it absolutely clear that the airport is a key component of the State's airport infrastructure."
There has been criticism of the Minister's approach, however.
A spokesman for Signal, the Shannon workers' lobby, said Mr Cullen was rushing the negotiations and that he had failed to conduct an economic impact study to gauge the needs of the region.