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Protectionism Won’t Work Against New Competition
If there was any need to show how serious a threat the Gulf carriers have become to the club of legacy airlines, then the Big Six airline groups in the U.S. and Europe could not have come up with more impressive action: In December, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group wrote a letter to the European Commission (EC) asking it to ensure fair competition. While they did not exactly specify what they wanted, it was clear they want traffic rights withdrawn from Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar… (aviationweek.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
You can sell me on the idea but I'm sure somebody will call you a Muslim racist. Lol
People need to realize the issues at hand here go waaaaaay beyond customer service. This is about the Gulf Carriers collusion with their governments who help hide losses, and also use landing fees to subsidize their operations. The dirty little secrets of the Gulf Carriers are finally being exposed. It's about time.
I'm gonna play devil's advocate. If the UAE wants to subsidize my travels abroad, at their expense*, is that really so bad?
Downsides:
- US carriers lose international business, that hurts aviation jobs.
Upsides:
- Passengers get better service, cheaper.
Losing these jobs sucks, but there's some mitigating factors: Foreign carriers can't service our domestic market, so while US carriers might need to downsize their international operations, they don't need to go out of business. I'd also add that unlike manufacturing, or other sectors, there's less strategic value in these international operations. They can be spun down, and in the future, should the international competition no longer offer a better value, started up again.
* Not counting the subsidies provided by the US Import Export Bank. Those primarily help Boeing compete.
Downsides:
- US carriers lose international business, that hurts aviation jobs.
Upsides:
- Passengers get better service, cheaper.
Losing these jobs sucks, but there's some mitigating factors: Foreign carriers can't service our domestic market, so while US carriers might need to downsize their international operations, they don't need to go out of business. I'd also add that unlike manufacturing, or other sectors, there's less strategic value in these international operations. They can be spun down, and in the future, should the international competition no longer offer a better value, started up again.
* Not counting the subsidies provided by the US Import Export Bank. Those primarily help Boeing compete.
Mr. Underwood, your argument is flawed. No employee of Emirates is unionized. Unions are illegal in the UAE. That's simply one of the many flaws in your argument.
Although there are a lot of praises being sung here for the Gulf carriers, I can't help but think back to how many have talked about SOME of those carriers seemingly not operating to the safety standards set by the U.S. So - what would be your priority ... safety? or customer service? (No fair saying both!)
Since Gulf States charge us roughly 25 times the cost of crude oil, we should charge them the same markup when purchasing fuel.
Gulf carriers pay pitiful wages, so we add a tax to landing fees to make up the difference. The money would be used to finance airport amenities for passengers. Free baggage carts, comfortable waiting rooms, 25 cent coffee, faster customs, and staffing to insure no lines.