As most of you probably know by now, theres a battle going on between the big three US airlines and the big three Middle Eastern carriers. Ive shared my thoughts about why the US carriers cant compete with the Gulf carriers under the current system. And I think the US carriers are right for expressing…
Continue reading: The Most Hypocritical Complaint About Airline Subsidies… EVER
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
more profitable quarters by US3... = harder for them to justify that ME3 cripple their profit machine. US3 efforts just made me want to puke. Waste of their resources when they could use $ to improve products and compete with intl carriers
"Obama administration confronts..." ?? Seriously?? Is it the president's job to mediate BS disputes between airlines?
i am shocked this has not done any damage to AA's relationship with Qatar and Etihad yet.
Interesting post and I'm enjoying your coverage of this dispute (as a side-note: this group has bought out practically all the advertising in the Metro stop for Nationals Stadium in DC). One small quibble -- Americans for Fair Skies is not a Political Action Committee, but is actually a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" non-profit. These types of non-profits have become increasingly involved in politics, but there's a difference in terms of who regulates them, what they're allowed to do and what they're required to disclose.
And did you see how much Delta charges for a round trip between DTW and MQT? I just picked a random date: $1,128 on coach. I wish I could fly Emirates or Etihad from DTW to MQT. These US airlines are a total joke.
Record profits, insane fees, crappy service. Yet the big 3 US airlines are whining like entitled little brats.
MQT is my hometown airport and it is a real pain to fly out of with DTW and ORD via AA the only flights out. Half the time they are delayed/late and misconnect. They used to have a daily MSP flight but that was cancelled for some reason.
Most people will drive the 3 hours to GRB and fly out of there. It'll also save you at least $100/ticket and have many more flight options.
I have gone from merely disgust to outright loathing of this lobbying group and the airlines they represent.
The sad part is that if their PR campaign is not successful, they'll merely bribe every thieving Congress critter and Senator necessary to get what they want....just like every other lobbying scum that represents business interests.
Seriously, if they boycott government owned airlines, then they should also boycott Singapore Airlines, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Qantas, Turkish Airlines, Air India a bunch of airlines in Africa....
But the again. Even though that shouldn't affect us too much, without Singapore Airlines, we still have Cathay Pacific. Without ME3, we still Turkish airlines...
The famous Marquette airport! I still have a business class redemption booked going there this coming summer. Vancouver-Calgary-London-Frankfurt-Marquette 🙂
Delta has a point about it being hard to compete against government intervention. I mean, suppose Airline A had a hard to get slot at an airport, say Haneda, that they rarely used, and Airlines B and C thought they could run more profitable and frequent routes if they had that slot. But the government decides that Airline A gets to keep the slot anyway, thereby choosing winners and losers instead of letting the market choose. How is Delta supposed to compete with that type of government favoritism? Oh... Maybe that's a bad example .
Slight correction (AP Government teacher here :D): political action committees are groups that have the express purpose of contributing funds towards a candidate's reelection campaign. They are not the same as lobbyists, and the term does not apply here
Wow, small world Matt. I thought I was the only UP based guy reading Boarding Area. But I'm at Houghton/Hancock airport, not Marquette. just 2 short hours away.
on major issues the rich and powerful have their way and the truth is exactly what they say it is.
It's best to understand that and adapt
Maybe the big US 3 treat their First Class with respect, but they treat Economy like dirt. United is the worst. I take many overseas carriers before United.
"Maybe the big US 3 treat their First Class with respect..."
LOL! No, they treat their 1st class with derision.
Economy gets contempt.
Maybe someone should remind all 3 CEO's that they ran and hid under weak bankruptcy laws. They gutted the union contracts (Pilots, FA's, Mechanics, Ramp Etc) They lied about keeping hubs open (Memphis, St Louis) Northwest/Delta were in fact very profitable. The bankruptcy laws were changing and they filed a few hours before midnight. I find it ironic they are crying about subsidies. Just last night I was booking to go to Singapore in July. AA wants $11,000 Emirates wants $4700 Gee Doug Parker let me book AA! Get int he ballpark I might book AA.
I wonder how much, if any, of the general public is aware of and believes this BS by the airlines?
If I were a US airline CEO, it would occur to me that attacking the wealthier competition from the ME will only make them more creative in eroding domestic profitability for the US3. All Emirates has to do is coordinate timetables with Southwest and JetBlue to bypass feeding pax to the aging US3.
Bravo!!!! Love this. The US big three are embarrassing themselves and glad there are people like you highlighting how stupid they sound with there childish ways
Very enjoyable post. This is why there is so much xenophobia still in the U.S. Propaganda and misinformation. Oh well, I guess it means less competition for award tickets!
Great article! If I was a US airline CEO is keep pretty quiet about government subsidies given all the infections of cash they've had via Chapter 11 protections!
We know what they're doing, people. They're pandering to the Islamophobia and ignorance that is rife within the US (more specifically, the conservative party). Their stupid little smear campaigns will play really well to the poor schmucks that don't travel but they'll back the US 3 because they shudder at the thought of driving anything other than Chevy or Ford because they're all about "AMERICAN MADE". Unfortunately, the number of Americans who travel internationally and have true knowledge of the aviation industry aren't numbered as heavily as that of Americans who have literally never left the country and probably have only flown short distances within the country a handful of times.
:::: waving at Josh and Matt :::::
Hey, another Yooper reading Lucky's blog!
Flying out of MQT is risky at best due to weather, flight cancellations for unknown reasons and cost. $1200 to fly 400 miles hurts, badly(!) and I usually drive to MKE. Have gotten some great (heavily subsidized) fares out of Hancock recently--$145.00 r/t to Nashville.