Germany will finally let Emirates fly to Berlin after two decades of lobbying blocks from Lufthansa, which is furious about losing its feeder-flight monopoly.
Hard to blame them for being furious, major inconvenience, couple more things like that and they may have to get up and remember the meaning of the word "compete."
Who care if they are furious. Lufthansa has neglected Berlin for a long time, which not only affected residents of Berlin, but also the numerous visitors. Unlike Frankfurt, Berlin is a tourist destination.
Yes LH's approach to Berlin is exactly why competition is valuable. Berlin is Germany's largest city and yet the German flag carrier flies to the same number of destinations from Berlin as they do from Naples.
LH doesn't even fly BER-LHR and yet the German government's supposed to prevent Emirates from flying to Dubai? Please
Eurowings only started flying to LHR from Berlin this summer. The LH group till then didn't have a direct connection to London.
Does BER have Code F gates? While I welcome the competition, I can't describe myself as jazzed about the 2-3-2 EK 77W J if that's what they'll be offering lol. Much rather stick w the QR super diamond seats
Bavaria and Hesse are also not amused as they own MUC and FRA
Presently EASA prohibits European carriers operating via the Gulf, because of the kakistocracy in the USA led by the demented megalomaniac and Israel. Therefore LH cannot even operate if they wanted to.
It's important to mention that the agreement mentions that if a carrier (read EK) starts flying to a 5th destination (BER), it will be capped on frequencies to the other 4 destinations from that point on. So probably EK won't rush into BER as originally anticipated.
Sorry Ben,
As someone who has worked in aviation at both TXL and then BER airports directly by several European airlines (not LH). I also do not agree with this decision.
In Germany we have good paying jobs, a functioning social system and various other benefits/protections not offered by the Gulf States airlines.
I’m not saying these airlines shouldn’t be allowed to fly to Germany. It must however be measured. I appreciate competition to improve services and keep prices in check.
Agee on a limited number of services a week for each carrier, but not the open skies with QR and blanketing of Germany with EK and a lesser extent EY. No one is really flying to DOH or AUH. DXB is another story.
What these airlines are doing, they are absorbing the German market flying eastward.
They have no (or little) local traffic, yet can bypass the rights and protections we have fought so hard for here. Of course LH and DE, as well as other European carriers, are at a structural disadvantage and lose the local originating traffic to carriers that have little regard for their worker’s basic rights. This for a majority of passengers that are in transit.
Allow them access. Of course. Allow them to dump capacity without a local market (not so much EK). No thank you. It makes no sense. Of course I can’t compete with a worker earning less than me with no rights or protections.
Sorry, but limits need to be set to ensure a fair and functioning aviation market in our own country.
Lol, can't wait for EK to eat FOX for dinner.
"For example, Qatar Airways has been allowed to serve five German cities (it already flies to Berlin), while Emirates has been able to serve four German cities. How exactly do you justify that, from a competitive standpoint?"
Well it's not Germany's role to make competitor fair across Gulf carriers. These agreements are country-to-country agreement and are (hopefully) justified by other, non-aviation stuff being granted to Germany.
Wish there was more competition, but at the same time seeing capacity dumping is not fun. It kills the very thing it pretends to do, kill competition.
I am in the school of don't limit destinations, but do limit the capacity per day.