The U.S. airlines have them self to blame, the service you receive with exception of Jet Blue and to certain point virgin America is terrible. On long haul flights you have to pay for everything onboard and if you ask for something even though you pay for it you are meet with a rude face that screams WHY IN THE H... ARE YOU BOTHERING ME, you are the paying customer but you have to excuse yourself if you want something to eat or drink. Even Norwegians low cost flights have 10 star service compare to AA and United.
Sorry, one more point: despite the huge rise in passenegers, the 'legacy airlines' have been retiring 747s, replacing them with dreamlines and 777s, while the gulf airlines have been upszing to A380s to meet the market. You don't need a masters degree in marketing to see which airlines have the wiser policy. Boeing chose not to match the A380, and have been promoting the 777/787s rather than promoting the stretched 747s, and the airlines have just followed along. Crazy, in the face of a 100% rise in passengers over the past few years.
Two things; firstly, these airlines are new, and - significantly for the unions - have operated without all those sad legacy agreements that offer minimum benefit to workers, but maximimum cost to airleines, that unions (sadly) cling to. additionally, they have seriously benefitted from flying A380s (emirates have some 80, with 60 more to come). And often on routes the US airlines haven't bothered with, sticking to their traditional routes with little imagination and small airplanes - European airlines have been equally remiss.
Secondly - and most important - the open skies agreements have opened up a new world of travellers, which the gulf airlines and low cost airlines have voraciously adapted to. Damage open skies, and everyone suffers, and on recent show of adaptability, the old fashioned airlines will be hurt most. Neither the US airlines nor, it seems, the union, have thought this through.
The real reason for the gulf airlines success has been the humungous growth of new fliers in the middle east and Asia: close open skies, and US airlines will lose all access to those markets, while the gulf airlines will be hardly touched.
The staggering politics of this are cringeworthy. The US3 are attacking airlines that they don't fly to - not one flies into any of the ME3 airports. They complain because they bring competition. It's the U.S. and European legacy airlines who need to wake up and do something not whine to legislators to solve problems of service quality and attitude. Qatar and Etihad are some of the best service and product offerings in the world. American just took delivery of a 788 that is as dull inside and uninspired as a cloudy day and as to staff - the surliest least welcoming I ever met. Richard Anderson of Delta deliberately caused waves by using the racist comment about Arabs and terrorism to stir the pot thinking it worth doing so to create a storm that would drag this subject up as it was clearly flagging in the media and with the public. He knew what he was doing and it worked. The ME3 can't retaliate against the US3 and that's another reason they attacked them. You don't see them attacking the Chinese airlines whose flights and encroachment is far more serious and widespread. They would retaliate and that would set off a trade war. The US3 are pulling the wool over our eyes. It's a despicable double standards attack they and the unions should be ashamed of.
Saif Salama - 9 years ago
Well, i dont know why america wants to lead every single thing in such a crying baby way.
It is so simple, you offer better service, then you are better. f you are unable to offer a competitive service, then there must be something missing or wrong with your way of running the business.
ERIC RAMOS - 9 years ago
US AIRLINES AND SPECIALLY THE BIG 3 ARE ALWAYS CRYING, IF YOU WANT TO RECOVER YOUR MARKET SHARE AGAINST THE BIG 3 OF THE GULF IS REALLY EASY TO DO.....JUST OFFER A BETTER PRODUCT AND SERVICE....YOU CAN'T COMPARE A NASTY CABIN INTERIOR OF AA, UA OR DL AGAINST ONE OF EMIRATES OR QUATAR OR ETHIAD....THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OF ANY OF THE GULF CARRIERS AGAINST OUR BIG 3 SO ALPA YOU AND YOUR MONKEYS ARE BLOCKING EVERYTHING EVEN NORWEGIAN LOW FARE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AND YOU AND YOUR MANY ARROGANT PILOTS ARE TO BLAME.
The U.S. airlines have them self to blame, the service you receive with exception of Jet Blue and to certain point virgin America is terrible. On long haul flights you have to pay for everything onboard and if you ask for something even though you pay for it you are meet with a rude face that screams WHY IN THE H... ARE YOU BOTHERING ME, you are the paying customer but you have to excuse yourself if you want something to eat or drink. Even Norwegians low cost flights have 10 star service compare to AA and United.
Sorry, one more point: despite the huge rise in passenegers, the 'legacy airlines' have been retiring 747s, replacing them with dreamlines and 777s, while the gulf airlines have been upszing to A380s to meet the market. You don't need a masters degree in marketing to see which airlines have the wiser policy. Boeing chose not to match the A380, and have been promoting the 777/787s rather than promoting the stretched 747s, and the airlines have just followed along. Crazy, in the face of a 100% rise in passengers over the past few years.
Two things; firstly, these airlines are new, and - significantly for the unions - have operated without all those sad legacy agreements that offer minimum benefit to workers, but maximimum cost to airleines, that unions (sadly) cling to. additionally, they have seriously benefitted from flying A380s (emirates have some 80, with 60 more to come). And often on routes the US airlines haven't bothered with, sticking to their traditional routes with little imagination and small airplanes - European airlines have been equally remiss.
Secondly - and most important - the open skies agreements have opened up a new world of travellers, which the gulf airlines and low cost airlines have voraciously adapted to. Damage open skies, and everyone suffers, and on recent show of adaptability, the old fashioned airlines will be hurt most. Neither the US airlines nor, it seems, the union, have thought this through.
The real reason for the gulf airlines success has been the humungous growth of new fliers in the middle east and Asia: close open skies, and US airlines will lose all access to those markets, while the gulf airlines will be hardly touched.
The staggering politics of this are cringeworthy. The US3 are attacking airlines that they don't fly to - not one flies into any of the ME3 airports. They complain because they bring competition. It's the U.S. and European legacy airlines who need to wake up and do something not whine to legislators to solve problems of service quality and attitude. Qatar and Etihad are some of the best service and product offerings in the world. American just took delivery of a 788 that is as dull inside and uninspired as a cloudy day and as to staff - the surliest least welcoming I ever met. Richard Anderson of Delta deliberately caused waves by using the racist comment about Arabs and terrorism to stir the pot thinking it worth doing so to create a storm that would drag this subject up as it was clearly flagging in the media and with the public. He knew what he was doing and it worked. The ME3 can't retaliate against the US3 and that's another reason they attacked them. You don't see them attacking the Chinese airlines whose flights and encroachment is far more serious and widespread. They would retaliate and that would set off a trade war. The US3 are pulling the wool over our eyes. It's a despicable double standards attack they and the unions should be ashamed of.
Well, i dont know why america wants to lead every single thing in such a crying baby way.
It is so simple, you offer better service, then you are better. f you are unable to offer a competitive service, then there must be something missing or wrong with your way of running the business.
US AIRLINES AND SPECIALLY THE BIG 3 ARE ALWAYS CRYING, IF YOU WANT TO RECOVER YOUR MARKET SHARE AGAINST THE BIG 3 OF THE GULF IS REALLY EASY TO DO.....JUST OFFER A BETTER PRODUCT AND SERVICE....YOU CAN'T COMPARE A NASTY CABIN INTERIOR OF AA, UA OR DL AGAINST ONE OF EMIRATES OR QUATAR OR ETHIAD....THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OF ANY OF THE GULF CARRIERS AGAINST OUR BIG 3 SO ALPA YOU AND YOUR MONKEYS ARE BLOCKING EVERYTHING EVEN NORWEGIAN LOW FARE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AND YOU AND YOUR MANY ARROGANT PILOTS ARE TO BLAME.