All Out War Between U.S. Legacy Airlines and Gulf Carriers – 25 Moments in 2015

Not many people in the U.S. were watching in February when Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson appeared on CNN International’s “Quest Means Business” show and indirectly blamed the Gulf carriers — Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Air — for the attacks of 9/11.

But we were. In the days that followed, all the decorum usually seen among airline execs went out the window as Delta tried to apologize in at least three different ways and Qatar Air’s CEO claimed Anderson’s complaint was an attempt to “hide his inefficiency.”

In the months that have followed, the U.S. three formed the lobbying group Partnership for Open and Fair Skies to distribute questionable research and push U.S. lawmakers to alter open skies agreements in order to limit the Gulf carriers’ growth. United and American’s CEOs have been content to let Anderson lead the charge and he has largely done so alone. Travel leaders in both the U.S. and Europe have come out against the U.S. carriers, as has the U.S. Justice Department and airlines including JetBlue.

The battle isn’t over, but it’s becoming more lonely for Anderson and his peers at United and American.

The Full Story

• Delta CEO Associates Gulf Carriers With 9/11 Terrorists in Open Skies Fight
• Top U.S. Travel CEOs Side With Gulf Carriers in Open Skies Spat
• U.S. Justice Department Sides With Gulf Carriers in Open Skies Debate