Brian Sumers, Skift
Remember when the Trump administration suggested in May it had solved the ongoing dispute between U.S. and Gulf carriers? Hah. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is already complaining one competitor is ignoring the spirit of the agreement.
6 months ago
Manus Cranny, Layan Odeh and Mahmoud Habboush, Bloomberg
Few airline companies have been as poorly managed as Etihad. It is a wonder the carrier is still flying at all. Shrinking the airline is the right move, but is it enough? Or should Etihad simply go out of business?
9 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
It's funny. Fifth Freedom flights — those are routes where an airline flies from a place other than its home country — account for roughly 1 percent of Emirates' capacity, according to the airline's president. And Emirates has only two such routes to the United States. But it's a hot topic among airline insiders, and it doesn't sound like that will change.
10 months ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
By most accounts, there's not much heft in the new agreements the U.S. government reached with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over airline subsidies. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways will still carry a significant number of travelers between the United States and India. Perhaps the updated diplomatic agreement isn't the reason Delta is returning to India. Maybe it's just a good market.
10 months ago
David Fickling, Bloomberg
Western airlines campaigned for the U.S. to somehow level the playing field with Gulf carriers, who rely on fat subsidies. Their cries fell on deaf ears. But harsh market forces may challenge Qatar, Emirates, and others yet.
11 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
The big three Gulf carriers are still very important, but because of a variety of reasons, they're no longer as scary as they were a few years ago. Still, this is good news for U.S. airlines.
11 months ago
Mahmoud Habboush, Bloomberg
It's safe to say that turbulent times remain for the troubled airline. If Etihad still wants to be a major player, the carrier needs to figure out how to do that and still make money.
11 months ago
Benjamin Katz , Bloomberg
If Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is holding out hope that Trump will side with Qatar over new best-friend Saudi Arabia, he may have a long wait despite the U.S. government's strategic interests in Qatar.
1 year ago
Nick Wadhams and Michael Sasso, Bloomberg
It looks like the conflict between the U.S. — mostly Delta, American and United — and Qatar Airways is finally over, with Qatar agreeing to make concessions probably because a Saudi-led boycott against Qatar is putting it under duress. Will Emirates and Etihad be next to cut a deal?
1 year ago
Michael Sasso and Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
The Trump Administration seems to have as little interest in taking a tough stance against Gulf carriers as the Obama Administration. Yes, the U.S. State Department plans to bring up the subsidy issue in talks with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But they're expected to be relatively informal discussions.
1 year ago
Ryan Beene, Bloomberg
This is more complicated than the trade group representing the three largest U.S. airlines likes to suggest. Yes, Gulf carriers probably steal business from U.S. airlines. But if the U.S. punishes them, there could be consequences for other American businesses. This saga requires a delicate solution.
1 year ago
Christopher Jasper and Kyunghee Park, Bloomberg
Saudi Arabia has done what the major three U.S. airlines could not do — slow Qatar Airways' growth. A Saudi-led blockade has hurt Qatar's revenue, and that may not change soon.
1 year ago