Articles tagged “emirates air”

An Emirates-Etihad merger makes a lot of sense. Emirates may not be as strong as it once was, but it's still a well-run global airline that strikes fear into established competitors. Eithad, however, is in rough shape. It could use a makeover.

No matter what Emirates President Tim Clark says, the airline probably wishes it had moved faster to add premium economy. Most airlines say it has been selling well, as customers are flush with more disposable income. Of course, if and when a recession hits, passengers will stop spending on these perks.

Folks in Pittsburgh would probably love a nonstop flight to Dubai. But will they get it? It seems unlikely, even if Emirates CEO Tim Clark said the airline would consider flights from smaller U.S. cities.

Startups are about ideas, some good and some bad. Skift has put together a list of some of the top travel startups, which we think have some pretty good ideas — far-ranging business models that will help anyone in corporate travel understand the future.

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.

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.

We're not surprised American Airlines is not interested in blinged-out first and business class cabins. But we're still slightly puzzled at the U.S. carriers' anger toward the Gulf airlines. Yes, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar receive government assistance, but so do a lot of airlines.

Consumer groups may criticize Clark for even considering adding a "budget economy" section on the Airbus A380. But a sizable segment of passengers continue to demonstrate they want only one thing — cheap fares. Why shouldn't Emirates create a cabin that will allow it to compete for these customers?

Here's a prediction. The Trump administration may do little on the Open Skies debate. Yes, U.S. airlines probably suffer because of the agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. But plenty of other U.S. interests take advantage of the same agreements to make money.

Some of the airlines covered here come as a surprise, but it makes sense that United no longer wants to play nice with Qatar Airways and Emirates Airline. The good news? The changes won't affect many travelers.