There's been grumbling about the quality of Skytrax's ratings before, but this is the first time an airline has turned openly hostile against the consultancy.
While we have no faith in trickle-down economics, there is a real correlation between design improvements in first class and life getting a little better in economy.
Etihad's aggressive strategy to take equity stakes in five other airlines, and to take advantage of the resulting economies of scale makes a lot of dollars and sense.
Contrast and comparison is a particularly effective technique for travel ads, because it highlights what makes each culture or company unique -- the ultimate goal of any good campaign.