Originally Posted by
F15Cricket
I have numbered your points to correlate my responses.
1. Are you next going to say that Mexico has a bad government, so we shouldn't let their airlines fly in the US? Well, since it really has nothing to do with the discussion ...
2. It doesn't matter what I call them. If our president or the CEO of Generic US Airlines is a total jerk who is a bad leader and mistreats their people, what does that have to do with this discussion? Nothing, as I can see.
3. When the bankruptcies of the airlines allowed them to renegotiate their loans and union contracts and artificially lower their expenses, did that give them an unfair advantage against other US airlines that didn't do the same thing? And, you said the debt restructuring was pennies on the dollar ... What is $10k compared to $1m? Yup, it's 1%, so it is a penny on the dollar. I was not confusied but making a point. When the US BIg 3 declared their bankruptcies, did that allow them to restructure (from their unsuccessful business model) to something that is reaping extraordinary profits today?
4. Again, how does that relate to the ME3 having an unfair advantage? Do you work for an airline that gives you complete freedom of expression? Doubt it--try showing up to work not in uniform, or post an Internet article dogging your employer and see how that goes for you.
5. You are probably correct in your analysis, but neither of us know.
6. And US-elected officials who say, "What difference does it make?!" when their decisions got Americans killed in Libya are ok? Open your eyes, man...
1. No, I didn't say that. The Big US 3 aren't saying that Emirates can't dump a bunch of capacity in the US because we don't like their dictators. They're saying they can't dump a bunch of capacity in the US because they are government subsidized entities, and the subsidies would make it impossible for non-state supported airlines in the US to effectively compete against them.
2. If it doesn't matter what you call them, then it doesn't matter what I call them, either. They're thugs who are only interested in themselves and keeping the wealth and power of their country in their hands. And if you're a citizen in one of those ME countries who speaks out, maybe you disappear. Maybe your family disappears. But hey, these dictators want to diversify their economy at MY professional expense so they can have some extra streams of income to make those Bentley payments when the oil dries up. Let's help a brotha out, huh?
3. Again, the bankruptcy argument IMO is one of the few real arguments that the big ME 3 can make about unfair competition. IMO it's NOT a subsidy since the US government didn't hand Delta, for example, billions of dollars to stay solvent or to cover a bad fuel hedging policy. So again, I wouldn't have a beef with an insolvent ME airline going through a similar TRANSPARENT Chapter 11 process with an exit plan that allows the airline to go forward as an ongoing entity WITHOUT King so-and-so propping up his pet airline with interest free loans and multi-billion dollar airports with landing fees that can't even cover the cost of capital.
4. I can't believe you're comparing a company's uniform policy to brutal dictators not allowing their citizens basic human rights. When a ME thug doesn't allow his "subjects" the legal right to unionize for example, that's a competitive advantage. Just like you say US Airlines have an unfair advantage with US bankruptcy law, the big ME 3 have an unfair advantage when their self-appointed Kings oppress those who work in their country by not giving them a right to unionize. And since labor costs are an airline's largest cost or second largest cost in a business where margins are normally extremely narrow, that is a huge advantage to ME carriers.
5. I just did a keyword search on "CRAF" in Delta's and United's last annual report. The only reference to the CRAF program was a small paragraph in Delta's filing saying that they participate in the program and that it has only been activated twice since its inception. I doubt they're getting paid anything, nor was a payment of any sort disclosed in their annual report.
6. Open YOUR eyes. These Middle East dictators are VERY VERY bad people. If you don't understand the difference between a brutal ME dictator and an elected US official who makes decisions or comments that you disagree with, then seriously man, there really isn't anything to discuss.
Just curious....I'm a US airline pilot and US citizen- there's my bias. Just wondering why you are so vigorously defending these despots? Are a US citizen? Do you work for a ME carrier?