Originally Posted by
Whip Whitaker
I keep hearing this "Billions of dollars in subsidies" being tossed around. Would you mind being more specific? Cash infusions? Discounted fuel?
By the way here is Emirates Fiscal Report for the last year with the Independant Auditors Report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on page 65.
Annual Report | Facts & Figures | The Emirates Group
EK Load Factor was just shy of 80% last year with flights to the US in the mid 80's load factor with comparabily priced tickets to US Airlines. Doesn't sound like flying empty planes to me.
As far as subsidies there is some serious selective memory going on here. Just a few years ago Delta received financing from the Canadian Export Bank to buy RJ's for their regionals.
They also received 50 million in subsidies from Pennsylvania when purchasing their oil refinery.
Also money from Minnesota to expand a call center.
I could go on but I hope I have made my point.
http://www.openandfairskies.com/wp-c...hite.Paper.pdf
GMAB. Subsidies for a call center??
The 3 ME carriers are getting BILLIONS in government subsides and are hiding it illegally so they will be in compliance with open skies. That is a much different issue than Delta getting a couple million for a call center and and RJ's. They are breaking international law and want access to the U.S. aviation market.
They have never been able to win anything playing by the rules. First they let the U.S. discover, develop, build, and market their entire oil infrastructure then turned around and nationalized it. Now they want in on the U.S. aviation market.
I didn't say they were flying empty planes, I said they were flying them at a loss. They can do that because the government subsidizes them. Delta could charge $5 a ticket and be full all day long, but wouldn't make money. You proved my point.....thanks. I think PriceWaterhousCoopers did Enrons audits as well.