Current aircraft requirements for all of the U.S. routes is around 16 airframes. That is out of a fleet total of over 170-180 ( I can't keep track ). So less than 10% of the total airframes are used on U.S. markets. With expansion into a few more U.S. cities it will still be under 10% of the total fleet because other new aircraft are used on other routes to Africa, Asia, and Europe.

So your statement that those aircraft are on order to serve the U.S. market only is absurd.

The unfounded paranoia of U.S. airline management is primarily based on the inability to compete competantly with a good product and good service. As more and more people in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere attain the income level required to travel they will want to travel to, among other places, the USA. Emirates serves the world so why would they ignore market demand? Your assetion that there is no demand or that there will be no demand is just ignorant. Intelligent airlines managers plan ahead for upcoming demand and put the pieces in place to capitalize on it. That is what Emirates excels at.

As far as the Export-Import bank. They support U.S. manufacturing by helping U.S. companies sell their prodcuts to foreign companies. That helps your union brothers and sisters who work for the big manufacturers in the USA. Again, only 10% of the aircraft that Emirates purchases are used on U.S. routes. Would you rather Emirates buy an all Airbus fleet, or Air India buy an all Airbus fleet since they might not be able to get favorable financing on Boeing products in the USA? That way the other 90% of the aircraft that they purchase to fly other global routes can be taken away from your union brothers and sisters order backlog. :rolleyes:


TP

We got our 200th airplane a few weeks ago (777 of course...). Gotta keep up buddy! ;)

You could of mentioned that at lunch :o


TP

Thought I did? :D:D

Why would it or should it be a level playing field?

You play your strengths and weaknesses... Emirates uses their network to the best of their ability. Draw an 8 hour ring around DXB to give you an idea.

Why should a company lower their standards to those of US carriers just to make it "fair"?

Want a better chance? Go repeal RLA, you should get the same financing as others based on your credit ability, get innovative and visionary management, repeal the BS anti discrimination laws - no reason why you have 70 year old FA's who can't lift a bag anymore, absolutely hamstrung by the 30's-40's mentality of the unions which have long gotten outdated... Not to say they didn't serve a purpose, but they've increasingly grown irrelevant.

Bottom line - adapt or die. I sure as hell hope we adapt...

How did DAL find their success initially? Moving Southerners around the US through ATL. How is EK finding their success? Moving the population of an area with close to 2billion (India, Pakistan, etc) around the world through DXB. :eek:

It seems the Big 3 Gulf Carriers are accelerating their growth and moving into Hyper-growth mode. These unprecedented orders of widebody aircraft will tie up any chance for any future Big scale growth by any of the existing Western carriers. All of this competition though may be short lived if an economic down cycle or Middle East war erupts. The Big 3 Gulf carriers know how to manage during growth periods but none of them have been seriously tested during economic downturns. I know Emirates has an outstanding marketing/ticket sales team which go into new markets at least 6 month ahead of innagural service and perform marketing and promotions to gain business. The other 2 Gulf carriers though I am not sure can sustain this growth. The few times I have flown on Emirates and Qatar I have always been impressed by their new aircraft, outstanding service and cheap tickets. Interesting times and an interesting story. The governments of these 3 carriers always seem to be amazingly supportive of expansion and growth unlike Western governments.

Dubai Airshow: 'Gulf Three' deals will strike fear into rival airlines - CNN.com

Please do not take this like I am super ra ra Emirates/Gulf carriers, but two of the points you make are not accurate. The order for the B777X is for delivery beginning in 2020. At that time the oldest B777-300ER would be 15 years old. If the Rolls Royce powered airplanes were still in the fleet then we are talking over 20 years old in some cases. So the B777X order realistically is for replacement of the current B777s. Sure there will be some growth aircraft in there when you combine the A380 and A350 deliveries, but it's not all growth like some think.

Emirates managed very well through the 2008-2010 economic downturn. They also managed very well in 2003 when SARS hit and Asian traffic dropped to virtually nothing. They actually strategize at taking market share away from other carriers who foolishly pull out of markets during down times.



Typhoonpilot

The massive orders from the UAE airlines and Qatar aren't all about net airframe gain. If you have the capital to essentially buy in "bulk" at a substantial discount, then take compensations for delays or defects on new aircraft, operate the newest and most efficient fleet, then sell older aircraft to second tier carriers, it just makes business sense.

You might not ever see 100 380 tails lined up at DWC, but who cares?

Tim Clark Emirates CEO confirms here it will be incremental growth and phased replacement. The additional airbuses will still be HUGE growth any way you slice it and the additional 777X seat capacity will also add some capacity. The next step may be an additional 777X order as we get closer to 2020. Emirates always has a way of Supersizing everything. I'm officially calling this the B-797 now but maybe Boeing has different ideas.

Video - Emirates President: Why I Bought 150 Boeing 777X - WSJ.com