News and notes from around the interweb:
- “Boeing is abusing trade laws to harm its competition”, they object to the Bombardier C Series which offers wider seats to customers and against which they don’t have a competitive product. Ironically Boeing is charging that Delta is benefiting from illegal Canadian government subsidies and they’re seeking protection.
- Lufthansa will sell access to its Munich first class lounge and B concourse first class lounge in Frankfurt to business and premium economy long haul passengers on the airline.
- Is hubbing in the Mideast no longer an advantage? Indeed, are Delta, United, and American fighting the last battle?
- Last fall a man was arrested for living in Priority Pass lounges in the Singapore airport. It turns out that 59 people so far this year have been arrested for using boarding passes to go airside at Singapore Changi without intending to travel.
- Even better than the First CityWide Bank of Change:
Dear Lord!
After US3 badmouthing ME3, now Boeing badmouthing Bombardier?
What is wrong with american nowdays????? Why in the world you fell so low????
gary, link to the First CityWide Bank of Change” goes to an old Uber article.
that LH first class lounge at Munchen, is a nice lounge, enjoyed a few very tasty courses with family in April, nice fillet mignons, and wine. freshly squeezed juices for the kids.
and it was pleasantly quiet, maybe only another half dozen guests when we were there.
hope they try to maximise utility, and lose some of the quiet, and relaxed ambience for those coughing up the dollars or points for F.
It’s possibly more that American companies now feel empowered to speak up and try to get trade laws enforced. A publicly traded airline does have huge trouble competing with a flag carrier that gets huge government support to keep them afloat.
Boeing does appear to be abusing trade rules. I don’t know if they are being unloaded below cost but
I do love the sound of that new plane. Boeing isn’t materially affected so it does seem unnecessary to try and provoke a trade dispute.
There’s no need to question the entirety of America here.
Hubbing in the Middle East was NEVER a great advantage; it was just described as such by people drinking the subsidized kool-aid. All bad business plans ultimately collapse, even subsidized ones — because EVERYONE (even shiekhs) eventually run out of money.
But claiming that the US airlines are fighting “the last battle” is just another silly comment about this issue from this website. Doug Parker always said the Middle East airlines would falter, on their own, but since nobody could tell when the money would run out, he had to protect his shareholder and employee’s interests by protesting their improper business practices. The reality is that there is only commercial demand for one Persian Gulf airline, and that airline should probably be 1/4 the size of the current total capacity.