Tariq A. Al-Maeena
ANYONE who has flown any of the major US carriers will tell you how eventful the experience can be. Unlike the grand transcontinental service of Pan Am of the past, today’s US carriers have set aside passenger comfort for the almighty buck. Now, global passengers on US carriers face crowded check-in counters, delays, lost luggage, cramped seating and not much food service when on board.
Domestically the situation is even worse as passengers are packed tight with very little space between the seats and no food service unless you paid for it. To make matters worse, you also have to pay for your luggage. This has not been a sudden transformation. It has taken many years as airlines opted for profit over anything else.
For US travelers accustomed to traveling overseas, choices have opened up in recent years with Gulf carriers reaching many of the major cities in the US with direct flights and few hassles. The ease of connecting onward which the major Gulf carriers have, many American passengers opting for this new breed of airlines which seemingly strive for passenger comfort over anything else. As US carriers began to notice passenger counts shrinking from these migrating passengers, they decided to make a lot of noise.
In March 2015, America's three largest airlines — American, United, and Delta demanded US government action against the three major Gulf carriers — Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways claiming that they were cheating on existing international agreements. The principal complaint was that the three Gulf competitors were state-owned and were receiving government subsidies which violated the terms of the existing Open Skies agreements between the US, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
In a war of words with their counterparts in the Arabian Gulf, American, United and Delta claimed the Gulf carriers are rigging competition in their favor through billions of dollars in unfair aid from their governments. The charges were dismissed by all the Gulf carriers who have accused US airlines of shedding crocodile tears. An aviation analyst based in Doha, Qatar, said at the time that “These three US carriers themselves benefit from massive federal, state and local government support of their own. Why couldn't they have spent that improving their services?... On comfortable seats, better check-in procedures and all the things that Gulf airlines pride themselves on doing.”
It’s no secret that in the past many years, Gulf carriers have consistently been rated by travelers and professionals in the aviation industry as among the leading carriers in the world. The top spot honor goes to Qatar Airways, an airline that came into being just 23 years ago and has for the past few years garnered every award that the industry hands out. Qatar Airways has not earned such laurels by sitting idle. They invested in new aircraft, better services and passenger handling and comfort and the rest became history. The airline that is joined the OneWorld Alliance can now take a passenger to the remotest corners of the world with the premium service passengers have come to expect from this world leader.
Such global recognition was sure to have irked the top echelon at major US airlines headquarters. So much so that when Qatar Airways decided to celebrate its inaugural flight to the city of Atlanta in the US in May of this year with the customary fanfare of celebrating the event with a gala heralding, major US carriers vented their pent-up resentment at the success of this Gulf upstart. Qatar Airways had signed up Jennifer Lopez, the famous American singer, actress, dancer, to lead off the entertainment to an audience that included the top echelon of the city of Atlanta along with the executives of Qatar Airways.
In actions bordering on being childish, the US Association of Flight Attendants, which was aligned with Delta, United and American (Big Three), wrote to Lopez urging her to cancel her performance. There was also a small crowd that was rounded up and who had come to protest outside the theater where the event was being held. After failing in their efforts to dissuade the owners of the theater from holding the event, Delta Airlines went a step further and said it would end its 20-year-long sponsorship of the theater when its current contract ends next year because the theater hosted the event with “an airline proven to engage in business practices that harm US aviation jobs and violate basic human rights.” Fortunately the show went on, much to the chagrin of the Big Three.
Words, words, and more empty words. When will the executives at the big three US airlines realize that Qatar Airways did not become the world leader by shoddy business practices or questionable human right violations. The airline has sustained its hold on being the premier global carrier by its commitment to what the passenger wants.
The airline passenger does not need the US carriers to convince him otherwise. He experiences all of what a flying customer should be provided with when he is issued a ticket on Qatar Airways. It is not about subsidies. It is all about passenger convenience and comfort.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
