AA, DL e UA protestano contro vettori Qatar & UAE per concorrenza sleale


Abu Dhabi Airports: Etihad is not exempted from fees

US carriers should compete on services, Al Mansouri says

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Airports Chairman, Ali Majed Al Mansouri, on Tuesday rejected claims by US carriers that Etihad Airways has been exempted from $501 million in airport fees.

“That’s not true,” he told Gulf News when asked about the accusations made in a 55-page whitepaper drafted by the US’ three largest carriers.

One of the claims included that Etihad benefits from fee exemptions at its hub, Abu Dhabi International, managed and operated by state-owned Abu Dhabi Airports.

“US carriers should compete on services. They are losing customers because other airlines, Etihad Airways being one of them, are providing good services,” Al Mansouri said. “They are losing this … and because of that they are complaining that the issue is subsidies.”

The airlines — Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines — have asked the White House to change bilateral agreements with the UAE and Qatar. The three airlines claim Etihad Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways have benefited from more than $40 billion (Dh146.88 billion) in state subsides since 2004 — a claim which the three Gulf carriers have historically denied.

Al Mansouri, who is also a member of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, said US carriers were “absolutely” welcome to fly to Abu Dhabi International and that they were even studying such a possibility. He, however, did not name the airlines.

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/abu-dhabi-airports-etihad-is-not-exempted-from-fees-1.1469713
 
UAE 'Happy To Talk' About Alleged Subsidies - Report

March 11, 2015

A United Arab Emirates aviation official said it is "happy to talk" to the United States about alleged state subsidies received by Gulf carriers but added that no government action currently is necessary, according to Gulf News.
The remarks follow an escalating campaign by US airlines and unions to persuade the US to initiate talks with the UAE over their Open Skies agreement, which regulates commercial flying between the countries.
"We are happy to talk... But right now I don't think the governments should do anything. I think the governments should really commit to their Open Sky policies," said Laila Ali Bin Hareb Al Muhairi, assistant director-general at the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE, according to Gulf News.
US airlines and unions have alleged that Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have received more than USD$40 billion in state subsidies, contrary to the spirit of Open Skies, which has allowed them to drive down fares and push their US competitors out of key markets.
Al Muhairi said the subsidy claims were "not based on any substantial information" and added that the US had yet to raise these issues with the UAE, according to Gulf News. The Gulf carriers have denied the allegations and say US airlines are losing market share because of their inferior service.
A spokesman for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies, a lobby group of US airlines and unions, said in a release, "We look forward to those consultations taking place and hope that the government of Qatar will also be willing to engage the US government in similar talks."

(Reuters)
 
According to the Financial Times, the allegations against Emirates include Dubai’s assumption of a $2.4bn fuel-hedging loss, $2.3bn of savings from artificially low airport charges and $1.9bn of savings from Emirates’ non-unionised workforce. Mr Clark will of course deny that cheap labour and ground-handling constitute a government subsidy; to the contrary, he will say, they reflect the commercial savviness of his government. But the accusations levied against the other Gulf carriers are harder to dismiss. Qatar Airways, it is alleged, has received $7.7bn in interest-free loans from the Qatari government and $6.8bn in reduced debt-interest charges thanks to sovereign guarantees. Etihad is said to have received $6.3bn in capital injections, $4.6bn in interest-free loans with no repayment obligation, and $4.2bn in “additional committed subsidies” from Abu Dhabi.

Do equity transferrals, interest-free loans and debt guarantees constitute subsidies? Not according to Akbar Al Baker, the boss of Qatar Airways, who insists that the Qatari government is free to provide financial support to its airline just like any other shareholder.

Fonte:the economist

Seguendo lo stesso ragionamento non vedo come sia possibile far passare "Union ban resulting in below-market labor costs" come un sussidio statale.

Citando di nuovo Financial Times ed Economist (e tentando di non andare OT): l'assenza di un sindacato organizzato non è un sussidio, piuttosto una condizione di mercato, mentre uno sconto sulle tariffe aeroportuali al vettore di casa (sempre che sia provato) e non agli altri vettori, lo è. Un prestito obbligazionario infruttifero alla tua compagnia di bandiera è un sussidio, perché è asimmetrico (il Governo lo dà a chi vuole) e comporta una prelievo, presumibilmente dalle tasse. Un Governo non è "like any shareholder" perché a differenza di "any shareholder" ha il potere di promulgare leggi, regolamenti e imporre tasse.

L'amministrazione controllata è un provvedimento accessibile da tutte le aziende che ne hanno i requisiti in base alla legislazione locale, costoso per il management (un esempio: il CEO di AA si è dovuto dimettere quando la compagnia è entrata nel Chapter 11) e soggetto alla vigilanza di un Tribunale.
Per fare solo un altro esempio (palesemente OT): il fatto che la tassazione per i profitti aziendali in Irlanda sia il 12,5% non è un sussidio, ma una condizione di mercato, liberamente accessibile da chi voglia avviare una trading company in Irlanda. Il fatto che in Italia siamo a livelli di prelievo oltre che tripli non ci fa gridare al sussidio.

Poi, sul fatto che le americane sollevino il problema non perché paladine del libero mercato, ma perché iniziano a soffrire la concorrenza, siamo tutti d'accordo. Io per primo.
 
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l'assenza di un sindacato organizzato non è un sussidio, piuttosto una condizione di mercato, mentre uno sconto sulle tariffe aeroportuali al vettore di casa (sempre che sia provato) e non agli altri vettori, lo è. Un prestito obbligazionario infruttifero alla tua compagnia di bandiera è un sussidio, perché è asimmetrico (il Governo lo dà a chi vuole) e comporta una prelievo, presumibilmente dalle tasse. Un Governo non è "like any shareholder" perché a differenza di "any shareholder" ha il potere di promulgare leggi, regolamenti e imporre tasse.

Concordo in pieno.
 
+1

Vorrei fare notare come la prima a "vacillare" sulla MXP-JFK sia stata AA.

AA è quella che soffre di più il confronto sulla qualità del prodotto. È stata l'ultima ad uscire dal Chapter 11 ed è l'Americana più indietro nel rinnovo della flotta. Il MIA-MXP, per esempio, trova passeggeri perché la rotta è in monopolio e il pricing abbastanza aggressivo. Sull'esperienza di bordo, lasciamo perdere che è meglio.

Domani volo MIA-LHR col nuovo 777-300. Sono proprio curioso di vedere com'è questa "new American is coming".
 
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Poi, sul fatto che le americane sollevino il problema non perché paladine del libero mercato, ma perché iniziano a soffrire la concorrenza, siamo tutti d'accordo. Io per primo.

...veramente non solo le americane, dal momento che europee e alcune asiatiche, per arrivare fino a Qantas, mi pare abbiano a che fare con la medesima problematica...
Possibile che tutti questi abbiano sbagliato il proprio Business Model nel tempo e che invece questi capacissimi eroi del golfo siano gli unici capaci di poter rifare aeroporti, acquistare aerei a colpi di 200 per botta, fare soldi (pur facendo dumping selvaggio talvolta), magari anche pagare bene il proprio personale (come no!), aprire lounges da 1000 e una notte e tutto questo solo perche' sono bravi a far soldi ESCLUSIVAMENTE per il tramite un Business Model che genera profitti?
Se, vabbe'... ;)
 
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AA è quella che soffre di più il confronto sulla qualità del prodotto. È stata l'ultima ad uscire dal Chapter 11 ed è l'Americana più indietro nel rinnovo della flotta. Il MIA-MXP, per esempio, trova passeggeri perché la rotta è in monopolio e il pricing abbastanza aggressivo. Sull'esperienza di bordo, lasciamo perdere che è meglio.

Domani volo MIA-LHR col nuovo 777-300. Sono proprio curioso di vedere com'è questa "new American is coming".

AA e' quella che ha sempre avuto problemi con i sindacati sin dagli anni 90. lo svecchiamento della flotta rimaneva difficile per le condizioni di difficolta' della compagnia e per il fatto che nessuno voleva entrare in chapter 11 ma il top management lo paventava per cercare di convincere i sindacati a piu' miti consigli. oggi si trova spiazzata sul prodotto long haul su alcune rotte e MXP e' una di queste
 
La questione sembra prendere sempre piu' una deriva orientata allo scontro aperto...

Emirates Airline considers action against US rivals – Financial Times
Mar. 15 Business news no comments
Emirates Airline is considering legal action against US carriers who have accused their rapidly growing Gulf-based rivals of unfair competition.
Sir Tim Clark, chief executive of Emirates, will meet transport officials in Washington on Monday.
 
No, una concorrenza leale e trasparente, non annacquata da infiniti sussidi. Punto.
Onestamente li posso capire, ma se al momento le golfare non stanno violando alcuna legge di nessuno stato vuol dire che fanno pressione per multe o restrizioni ai voli in caso non riescano a dimostrare che non ricevono sussidi?
 
Va bene che la fonte e' quella che e', pero' sembra un bell'attacco di Al-Baker ad Anderson (CEO Delta):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/af...ys-boss-accuses-Delta-flying-crap-planes.html

Qatar Airways boss accuses Delta of flying 'crap' planes

The chief of Qatar Airways on Monday denied his company receives subsidies and accused rivals Delta Air Lines of flying "crap" older planes, escalating hostilities between Gulf and American carriers.Speaking at an arts conference in Doha, Akbar al-Baker said any money his airline receives from the state is in the form of "legitimate" equity and added his company's fleet of aircraft were much cleaner for the environment in comparison to Delta.
"I think Mr Anderson (CEO of Delta, Richard Anderson) doesn't know the difference between equity and subsidy. We never receive any subsidy," Baker said.
"The state of Qatar is the owner of Qatar Airways and whatever funds are put into the airline is as equity, which is quite legitimate.
"The unfortunate thing is that because they are so inefficient they want to blame us -- whilst we are very efficient -- for their failures and drawbacks.
"The issue is that they cannot stand the progress the Gulf carriers are making."
Baker was responding to claims made earlier this month by three US airlines -- Delta, American and United -- that Qatar, along with Etihad Airways and Emirates, received $42 billion in "unfair" subsidies to wrest business away from competitors.
The US carriers issued a 55-page report claiming this has allowed the Gulf airlines to wrest market share from the American airlines.
These "multi-billion dollar subsidies" had distorted the marketplace, "to the severe detriment of US employment," the American carriers claimed.
They called on Washington to raise the issue with the UAE and Qatari governments and urged changes to bilateral commercial aviation agreements with them.
The UAE, where Etihad and Emirates are based, angrily denied the claims.
UAE Economy Minister Sultan al-Mansouri was quoted as calling them "false and unacceptable" by the Emarat Al-Youm newspaper.
However, European carriers have also joined the argument.
Last week, French and German transport ministers called on the European Commission to tackle the issue of subsidies to Gulf carriers.
The French transport minister, Alain Vidalies, said the Gulf airlines were benefitting from "unfair competitive practices".
- 'Going on horseback' -
Baker's attack on Monday though was not merely limited to discussions over competition.
He also defended Qatar Airway's record when it comes to CO2 emissions and unflatteringly compared Delta's aircraft to those of his company when asked about aviation pollution.
"I am delighted that Richard Anderson of Delta is not here. First of all, we don't fly crap airplanes that are 35 years old. The Qatar Airways average fleet (age) is only fours years and one month," said Baker.
"We have ultra-modern airplanes. We have invested, my country has invested, huge amounts to make sure we are the lowest CO2 contributor in the aviation industry."
And he was also damning of those who criticised the aviation industry's record on environmental pollution.
"People who make lots of noise about CO2, people who make so much noise about greenhouse gases that are emitted from airplane engines, don't realise that they are constantly travelling by airplane, so they should start walking or going on horseback if they really mean what they say."
 
Onestamente li posso capire, ma se al momento le golfare non stanno violando alcuna legge di nessuno stato vuol dire che fanno pressione per multe o restrizioni ai voli in caso non riescano a dimostrare che non ricevono sussidi?

Si tratta di valutare se gli accordi di Open Skyes siano verosimilmente legati ad una reciproca e mutuale soddisfazione oppure condizionati in modo fuorviante da dinamiche finanziarie incongruenti con lo scopo.

Nello specifico, questi i punti salienti contenuti nel documento presentato al DOT dalle tre americane:

- U.S. Open Skies policy is designed to enable U.S. carriers to compete in a global market undistorted by government actions that advantage foreign carriers. The UAE and Qatar have turned this policy on its head by pursuing aviation industrial policies that are designed to distort the global market in favor of their state-owned carriers.

- Most significantly, while they have long denied that they are subsidized, newly obtained evidence demonstrates that the Gulf carriers have collectively received over $40 billion in subsidies and other unfair advantages in the last decade alone. The subsidies are fueling a massive expansion in the Gulf carriers’ fleets – and, in the case of Etihad and Qatar, their continued existence – and seriously distorting the commercial marketplace to the detriment of U.S. and third-country airlines.

- As the Gulf carriers continue to deploy this subsidized capacity on international routes, they take passengers and revenues from U.S. airlines. The privately owned U.S. airlines – which must earn a sufficient return to cover their cost of capital – will be forced off those routes, or will further reduce their services on them, and U.S. workers will lose their jobs.

The Obama Administration has acknowledged the trade distortions and unfair competition that state capitalism and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are creating in other sectors of the U.S. economy, and it is taking steps to address them. It is time to do the same in this sector. The status quo runs absolutely counter to fundamental Open Skies policy and cannot be justified or maintained.
 
Invece di schiamazzare tanto, se proprio ci tengono, perche' gli USA non rivedono i bilaterali in senso protezionistico?