I can understand that US carriers don't like it since it limits their international revenue opportunities, but is it really that harmful? If the ME3 were flying within the US, their subsidies would distort our domestic market. Since they're only flying to and through the ME, the scope of distortion is limited.

(Written on 2015/10/31)(Permalink)

I'm gonna play devil's advocate. If the UAE wants to subsidize my travels abroad, at their expense*, is that really so bad? Downsides: - US carriers lose international business, that hurts aviation jobs. Upsides: - Passengers get better service, cheaper. Losing these jobs sucks, but there's some mitigating factors: Foreign carriers can't service our domestic market, so while US carriers might need to downsize their international operations, they don't need to go out of business. I'd also add that unlike manufacturing, or other sectors, there's less strategic value in these international operations. They can be spun down, and in the future, should the international competition no longer offer a better value, started up again. * Not counting the subsidies provided by the US Import Export Bank. Those primarily help Boeing compete.

(Written on 2015/02/21)(Permalink)

Wow, Boeing customers really do receive a huge amount of loans and guarantees from the Export-Import bank. See: http://www.exim.gov/about/library/reports/annualreports/2013/FY2013-long-term-guarantees-auth.pdf But it's damned if you do, damned if you don't, because Airbus receives EU subsidies. And it's not just the middle east - pretty much any country buying Boeing aircraft is on there. If the goal of this financing is to support Boeing, and we cut it off, then more of these routes will just be serviced by Airbus Aircraft.

(Written on 2015/02/21)(Permalink)

Thanks for sharing this. I'm surprised that ferrying is that expensive. That certainly adds to the cost of an airplane in Australia. I would have guessed around $20,000. However, as this incident illustrates, it's complex risky operation.

(Written on 2015/02/02)(Permalink)

I don't agree with the article as a whole. I agree that ICE at US Airports is horrible (I'm a US passport holder). Usually much worse than anywhere else I've visited. ICE border enforcement has a way making me feel more like a criminal than any other government interaction. But it's not universal, I've have had a few experiences that weren't horrible, and one or two that were actually pleasant (Or maybe they just seemed that way compared to all the other times) However, if you factor out ICE, as far as transfers go I think it's really a mixed bag. I've encountered some long lines transferring at Narita and Heathrow. Beijing Capitol airport is huge, new and modern, but security and luggage wait times can be lengthy. Plus the T3->T1->T3 transit takes a long time. Last two times there, we had to bus between the terminal and the plane (Domestic Air China 777). Last year I transferred from Delta to Air Europa in Madrid. Maybe it's better in one of the newer terminals, but I

(Written on 2015/02/02)(Permalink)

I'm confident that the pilots had a lot more information than we have from the the blurb in the article. The pilots must have been fairly confident of the reasons behind the shutdown. November last year, an Emirates A380 lost an engine departing SYD. They turned around and landed back in SYD. Emirates also diverted an A380 flying from DXB to JFK into CDG last year due to engine problems. As others have pointed out, the jumbos are perfectly capable of flying safely on 3 engines. It's been done in the A380 several times and by other airlines as well. The question of losing another engine is certainly there, but most of the North Atlantic tracks are covered by ETOPS 120, so as long as the weather is suitable at the diversion airports, you're not too far from a suitable runway. Just how long does it take to dump that much fuel anyway and prepare the aircraft for a safe landing? I think Emirate's history with the A380 shows that when the situation warrants, they'll take on the

(Written on 2013/11/18)(Permalink)