Comments on: EU Reveals Unfortunate Preference for Legacy Carriers (Guest Post)

By: Martin J

Martin J — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:11:08 +0000

why the attack on the French Govt handling of Air France in the early 1990s?

Look at the subsidies and protections paid to US carriers post Sept 11

By: Axelsarki

Axelsarki — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:14:55 +0000

@ David Henderson: Ohh, so you cant be bothered? We, the public, keep your member airlines going, and I pay your salary. So you better start caring. Crakyjackass well deserved.

By: David Henderson

David Henderson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:49:36 +0000

Here in the AEA offices we fell off our seats laughing. EU institutions give preferential treatment to the AEA carriers? We wish. I’m afraid your correspondent’s insights into the European scene don’t go very deep.

We could explain, in nice easy-to-understand terms, why schedule continuity and predictability across successive timetable seasons is a Good Thing, but we can’t be bothered. If The Cardinal can’t work that out for himself, there’s not much point.

Anyway, thanks for the publicity. It’s nice to know that someone on the other side of the world has such a high opinion of our lobbying prowess. Keep believing.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:38:22 +0000

I disagree with the assertion that the low-cost sector in the EU is “doing fine”. SkyEurope went bust last month (there will be others this coming winter), easyJet has flight crew on notice of redundancy and Ryanair has slashed loads of flights off its schedules and withdrawn from some airports e.g. BLK and MAN. The low-cost sector uses provincial airports because they know they can be in and out of them in less than 30 minutes. This would be impossible at the megahubs like LHR/FRA etc. and it’s why they tend to stay away from them.

You just wait, sooner or later your industry on that side of the pond is going to look like the hot mess we have over here.

It already is, believe me…

By: Trent880

Trent880 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:37:32 +0000

It always makes me chuckle when somebody whines about how US carriers have the audacity to not serve wine in Y on international flights or the chutzpah to charge for bags unlike the wonderful EU airlines. You just wait, sooner or later your industry on that side of the pond is going to look like the hot mess we have over here. Only thing is we’ll have been through it ten years earlier by that point.

By: TD

TD — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:04:31 +0000

God dam communists, thank God we don’t bail out the airlines, auto industry, or banks in this country…… Thank God we don’t get involved when a military contract goes to a foreign country…..

By: Nimitz

Nimitz — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:37:21 +0000

I believe in Europe they eat their cake and have it, not the other way around. If you can magine such a thing (more eye rolling).

By: Will S.

Will S. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:42:22 +0000

Must be nice for the upper crust to have their cake and eat it as well….which is why Europe remains, well, Europe (imagine my rolling eyes).

By: A

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:23:30 +0000

EU supports Airbus directly -or- EU supports AEA airlines which in turn support Airbus. It’s nationistic nepotism either way you look at it.

By: Daren S

Daren S — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:54:51 +0000

It would be interesting to know which of those airlines are looking to get aircraft financing since nearly all these legacy carriers (with the exception of Alitalia) have fairly young fleets so it is hardly what you would call necessary expenditure during these difficult times.

Whilst I agree with your points about the tendency of national governments to protect these legacy carriers, you can’t blame these airlines lobbying for help when every other industry seems to be going cap in hand to governments for bailout money.