Jamie Fly Aviation

MIAMI  — The biggest aviation story of the last four decades (basically since deregulation of airlines in the United States) has been  the rise of the Middle Eastern airlines giants  Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad, as well as their rival to the north Turkish Airlines. In Part II of our analysis of these carriers, we take a look at some of the headwinds that these carriers have faced in the last couple of years, and consider what the future may hold for them. THE MEB3 + 1 HAVE RUN MANY SHARED HEADWINDS It’s no accident that the recent downturn in the fortunes of the MEB3+1 has coincided with a period of sharply lower oil prices and thus jet fuel prices.   Many of the factors above, whether related to political will or location, helped give the MEB3 an overarching cost advantage, and in the 2005-2014 run of seemingly never ending growth, one of the biggest reasons that passengers chose the MEB3+1 over European and Asian rivals was indeed price, al...

For years, Akbar Al Baker, the brash CEO of Qatar Airways, promised he would introduce a business class seat so revolutionary it would make most first class products obsolete. Last week, after many delays, Al Baker  finally unveiled his patented cabin , and  by most accounts , he has succeeded. Soon, on its Boeing 777s and A350s, Qatar Airways will be the first airline to offer couples seated in business class a double bed. Previously, only the most opulent first class seats, such as Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 suites class, offered that feature. Qatar is the latest airline to bet big on business class, calculating the massive seats and over-the-top service of first class no longer makes sense in a competitive market. Most North American airlines gave up on true international first class several years ago, but elsewhere, especially in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, it has persisted, with carriers chasing wealthy travelers who buy tickets that can cost $15,000 or ...