[Newsbot]

Title: UEA airline lashes back at Ottawa
Category: World
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2010-11-21 12:44:39
Canadian

[GreenTiger]

I confess that I have a very visceral negative response to any group lashing out at Canada, reason and logic come in a distant second place.

This is no exception. Canada needs to protect her own jobs and workforce and if UAE can't understand that they can blow it out their ass (sorry DD).

[desertdude]

I didn't know the University of East Anglia had an airline ?

[ShepherdsDog]

Damned Straw heads

[Chumley]

desertdude desertdude:

I didn't know the University of East Anglia had an airline ?

[martin14]

the UAE, with no oil, needs trade and investment to keep away the sand dunes and
carpet salesmen.

So, of course, this is the best way to go around getting that investment.


Seriously, fuck them.

Close the UAE to Canadian skies, and have a nice day..... assholes

[martin14]

desertdude desertdude:

I didn't know the University of East Anglia had an airline ?

best hope Hyack aint in a grumpy mood when he reads that..

[PostFactum]

martin14 martin14:

desertdude desertdude:

I didn't know the University of East Anglia had an airline ?

best hope Hyack aint in a grumpy mood when he reads that..

No, Hitman is already looking for a Desertdude))

[bootlegga]

Too bad for them. That's what they get for crying like little babies and hoping the government could get concessions that the airline couldn't get itself. Perhaps if the UAE was as competitive as they demand others to be, this wouldn't have happened.

UAE Airline * Waaah, I'm telling my mommy on you *

Canada * Go right ahead *

Mommy (UAE gov't) * You better give them landing rights or we'll kick you out of our country *

Canada * We were leaving anyways... *

[Lemmy]

Sorry, folks, but you've got this one all wrong. The ones whining are Air Canada and Luftansa. Air Emirates offers direct flights, which consumers love. But Air Canada and Luftansa want to maintain a monopoly, forcing Canadians travelling to Dubai to fly AC to Frankfurt then connect to a Luftansa flight to the UAE. It's us and the Germans that are crying because we can't/won't offer the direct service that Air Emirates are. We're wrong on this one. And once again we taking it up the ass as consumers at the expense of corporate greed.

[bootlegga]

I'd agree with you Lemmy if the UAE government hadn't stepped in, but once that happened, it changed the situation entirely. If the government is willing to kick us out of an airbase we've used for years AND suddenly create visa restrictions for Canadian citizens, then they went too far.

How many Canadians are flying direct to the UAE on a regular basis anyways? I'm sure it's low enough that it doesn't warrant our government giving in to blackmail IMHO.

[Lemmy]

If the ridership is so low, then why are AC and Luftansa refusing to allow Air Emirates to provide the direct flight? The blackmailing is being done by AC and Luftansa. And they're the ones running for the government to step in on their behalf. Air Emirates is just reacting to a couple of inefficient crybaby corporations that can't compete on a level playing field.

[EyeBrock]

poorkingfido poorkingfido:

Correct me if I'm wrong but they let us set up an airbase and use it for FREE. Moving it is going to cost us $300 million. I'd say the decision to snub the UAE was a little shortsighted.

Reminds me of a former friend of mine who bought a whole bunch of furniture and called me to use me and my truck to help him haul it and move it into his house. After, when we went for drinks he didn't want to pay the tab because he'd just spent $5000 on furniture. So I paid. And now when he calls to use me and my truck I tell him to fuck off.

I don't blame the UAE one little bit for telling us to “fuck off” after generously letting us use their land for free and then getting snubbed. Who the fuck do we think we are demanding veneration from our friends and allies. If you want respect and friendship and tit-for-tat then you have to pull your head out of your ass and see the whole picture, not just your own stinky colon.

And it looks like alot of you are very fond of your own colons.

I always like it when people use little scenarios to explain very uncomplicated and obvious points.

Don't forget the UAE also put the knife in at the UN. This is all politics and Canada called the UAE's bluff for whatever reason. There is more to this than meets the eye and I’m all for us standing up and saying ‘no’ to people trying to force one issue by linking it to another.

[bootlegga]

Lemmy Lemmy:

If the ridership is so low, then why are AC and Luftansa refusing to allow Air Emirates to provide the direct flight? The blackmailing is being done by AC and Luftansa. And they're the ones running for the government to step in on their behalf. Air Emirates is just reacting to a couple of inefficient crybaby corporations that can't compete on a level playing field.

Well, given that AC doesn't fly to UAE, I don't see them caring about the flight to UAE. If Lufthansa wants to maintain a profitable flight (that's my guess anyways) - that's a separate issue. Canada has nothing to do with that directly.

AC's concern is probably for limited slots in an already crowded Pearson airport. Why allow a direct flight for something with low ridership once/twice per week when it can be used by another airline (AC, Westjet, or even an international carrier) that goes to a busier destination and carries more people back and forth? It makes sense to me. If, as airport manager/transport minister/etc, I was forced to choose between a direct flight to UAE once per week or a daily flight to the Caribbean, I'd choose the Caribbean flight over the UAE.

It's a simple business matter of numbers and profitability.

But like I said, the second the UAE government threatened our use of a base over a business issue, it changed the dynamic of the entire situation.

For years Canada wanted a 'favored tourism destination' classification from China. What did our government do? They negotiated and got it. They didn't suddenly change the visa requirement rules for Chinese citizens (and only Chinese citizens) or suddenly not allow Chinese companies to use our sea/air space.

That's where the UAE blew it.

Had they negotiated and had some patience, I've no doubt that eventually they would have gotten what they wanted. Instead, they acted like children and so were told to go sit in the corner.

I quite often don't like what the Harper government does, but in this case, they made the correct decision if you ask me.

[desertdude]

Excellent posts by poor king and lemmy, I basicaly wanted to say the same thing but obviously my opinion would be instantly discarded due to my geographical location.

Also not forgeting, what all of this is suppose to protect what. Air Canada which some years back almost filed for bankruptcy and not really making much money of late either. And does not pose any real competetion on an international level anyways.

So I guess they were protecting the only sector they have any control over.