Emirates’ Clark: Legacy Carriers “Need to Grow up”

Emirates president Tim Clark is once again sharing his thoughts on America’s legacy carriers, saying the three airlines need to “grow up” and stop using the tact of a “three-year- old at the playground.” In a new interview, the leader the Dubai-based Middle East Three carrier continued his most recent campaign against accusations that his airline violated Open Skies agreements.

Emirates chief executive Sir Tim Clark is once again rallying against America’s three legacy carriers, saying it’s time for the group to “grow up” and drop their cases over alleged Open Skies violations. In an interview with Business Insider, Clark accused the “Legacy Three” – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines – of acting like a “three-year- old at the playground,” and issued a call for cooperation between them.

In the interview, Clark once again denied any wrongdoing under the Open Skies agreements between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Instead, he pointed to how his airline is building business across the Atlantic Ocean, noting agreements with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

“Think about the feed we do give to my friend Robin Hayes who runs JetBlue in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York, and Boston,” Clark told Business Insider. “And on the other side, I’ve got Brad Tilden with Alaska on Seattle and all the points down there.”

Although the topic of the alleged subsidies were never directly discussed, Clark said the legacy carriers had no proof or evidence that their business was harmed by the Middle East Three. Even with previous reports provided by the legacy carriers to the federal government, Clark says the group “haven’t got a leg to stand on.”

The leader of the Dubai-based carrier hopes that someday he can work with the leaders of America’s big three airlines instead of against them, suggesting that their international passengers could leave an Emirates aircraft and head straight unto an American, Delta or United flight. But until that time, he believes the legacy carriers are leaving “money on the table.”

This is the second time in 2018 Clark has railed against the Open Skies accusations, previously telling the publication that their business with Boeing has directly benefited the United States. The Partnership for Open and Fair Skies, a consortium representing the legacy carriers and airline unions, have not commented on Clark’s comments to Business Insider.

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