Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
Thing is that EK doesn't fly out of YVR, CX doesn't fly out of SEA... yet. (I imagine EK would rather fly out of YVR, but there's a pesky bilateral in the way. It also stands to reason that EK would probably like a partner who could give them feed from YVR plus a state with significant oil industry...) And, like I said, pricing issues. I imagine EK will significantly undercut other carriers.
You bet EK would prefer YVR, but the Canadian govt and the UAE are in a giant pissing match over bilateral. After Canada denied a bilateral (at what appears to be at AC's request); the UAE kicked the Canadian forces out of an air base; and started charging massive Visa fees for Canadian visitors to the UAE.
There's a big big thread on the subject in the
Air Canada Forum .