Originally Posted by bhrubin

Wow, a well composed and clearly articulated response--thank you! I actually agree with your assessments for the most part.

I will point out that Emirates profits for a year are about comparable to what AA, DL, and UA can make in a quarter, however.

Again, I say that those state-owned enterprise carriers like EK, SQ, EY, TK, CX, etc. seem to be the only ones with the "tremendous" service and amenities and outrageous suites--with LH being the biggest exception. That says tons about LH and what it is able to do as a true private enterprise, and it reflects the challenges with other private enterprise carriers like UA, DL, AA, BA, AF, and the like in competing with those state-owned enterprises. It's easier for more authoritarian states like Thailand, China, UAE, and Singapore to build airports where and how they want compared with the industrialized and more democratic West, and it's easier IMO for those state-owned enterprise carriers to implement more fabulous offerings without the same profit concerns as their counterparts in the West, too.