pbarnette

At the end of the day, it is QR's responsibility to sort out their gate arrangements. Could DL have been more cooperative? Probably. But ultimately QR needs to take care of their own passengers. They didn't do that and that is on them. But hey, according to people that have never flown them, QR is awesome, so let's let them off the hook for not doing their job.

My guess, though, is that QR didn't think it was a big deal. I mean, it isn't like using stairs and buses is anything QR hasn't done before at their old hub.

NOIR

“I don’t care. I'm just following what’s allowed to me under the air services agreement with the United States,” Al Baker said.

Qatar Airways have always denied the allegations against them as have Emirates and Etihad Airways, the Gulf’s two other carriers the US airline's want blocked.

The lobbying campaign, which started in early 2015, has seemingly tempered this year interest loses momentum and public focus switches to elections in the US and elsewhere.

But Al Baker may have reignited it. He accused Delta of violating the air services agreement, telling reporters that Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to Atlanta was hub obstructed by the US carrier.

The first flight, operated by a one off Airbus A380 service, arrived at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday to find that a smaller A320 jet was using the gate it needed to disembark passengers.

Passenger were forced to use steps to get off the plane whilst elderly passengers weren't provided with necessary facilities.

Al Baker said Delta, who is the main carrier in Atlanta, “intimidated” employees and companies operating at the airport into obstructing the flight.

“We are there to serve the people of Atlanta. We are not their to clash with Delta,” Al Baker said.

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviatio...sion-1.1839737

pbarnette

They can deny all they want, but they are clearly subsidized. The reality is that virtually none of their US flights make money and their respective governments are underwriting capacity dumping, probably in the hopes that they can force incumbents out of the market and reap monopoly profits at a later date. Alternatively, they could simply be underwriting the losses in an attempt to burnish the reputations of the countries as something other than petro-states.

Regardless of their motivations, they are certainly subsidized. I could buy the idea that the $40-some billion number thrown out by the US carriers is wrong and that the actual subsidies might be $35bn or $50bn, but to try to claim that they don't receive subsidies in the tens of billions is, frankly, insulting.

Well that is a lie.

teddy25

wonder who worked the QR gates and Ramp..... would be funny if it was DGS.

Productivity

This comes off as the latest in a string of small minded, petty decisions by Delta. Delta fanboys will say otherwise, but the corporate culture stinks.

Fight on product and service, don't play stupid games like this (and sponsorship etc.). And really, get over the subsidy line. If Delta truly thought it was a rigged game without any chance of success, they should just liquidate the airline. They just don't like that someone else has found a way to rig it more than they have.

avcritic

OpenSkies ASA allows QR to fly to any US airport with any plane they want and no need to pay any taxes. Period.

It doesn't allow access to any gate they want.

Doha being Remote Stand Leader of worlds' major airports it is childish on AAB's part.

Actually I heard good things about Qatar on how it improved working conditions for Pilots and FAs while conditions recently at its bigger brother is getting worse.

US airports are not equipped to deal with 100 wheel chairs from a remote stand like ME3 airports can, where they handle large number of limited mobility pax. That is a fact. There is nothing ATL can do speed up the process. Not going to change any time soon.

Fly_Delta_Jets

I believe they're handled by ASIG. Word on the street is that very few existing ATL contractors wanted to work with them...

sdix

There are many airports in this world that still have remote stands. AA from China to LAX we parked away from the terminal and bused in and that was a few months ago.

The A380 was trying to make a point. Had they arrived in their scheduled 777 this would not be an issue.

NOIR

Put aside the Delta Qatar spat, what I find amusing is that Atlanta being the world's record holder for yearly pax only has one A380 ready available stand.

It's 2016, and the Super Jumbo is flying all over the world now, this comes down to the lack of infrastructure. Atlanta badly needs to get it's airport up to the world's standards.

ATOBTTR

Why? ATL is the busiest in the world because of an airline that does NOT operate the A380. ATL is far from the busiest O&D airport. Not saying ATL is a small market but ATL is as large as it because it's a hub and that hub airline doesn't have an A380 in its fleet. Maybe it's partially (or significantly) driven by DL but ATL has determined it's not cost-advantageous to build more A380 gates because the market isn't there. Even Qatar isn't even going to be using the A380 to ATL beyond its inaugural service from the other day.

NOIR

Still today's airports need to have A380 gates unless your happy to stay with third world country infrastructure. You as a paying customer might want to board an A380 one day in Atlanta, do you really want to be taking stairs?

Put aside the Delta Qatar spat, think logically. Honestly me as a paying customer I couldn't care less if an airline is subsidized, or not.

BTW who's to say Atlanta wont have more A380 service in the future? Emirates is going to be serving Atlanta any time soon if not double daily, Qatar could up gauge to an A380, Etihad could also bring one in. Even Korean, and Lufthansa could come back with A380's. Even Turkish could have A380 service in the future when they order the air frame.

It's like saying your car doesn't need power steering because you still steer it manually, but it's still good to have. Heck when you go to any airport do you take the stairs, or escalators because you really don't need escalators.

LETTERBOY

If enough airlines express interest in flying the A380 to ATL, then ATL would likely look at having more A380 capable gates. They're not going to break their back for 1) a one-off flight 2) operated by an airline that is in a rather big spat with their biggest carrier.

And what makes you think TK is going to order the A380?

avcritic

A minuscule percentage of world's airports can handle F category aircraft. Very few airports will ever see a A380

With A380NEO being off the table, it is basically a discontinued model mainly for one route DXB-LHR

It would cost $200-$300 Million to add a code-F gate at a busy airport in the west. Cheaper for airports middle of nowhere.

3 Wide bodies can be accommodated in space for 1 x A380 and 1 x Narrow Body

3 High Densiity WBs bring more revenue than 1 x A380 and 1 x NB

Justin026

Let me see if I have the right analogy --

You have a wedding and walk into a restaurant with your entire wedding party but without any reservation. You ask to be put into their banquet room. The restaurant is expected to kick out a birthday party that is already booked and underway so you can have your wedding reception instead.

I don't see how either the restaurant or the birthday party are at fault. But the wedding planner sure screwed up.

exwannabe

My understanding is that ATL is in the process of mods to convert another gate to handle the A380. It's only supposed to be about $15M because the feature was already designed in to a gate on councourse F.

Do not know if this is driven be the likelyhood of needed 2 gates (would AF fly it on this route?), vs just better location. Do not know if anybody has paid some towards the project (obviously neither DL/WN).