This does happen sometimes ESP on government owned airlines but I would say it is their country and government and if expats don't like it they can forgo the many relative privileges that they enjoy and repatriate themselves! I find the vast majority to be incredibly well behaved and whether one likes it or not it Is their prerogative to demand special treatment. Not really that different from I/o vs platinum vs gold etc just better perks for having a local passport!!

Granted I dont fly on EK every week, but on the MAN to SIN EK flight I take almost every other month, I see large families with crying babies, lots of asians but I've not seen seat stealing.

But it probably happens, just as it surely happens that muslims are racially profiled everywhere and are pulled off flights for no reason than that they opened their mouth to speak or get humiliated at checkpoints in the occupied lands, the list goes on.

Coming from a multicultural britain, if I were an asian or muslim, this whole thread would be deeply offensive to me.

Solution to this issue is to raise it with the purser/fa/csm or even ek when you land.

But ranting about it here and calling it Shake a Sheikh just smacks of stereotyping, nasty name calling and islamophobia.

If you haven't seen it first hand, then I would assume it is hearsay. Rumors went around that SV did that and even did unscheduled stops to pick up "royalties" I happen to know the PDG/CEO of SV, we went to Uni together, and am still in contact with him... He said they aren't allowed to do this a decree from the king.. and those are just rumors.

Take it for what you want... and if it really bothers you, there are other airlines that serve the area where displacing a passenger isn't allowed.

But SV and EK are poles apart; EK is a far far more professionally run airline. Are you referring to the general trend among GCC carriers?

I do not find the link posted in the OP credible. The practice of op-ups by fare class has not been my experience, I've had them frequently on deep deep discount fares.

I have also yet to experience seat poaching in F on EK. In J and Y yes... but ethnicities of the poachers vary and there is never a problem ejecting them.

Are you serious?

Would you have felt better with "Gently prod an Emirati"?

Is the use of the word "Sheikh" offensive to UAE nationals?!

Seems like some people are offended by me starting this thread.

If you are, you will get no apologies from me. I had no intention of beeing a racist. I just came over an article with some claims that seemed a bit strange. I wanted to hear if people here had experienced it. It seems they have not.

To then go and pull the racism card is beyond me. Where in my text do you find me accusing anyone of doing anyting based on their skin color/race?

Keep in mind i did not write the linked article.

Further, why would anyone drag in Islam and religion into this. Sure it happends that the religion of UAE happends to be Islam. But this has nothing to do with it, sure there might be some cultural stereotyping here. But please keep the religion out of it.

Then again, i know you shouldnt generalise always. But as an seasoned traveller i feel i am allowed to make some assumptions when travelling places based on experiences. You gain a certain experience and know what to expect. That dosent necesseary mean that i do this with bad intentions. But i know just how things work some places and you have have som relation to the reality, not what is pc.

I mean really mate.

You mean there is nothing wrong with caricaturing an individual or a group/community of people based on stereotypical imagery?

I am sure if it wasnt stereotyping arabs but another community of people, lets say, Jews or Blacks, alarm bells would have been ringing, wouldnt it?

Wow and you are not even clear on which part of the whole phrase can be offensive.

The blame for that phrase, if people have a problem with it, lies with the author of the article that the OP linked to, not the OP himself.

We're going to take a short break from this. Under Mod review...