onlysuites

I am a little confused. According to a AI captain who I was playing a round of Golf with last week AI has sold all of its profitable International slots to other airlines and they will do again in the future. If say they argue with *A and then refuse to enter if Jet enters too then they only stand to loose out. They will get their slots back at the next renewal date but these politicians are so hungry that they will again sell the routes to LH and other airlines.

The problem is that these so called Politicians come in for 4 years and strive to make as much of a killing as possible. So who ever the aviation minister is right now, no matter how his stand on *A letting in a second entrant and blocking their routes is. He can't do anything when his term expires in a couple of years and the next minister wants to make his crores on the side takes over.

TPJ

They already have a lot in inbound international traffic to India - right? LH/LX/TK/OS/CO/SQ/TG/NH/OZ etc.

Only the 'domestic traffic' piece is missing. If *A can survive without airlines supporting domestic traffic in Russia (oneWorld has S7, ScaryTeam has SU) or Mexico (ScaryTeam has AM), they will probable survive also in India I had a couple of domestic flights earlier this year - would it be nice a *A airline, I could use? Certainly. Was it the end of the world? No - I used IT and credited these flights to my DL FF card (which I almost forgot I hold).

rajsbasi

Competition for one thing springs to mind hence my comment you cant really insist unless of course you want to operate in a monopolistic anti consumer manner in which case then you can.

Yaatri

You are asking the wrong question. I am afraid you fail to grasp what a a free economy is. Before you ask this question, you should be asking why GoI involved in running an airline. Runing an airline is not a function of a Govt.
If anything, GoI, in my opinion, is right about questioning and resisting more than one major airline joining an alliance, the strongest one at.. It's Govt's job to ensure fair competition and preserves choices for consumers. There is risk of reduced competition when more than one major airline belongs to one alliance.

Yaatri

Why bring an alphabet soup into the discussion? None of the airlinse above, except LH, is relevant to this issue. And vice-versa, this issue is not important to any member of the alliance except LH.
Aha. You forget who invited AI. As I said before, Star Alliance doesn't care about India routes, but LH does and A German runs the * Alliance. When I asked "Is * prepared to have none". what was meant was the guy running the alliance.

LH doesn't care about domestic Indian traffic, nor does *. The only *alliance airline with interest in traffic to and from India is LH.
For some one who fails to grasp who the main contenders in the fight, you put too many words which don't address the issue.

Yaatri

It's not in the interest of consumers to have one alliance dominate the market. If two of the three majors join an alliance, it will be very difficult for a new Indian entrant deciding to enter international market to survive. On this issue, I am with GoI. @:-)

Yaatri

What in the world are you talking about? Do you even understand what competition is? Competition is not served by two of he biggest Indian carriers entering the same alliance.

It is so trannsparaent, that your idea of competition is serving your interests. It is so transparent. I have noticed time and again that people who complaint about AI joiing *Alliance and those suggesting that both 9W and join AI are Indian or India based flyers of Star Alliance airlines. No one among flyers and LH among airlines cares about dominating India-EU/MA market.

I must give it to you that you can spell the word right.

Competition is hindered by the Govt owning and running AI, not by questioninng whether two major Indian airlines should join one alliance.

You think it's OK for German Gov t to promote LH, not for GoI to promote AI?
It's about time people stopped taking cue from EUROMAN

Yaatri

Won't it be funny if, after AI were not allowed to join Star Alliance, it joined Skyteam and even allowed 9W, just to spite LH and Albrecht, to join Skyteam too.

Oh what would the whiners do?

onlysuites

I guess I see their point on this.

Yaatri

I knew you would. You are a smart and a reasonable man.
To be sure, we have to understand that the GoI is doing it to protect and promote AI over other Indian airlines, but in doing so, it protects Indian aviation industry too. GoI running the airline is definitely not good and I do not support that. But as an owner of AI and as the Govt, vis-a-vis, GoI is action supports Indian industry, which is what the German Govt is doing, promoting L at the cost of the alliance.

If Germany is not faulted for promoting it's flag carrier, why should India be?

kiwiandrew

I think a note of caution is due here. So far, on every website forum where I have I have seen this rumour reported it traces back to a single article from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. While I normally find them to be a pretty reliable source I am curious why no other aviation news sources are reporting it. If Jan Albrecht really made this extraordinary comment at the ceremony for Shenzhen Airlines it seems odd that other aviation media didn't pick up on it. Do we know for sure that he actually said it at all?

Yaatri

Right. I noticed it too. But Albrecht has not issued a denial either.
This incident is not unique. Much news reported in non-western media, that is not of much interest to the the west is ignored, unless it's reported in mainstream western media or is of interest to them. If it had been reported in NYT, I am sure you it would find its way into other sources.

Here is one possible explanation for this phneomenon. Western media rarely pays attention to what happens in Asia unless it's Japan, or it perceives the news as a threat to them. Sometimes even events reported by a western source, such as Jane's publications, about Asia is ignored by the rest of the western media unless the event represents a threat. Since the rest of the world, not even other members of * Alliance has little interest, in whether AI is admitted, it could explain the absence. When Indian media reported ISI and terrorism nexus, it ws widely ignored by yhe western media, until the U.S. began to feel threatened by ISI.

I found it really odd that with much going on in India, not to mention the economy, corruption, Air India got Ms Timmon's attention repeatedly. It's odd, to say the least.

kiwiandrew

Perhaps no one has got around to telling him yet that he (allegedly) said it?

Yaatri

Countdown begins.T-17 days. Will AI make it or not? let's have a poll. Not your wish, bu your opinion. I am neuetral on both. If I were sure that AI joining *Alliance meant that Jet would join Skyteam, I would wish AI to join Star.

onlysuites

They will join. I am 99% sure. Just a hunch.