Emirates Looks At Transpacific Operation

[metrodriver]

EK: their market is India and Pakistan, some east Africa and the middle east. Why Seattle, Dallas, Glasgow and name all the other smaller destinations? Because there is a large Indian population or companies employing Indians (mainly software). EK shuttles them from India to DXB and then the rest of the world. As a world-class airline you also want to serve the major population centers. Why no EK flight to Miami? There are no Indians, and the Cubans don't go to India. DXB is a also a convenient place to stop between Europe and Asia.
DL gets a lot of passengers that are quite strong looking young males on assignment. Very few kids. Unlike the EK flights which are families. The trip for this last group has become a lot shorter on EK than the US to Europe route on DL and then AF / KLM / Lufthansa to just a few destinations in India.
Some of the main differences between DL and EK in economy, B777:
Seats: no economy + on EK. EK 10 across, DL 9. Result: narrower seats and aisle on EK -> everyone bangs into you in an aisle seat, constant shoulder fight.
Food: little better on EK, more snacks, but sometimes poor timing.
Entertainment: pretty close, maybe a few more movies on EK, DL has better music. DL has a lot better sound quality.
Drinks: DL free wine + beer, EK free everything except champagne.
FF program: DL (used to) give full miles, EK based on ticket class. 7000 miles from US earns 3500 miles from west coast, 3000 from the east coast.
EK no upgrades unless they need your seat. Gold gets E-gate access to UAE, bag gets priority treatment, lounge access.
Business class is a completely different animal, first class is travelling like royalty with chauffeur services, private palace-on-wheels to drive to the airplane, shower, cabins.

General Lee, the majority of business travelers will try to stay with one airline, unless schedule dictates otherwise. I have DL miles, used to be Platinum, now barely silver. I prefer to go on EK non-stop to DXB leaving home at a reasonable time and coming back at a normal time. If I would fly UA or DL I would have to get up at 4am to go to ATL, 5 hrs no food no drink and still fly 14 hrs to DXB. Now I wake up, have the whole morning and part of the afternoon, and fly the same 14 hrs to DXB, have meals at the appropriate times. EK serves food on nearly all their flights, even on the 1.5 hr trip to Kuwait (which is a 777-300).
Most of the leisure passengers don't have miles since they simply don't fly enough, they will look for the cheapest ticket, or the quickest way. No brand loyalty.
My boss looks for the cheapest ticket (=economy unless not available) in combination with schedule. So from the 150k miles I flew last year, 90.000 were on EK, the rest DL, UA, LH, KL, BA, Royal Jordanian, Air Baltic, Jet Airways, HK Express, Iberia, Kuwait Airways, Xiamen Airlines, Frontier, Alaska, Virgin Atlantic, FlyBe and a few others. Some resulted in partner miles, some nothing.

DL still has a product quite comparable to the international competition which is better than UA and far better than Useless Airways..... I haven't flown AA internationally, but if they degrade to Useless Airways level, watch out.

 

[Father Jack]

Good post. But you forgot to mention the cabin crew.

 

[fareview]

....and the fact that the following EK markets have essentially limited Indians;

LED, DME, SGN, MNL, NRT, HAN, CGK, HKT, GIG, PEK, CAN, PVG, EZE, LOS, ACC ...

and the list goes on.

EK have become a far bigger animal than South Asia...important? Yes, but not the full picture.

fv

 

[8sugarsugar]

and the Chinese are buying up Africa. EK's big market is moving them back and forth with Dubai in the middle.

 

[metrodriver]

Fairview, indeed a nice list, quite a few of them are in the home countries of all the (slave) labor in the middle east. The 777-300 that flies several times a day to Kuwait is just full of those folks. No manners, no English, no hygiene. Standing in the aisle bags in hand when the plane is still doing 60kts down the runway. They try to wurm their way around like a cobra doing it's dance you when you stand in the aisle to let someone in the seat. Ask some pretty (almost) indecently dressed African girls what they do there? "Domestic workers".... yeah, babysitter in the no-tell motel.
LOS-oil, ACC-gold, Tokyo-beats me, one of those big cities everyone goes to, and so does EK and still manages to load up an A380, but so do Air France and Thai Airways.

 

[fareview]

Metro,

I have absolutely no idea what you are rambling on about.

I couldn't give a toss if every time the plane is full of transgender strippers.

As to people strolling in the aisles rolling down the runways. Total BS.

They pay the fares, we get them from A to B.

WTF, you going to do a moral audit on your passengers every time you turn up for work!?

Get a life.

fv

 

[Varmint]

Fairview, indeed a nice list, quite a few of them are in the home countries of all the (slave) labor in the middle east. The 777-300 that flies several times a day to Kuwait is just full of those folks. No manners, no English, no hygiene. Standing in the aisle bags in hand when the plane is still doing 60kts down the runway. They try to wurm their way around like a cobra doing it's dance you when you stand in the aisle to let someone in the seat. Ask some pretty (almost) indecently dressed African girls what they do there? "Domestic workers".... yeah, babysitter in the no-tell motel.
LOS-oil, ACC-gold, Tokyo-beats me, one of those big cities everyone goes to, and so does EK and still manages to load up an A380, but so do Air France and Thai Airways.

I saw some scantily clad white chicks in ATL waiting to go to the redneck riviera on a flight......They must be hookers also because of their clothing choice.

 

[flyboyike]

I saw some scantily clad white chicks in ATL waiting to go to the redneck riviera on a flight......They must be hookers also because of their clothing choice.

One sees all manner of things in ATL.

 

[metrodriver]

fv, I do have a live and it includes about 90.000 miles a year sitting in cattle class on EK. So yes, I do see some strange things happening on these flights, stuff that probably never makes it to the cockpit. Including people getting up as soon as the wheels touch down, getting their bags and walking towards the front with some hysterically screaming flight attendants trying to tell them to get their ass back in the seat.
Do I a moral audit before every flight? No. But I do recognize the middle eastern hookers. And I'm happy you get them from A to B. Maybe one day you will fly (or already have flown) me from A to B.

 

[Flyer1015]

I flew Delta across the Atlantic and that 767 didn't have any AVOD. This was a couple years ago. Delta's airplane of choice across the Atlantic is the 767 and many of those are old with no comparison to EK aircraft when it comes to onboard entertainment and amenities.