HBB if that isn't gloating what is it. It is grossly unfair that N reg acft can fly unhindered round Europe when European reg'd acft cannot do the same in the US. UPS can buy 100% of TNT but TNT would only have been able to buy 49% of UPS. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months/years.
Whilst that may be considered gloating, I must say your quote is misleading.
N reg A/C simply can not fly "unhindered" around Europe. Cabotage is alive and well and the likes of UPS have up to 20 departures a night from CGN flown by Star Airlines because the EU rules wont allow the city pairs to be flown by Brown tails, or US pilots.
While UPS may own 100% of any European company, they may NOT own any more than 49% of any European airline, BIG difference.
This was proved quite blatantly by the Brits when Balpa balked at Atlas Air doing the flying for BA.
The result was 3 744's and all the job growth going from Atlas to AACS in STN just to cater to one customer. The A/C were put on the UK register preventing any US pilot from operating them. Upwards of 100 "commands" were shifted from the US to the UK, and they are still there in the guise of GSS, with the first three dash-8's that Atlas ordered going to GSS.
So this "unfairness" can go both ways.
I certainly do agree however, that the next few months will be interesting, and in the end, it really is a business decision, irregardless of which side of the Atlantic it comes from.