I agree Canadian. There will always be both sides of the equation on this issue. There will always also be the a ratio of people who will always buy the cheapest gear without the education of where it's coming from, but thankfully there is also a robust movement on education and social responsibility as well.
An aside : Skiing: the GDP of Dubai is not what one would look at here since the emirate of Abu Dhabi greatly supports Dubai financially through government agencies. The overall percent of GDP of oil for the entire UAE is 40%.
Incidentally, I am not against more flights. I just believe that when you are doing business with countries that are heavily advantaged financially due to its "light social and democratic footprint" then one has to be intelligent about lending that country free unregulated acces so as not to also damage local markets while solely providing more choice for the consumer. Personally I like what Etihad has been doing through its tie-ups with other airlines, thereby benefitting all. Perhaps EK should take some lessons from its older brother.
Last edited by 555orange; 5th Jun 2012 at 05:49.