These western CEOs have forgotten one important argument in their fight against open skies: the fact that ME carriers operate under different labour laws (or they are not the subject of labour laws, like Emirates) and labour "culture" which brings them huge profit.
Cheap labour and ban of strikes and unions bring to ME carriers unfair advantage. Western CEOs would have more success in their negotiations if they would pursue violation of labour rights issue than to attack ME carriers for receiving subsidies.
It's simple: you abuse your staff and earn money by pushing them to work over legal limits, stealing money and leave days from them, endangering everyone's safety - you don't fly where there are labour laws and unions capable to make a difference for their members and where carriers actually don't earn money by stealing from their employees (primarily).
Anyone can do business like Emirates does, for example: we don't respect international rules and laws, we exploit natural and human resources, we make people throw up from hard work and pay them coins or keep them financially, emotionally and psychologically trapped in Dubai, and we are among the most successful airlines in the world.
I don't think that open skies would bring so much benefit to Emirates if they were forced to follow universal labour and human rights and laws.
Last edited by Nikita81; 6th Feb 2015 at 10:31.