tisk, tisk, Emirates is funded by UAE oil money, of course they givve the staff bonuses, much the same as UAE nationals get paychecks just for breathing. Go check the accounting for any operator, the Bus is simply costs more the operate than the comparable Boeing model. Emotions aside, facts on the table.
As stated earlier, a profit seeking entity cares not what the pilots or passengers want, beancounters drive the choices. So, why would Airtran not state the "real" reason for choosing Boeing. Blackmail? Extortion?