Emirates hits back at new claims by US airlines

Emirates Airline has refuted new claims by US carriers that their international bookings from Orlando, San Francisco and Chicago declined after GCC players launched new services. Delta Air, United Airlines and American Airlines- collectively known as The Big Three- allege that their bookings from these destinations were down by as much as 13% after Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways launched the routes. The Dubai-based airline said that the data completely disregards the fact that overall bookings went up after the GCC carriers came into the picture. It added that the accusations only show that The Big Three are concerned with their narrow interests, at the expense of consumers and the broader economic interest. It said that instead of blaming Gulf airlines, the American carriers should focus on how to redirect their record profits to improve services. The three GCC carriers have been accused of receiving billions in government subsidies to expand their operations. Earlier, Delta said it was stopping its Atlanta-Dubai flights from February 11, citing overcapacity and competition from Gulf carriers.