American CE: Qatar bid strengthens resolve on Gulf subsidies issue

In a letter to employees, American Airlines CE Doug Parker says he finds Qatar Airways’ unsolicited bid to invest in American “puzzling” and that it strengthens his resolve against illegally subsidised companies. Parker’s letter confirms the cool response indicated in the SEC-8K filing American made Thursday to give notice that Qatar Airways is seeking to take an up to 10% stake in American. But Parker says: “While anyone can purchase our shares in the open market, we aren’t particularly excited about Qatar’s outreach, and we find it puzzling given our extremely public stance on the illegal subsidies that Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have all received over the years from their govts. We remain committed to that effort, and we will remain so even with this potential investment.” <br/>