Qatar Airways’ courtship of American is one for the long haul
Doug Parker may have been left puzzled, concerned and “not happy” after Qatar Airways revealed its plan to buy up to a 10% stake in American Airlines last week. But the US carrier’s CE should have also added flattered to his list of emotions. Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker has repeatedly stressed that his strategy is to invest in profitable airlines — “goldsmiths”, as he calls them, rather than “scrap dealers”. The dig at Etihad Airways is clear. The Abu Dhabi carrier’s strategy of taking minority stakes in troubled airlines to drive growth has come at a cost. Alitalia, the Italian carrier, is in administration. Air Berlin is on life support. Etihad is in the midst of reassessing its strategy. In comparison, Qatar Airways has focused its attention on what it deems “successful” carriers to expand its global reach. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2017-06-26/oneworld/qatar-airways2019-courtship-of-american-is-one-for-the-long-haul
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
Qatar Airways’ courtship of American is one for the long haul
Doug Parker may have been left puzzled, concerned and “not happy” after Qatar Airways revealed its plan to buy up to a 10% stake in American Airlines last week. But the US carrier’s CE should have also added flattered to his list of emotions. Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker has repeatedly stressed that his strategy is to invest in profitable airlines — “goldsmiths”, as he calls them, rather than “scrap dealers”. The dig at Etihad Airways is clear. The Abu Dhabi carrier’s strategy of taking minority stakes in troubled airlines to drive growth has come at a cost. Alitalia, the Italian carrier, is in administration. Air Berlin is on life support. Etihad is in the midst of reassessing its strategy. In comparison, Qatar Airways has focused its attention on what it deems “successful” carriers to expand its global reach. <br/>
