One reason why the free market is vaunted as the most efficient economic system is that it rewards those who find a way to do their job better. Those who fly regularly know this all too well, with the three main Gulf airlines having opted to raise the bar when it comes to service and levels of comfort.
As frequent flyers choose Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, the reaction of other carriers has been revealing. As we reported yesterday, KLM has begun to renovate its fleet so that by the end of the year, every seat in business class to the UAE will offer lie-flat beds. Cathay Pacific and many other European and Asian airlines are in the process of similar upgrades.
Compare that to the main American airlines, which have reacted by lobbying Congress to pass legislation that, in effect, amounts to protection – the antithesis of how the market is supposed to work. Passengers have been the main beneficiaries of the Gulf carriers’ raising standards. Other airlines should raise their own.