Look, I hate to be like “oh, he’s a hypocrite,” because on some level, we’re all hypocrites. I don’t think anyone is 100% consistent in their logic, and that’s part of being human. But my goodness, this is some next level mental gymnastics, if you ask me, as flagged by View from the Wing…
Going back a decade, there was a massive battle between the “big three” US carriers (American, Delta, and United) and the “big three” Gulf carriers (Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar). The argument was that those airlines were illegally subsidized by their governments, and needed to be stopped, since government subsidized airlines aren’t on a “level playing field.” You can see one of the US propaganda videos from that time below (featuring extensive commentary from Delta CEO Ed Bastian).
In an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest, Bastian was asked about the airline adding flights to Saudi Arabia. The narrative he tells is just wild. He not only reverses course on his feeling about government subsidized Gulf carriers (fair enough), but he manages to justify Delta’s partnership with Riyadh Air while still putting down other government subsidized Gulf carriers. Let’s take a look at his comments.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
