Jetblue supports Abu Dhabi PreClearance!!!! Horrible!!!!

[tailhookah]

It makes it easier for Etihad to lure pax away from US carriers. It's a huge piece to their global domination strategy that both Etihad and Emirates are setting out on. Those two carriers have more value in their future orders than the combined market cap of Delta, AA and UAL combined. They are being subsidized by the very governments who support (through backdoor channels) and harbor terrorist groups w/ petro dollars (for Abu Dhabi... Dubai essentially out of oil) and now US tax payer dollars by maintaining a US Customs facility over in Abu Dhabi.

Do you think they are paying for this facility? NO. We are. We are paying for US Customs officials to move and live over there, w/ families to support this... this hurts the US airline job market. I know there are preclearance facilities in BDA, Shannon and some Caribbean locales, but those benefit US and our jobs. We use those facilities.

This pre clearance facility in the ME is not helpful to our carriers... our airlines don't fly there much. But when you look at the potential flights w/ the future orders coming out of the big two ME carriers it's sickening that our US government is doing this to our tax paying job market. Say what you will dudes, this is a threat to our future... don't think it's a big deal now? Just wait for the big ME hubs to start sucking pax flow away from other areas. People will go where the cheapest and highest value tickets are. The ME hubs will pull pax away from US carriers. Not all... but the world is shrinking and it's hard to compete against cheaper labor and cheaper costs when your government is allowing you to acquire cheaper gas and labor in a tax free environment helped out by the US government w/ our tax dollars...

Tail.

 

[8sugarsugar]

I can't believe it, I actually agree with General Lee on a few points.

This pre-clearance isn't a threat to any US pilot jobs. Delta doesn't fly to Abu Dhabi and no one is going to drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi so they can save 30 minutes clearing customs in JFK.

Pre-clearance in Dubai in the works? Then Delta and United could use it too.

As said before, this is just a rallying cry from ALPA. They are really picking the wrong battles to fight. Who runs their PR machine anyway???? More than likely a pilot instead of an actual PR person who is properly trained in propaganda.

 

[fareview]

The UAE gives free reign (back door) to terrorists?

Prey tell.

This facility and the one that will come to Dubai will benefit travelers to the US. These travelers will dump their dollars into the US economy.

US Customs should not (and thankfully did not) base their decisions to benefit a pilot group like DAL/UAL over JB.

There IS a bigger picture here. It ain't all about you hookah.

As to US jobs. Roll on Boeing.

fv

 

[General Lee]

The UAE gives free reign (back door) to terrorists?

Prey tell.

This facility and the one that will come to Dubai will benefit travelers to the US. These travelers will dump their dollars into the US economy.

US Customs should not (and thankfully did not) base their decisions to benefit a pilot group like DAL/UAL over JB.

There IS a bigger picture here. It ain't all about you hookah.

As to US jobs. Roll on Boeing.

fv

Fv,


You bring up Boeing doing well, and I'm sure Airbus does well too thanks to your massive orders. That still doesn't help your cause getting extra cities to fly to inside Germany and France, where restrictions to the number of cities your airline can go still exist, even though planes are built there. You airline doesn't really have a choice, buy nice Western built planes and have limited opportunities for growth at those specific countries, or buy Russian Antonovs. Not a tough choice. I'm glad ALPA and others are now monitoring your unencumbered growth and making people aware of the BS that was the EXIM bank discounts. That's now in the open.

People will not back track all the way to the UAE to get to Europe or Asia from the US. As I have stated before, the big 3 Gulf carriers are more of a threat to the big European and SE Asian carriers. Opening up a customs pre clear facility at AUH or even DXB only affects Indian or Pakistan bound US pax. That is about the only minor problem I see, but UAL and DL do serve India, UAL nonstop from EWR and DL through AMS. I think AA served DEL from ORD, but I believe that was dropped. Not a big deal.


I do have a question fv about a topic brought up on your favorite PPRUNE. Are you seriously lacking pilots? A topic in the ME forum brings up a sick leave problem. The author of the thread stated his "mate" (probably an Aussie) was sick for 9 days straight, and it was verified by your airline's own doctors, but he was still talked to by CP people. They supposedly said he could be terminated legally if he doesn't put in his 900 hours, and he was behind now because he was sick.... Does that stuff really happen? Also, I assume your airline doesn't treat FAs as poorly as that other Gulf Carrier in that article, but do they use similar programs to keep them "in line?"



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[fareview]

To respond to your last paragraph.

I have not heard of anyone being issues a warning letter for have 'certified sick' leave. Essentially certified means the Doc has told you to call sick, not you. I can't obviously say yey or nay on that - but it sounds highly suspect.

Whenever I have been sick for a period that long it has always been certified by a Dr and have never heard anything from the co. on the subject.

In relation to FAs, nothing like QR. Non Cabin Crew cannot be in their apartments after 1am. The airline is 24 hour so they stay in high rises that are always moving people to flights throughout the day..this system is seen as a mitigation on late night partying (does not work) which keeps the others awake as they are trying to sleep AND is quite possibly seen as 'virtuous' to save face....people just shag earlier.

Pilot shortage? Like you guys we have been hearing it for years...still not parking airplanes, but the Co is cagey with what they tell us...it could be a crisis but they won't divulge.

They tell us attrition is running at 2-3% per annum. We have a pilot group of 3500, so there is always a leaving party somewhere. Every time I hear it, music to my ears as it pressurized them to up the ante. Inflation in DXB quite high a we have only had our 3-3.5% increment in the last two years with no bonus which is ticking everybody off. Nice to see DAL sharing the spoils...congrats.

fv

 

[General Lee]

To respond to your last paragraph.

I have not heard of anyone being issues a warning letter for have 'certified sick' leave. Essentially certified means the Doc has told you to call sick, not you. I can't obviously say yey or nay on that - but it sounds highly suspect.

Whenever I have been sick for a period that long it has always been certified by a Dr and have never heard anything from the co. on the subject.

In relation to FAs, nothing like QR. Non Cabin Crew cannot be in their apartments after 1am. The airline is 24 hour so they stay in high rises that are always moving people to flights throughout the day..this system is seen as a mitigation on late night partying (does not work) which keeps the others awake as they are trying to sleep AND is quite possibly seen as 'virtuous' to save face....people just shag earlier.

Pilot shortage? Like you guys we have been hearing it for years...still not parking airplanes, but the Co is cagey with what they tell us...it could be a crisis but they won't divulge.

They tell us attrition is running at 2-3% per annum. We have a pilot group of 3500, so there is always a leaving party somewhere. Every time I hear it, music to my ears as it pressurized them to up the ante. Inflation in DXB quite high a we have only had our 3-3.5% increment in the last two years with no bonus which is ticking everybody off. Nice to see DAL sharing the spoils...congrats.

fv

Thanks for your response. Interesting stuff.


Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[Golden Falcon]

Tailhookah...I must be missing something...lure pax away from US carriers...how exactly? The US carriers don't serve this market...if they did, the facility would be available to them...quite the contrary..it will benefit the US carriers they code share with...if you want to vote for anything...ask the US govt to lift the prohibition on US exporting oil...if prices crash so they will here...petition the FAA to thoroughly explain their lack of oversight...EG:CEO of airline head of CAA...how does that work?...the pre clearance is a non-event..

 

[Flyby1206]

Pre-clearance planned for Dubai:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-...ing-travelers-drained-by-wait.html?cmpid=yhoo

A U.S. border checkpoint located a day?s flight from New York in the Arabian desert promises to become an oasis for weary travelers heading for the States.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened an Abu Dhabi base on Jan. 24, the first in the Middle East and outside the Americas besides Ireland. Another post is planned in Dubai within a year to fast-track travelers through the routinely arduous immigration process, as the U.S. seeks to eliminate terror threats before would-be perpetrators even board a plane.

The U.S. drive to tighten immigration security with overseas posts stands to deliver an advantage to Emirates and other fast-growing Persian Gulf carriers because the overseas checks can shave hours from crossing the border at major U.S. gateways, typically the most vexing finale to a long-distance flight. Passengers in Abu Dhabi can instead make use of the dead time between flights to complete the process, lifting the allure of the luxurious Gulf airports as global travel hubs.

?The flight is long and you get exhausted, and then you wait there for hours,? said Sahar Riaz, 17, a student who travels from Dubai to the U.S. as many as three times a year to visit her sister in New York. ?It?s much more convenient to finish everything from here because you?re not as tired as you would be when you arrive in the U.S.?

International travelers can stand in line for 4 1/2 hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the U.S. Travel Association said Sept. 18.

 

[General Lee]

People will not fly to Dubai from Europe or Asia and then back to the USA. That would mean wasting 10 hours to save 2 hours in line at JFK customs. Back tracking to Dubai or Abu Dhabi will not happen. There may be some pax that migrate to those airports from India and Pakistan, primarily because they are in a straight line heading towards the ME and onto the US, but from other countries? Nah........ At least DL and UAL pax will be able to use the Dubai pre clear customs. That's a plus. Neither go to Abu Dhabi.



Bye Bye---General Lee

 

[fareview]

With this new facility in DXB, I wouldn't be surprised if UAL or DAL aggressively go after interline (codeshare once FAA situ rectified) agreements with some of the many mid-tier Indian airlines that fly to 16 (I think) Indian cities from Dubai.

Also look for one of the majors to launch JFK (possibly AA with new gate swap deal just announced with JB). It's a huge market that we have a monopoly on and fill thrice daily (2 380 direct/1 T7 via MXP)

Its a win-win for you guys into a massive Indian/Pak/Bangla market....

...but more importantly and endorsement of the benefits of competition and 'open skies'....not to mention security.

fv

 

[tailhookah]

Captain Moak's view... ALPA's view:

http://www.alpa.org/portals/alpa/deptpages/govtaffairs/issues/AvDaily53012_Moak_USCustomsPreclearance.pdf

 

[tailhookah]

links provided regarding UAE funding/backing/support of terrorism... or lack of oversight which allows backdoor funding (support)...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/223330


http://www.ict.org.il/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=2ulQKubhoxY%3D&tabid=426

Wake up lemmings. Our own government is aiding foreign airlines w/ tax payer dollars to come after your job, your future. Why are they doing this? Because the UAE lobbies hard in Washington and pays off your Congress to allow this oversight and pass funding bills with your money to build and fund these pre-clearance facilities to benefit foreigners... you don't see this stuff set up in Germany, Italy, France, Japan, China... no, you see it in the ME. It's a bad precedent. It's happening and plans for more are on the way.

Take your fracking heads out of your sand hole and wake up. Our careers are under fire backed and funded by US!

Tail....

 

[fareview]

Copy and pasted from your link which was written by US intelligence based in UAE:

Post has limited evidence South Asian expatriates are being recruited or radicalized in the UAE.

There is no evidence any of these groups have ties to extremist groups. In fact, the UAEG actively works to channel zakat from nationals and expatriates to the Red Crescent Authority, whose activities and employees it monitors closely.

While it can be assumed that the Pakistani and Afghani populations in the UAE represent a wide range of political views, political activism among expatriates is discouraged by UAE authorities.

All mosques operate under the direct supervision of the UAEG. None have ties to Afghanistan or Pakistan, aside from the nationalities of congregants. All sermons and announcements in UAE mosques are tightly controlled by the UAE Government.

There are no known Pakistani or Afghani clerics in the UAE.

All clerics/imams are supervised by the UAEG and are not involved in political activities.

For national security reasons, the UAEG closely monitors all expatriates, particularly those from Pakistan (the largest expat community in the UAE) and Afghanistan (given concerns about extremism/terrorism). The specific plans are not known.

Post has no evidence that business leaders are engaged in fundraising or other ties to extremists,

There are no known Pakistani or Afghani clerics in the UAE. The Imam who delivers the English language Friday sermon in Abu Dhabi (i.e., the language of many South Asians, is American).

3) (U) PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON ANY CHARITIES RUN BY AFGHAN AND PAKISTANI EXPATS.

Not applicable. In order to be registered, charitable groups must be founded by 20 Emirati nationals.

 

[fareview]

While I cannot say anything specific here, rest assured that US presence in the UAE is significant and valued by the US govt.

Start talking real pls.

fv

 

[tailhookah]

From the second link... I put the first in there to show that it's obvious there is no overt link to the jihad... but a financial link via shady backchannels that the government chooses to not enforce...

A present-day relationship between the UAE and the Taliban still exist. As a result of reasons that will be discussed later, the Taliban agents working within the UAE are relatively unobstructed in their money laundering schemes.

As the Wikileaks cables will show, although it poses a large threat, the UAE government is currently willing, however relatively unable to hinder the Taliban?s operations within the UAE. Furthermore, both undercover Taliban agents and Taliban sympathizers within the UAE increasingly inhibit any effort made by the UAE government.5

although the Taliban seldom commits large acts of terrorism outside the boarders of Afghanistan, the funding flowing through the UAE can aid the Taliban in offering a helping hand to other organizations as was seen in their cooperation with al-Qaeda in the attacks of September 11th.

The cables indicate Taliban fundraisers infiltrating the country and targeting specific wealthy Emirates in order to bolster support, the eventual goal being monetary support ? they are often times successful.22 Several specific cases can be viewed to exemplify this. Haji Khalil is a known Taliban operative working out of Kabul. Wikileaks cables claim Khalil has made several visits to the UAE, presumably to rally financial support. This known member of the Haqqani network is suspected to have set up business fronts in the UAE in order to launder money back to the Taliban.23 Furthermore, the same cable depicts Mullah Zaif; a former Guantanamo Bay inmate frequents the UAE in order to receive financial support from unknown sources within Dubai.24

The cables between the US State Department and the US Embassy in Dubai have given insight into an increasing problem that plagues the UAE. For several previously mentioned reasons the UAE has become a perfect platform from which to launch money laundering operations. The Taliban capitalizes on many deficiencies within the structure of the UAE?s internal and border control in order to exploit both their local as well as using the UAE, Dubai in particular, as a hub to channel illegal funds and drugs from several sources back to Afghanistan and other worldwide destinations.

While the government does not overtly support the taliban, the wealthy emirates that do (as mentioned) are very wealthy and have a say in what happens w/ the leadership... or family. Let's face it, those governments are a show, a few well connected billionaires really pull the strings in these UAE "Emirates"... they are all connected and the reason certain avenues are not protected (border areas) is to let this stuff happen. The UAE basically lets the taliban/al qaeda to do this to get a hall pass from anything bad happening on thier soil...

All the while our tax payer dollars support a pre-clearance facility to aid and abet thier state funded airlines which have more planes on order than the combined wealth or market cap of AA, UAL and Delta. So continue to think it's not a big deal... continue to be ignorant. It's a threat dummies. Wake up.

tail