"Those airline companies do not qualify as airlines."

These are the exact words that Oscar Munoz, the former CEO of United Airlines, used in 2017 when he harshly criticized the large Middle Eastern airlines for being unfair rivals.

The CEOs of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, as well as Munoz, spent a significant portion of the middle to late part of the 2010s griping about the so-called ME3 airlines, which are Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways. They said that these Middle Eastern giants received subsidies from the governments of their respective countries, which allowed the airlines to provide superior service at competitive prices on long-haul routes to the United States of America.

In 2015, Scott Kirby, who was serving as the president of America at the time, made the statement that "it isn't fair to compete with someone who doesn't have to make a profit and can be subsidized by their governments."

Move forward in time by almost eight years. Kirby, who is now the CEO of United, is getting ready to launch a brand-new daily flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) on March 25 at 9:40 p.m. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200ER and will have a capacity of 276 passengers.

As part of a new cooperation with its long-time rival Emirates, United will sell onward connections from Dubai to cities such as Karachi, Pakistan, and Nairobi, Kenya. This is a step that was formerly unfathomable coming from an American airline.

The two airlines announced the partnership for the first time in September 2022, and at the time, they referred to it as a "historic commercial agreement" that sent shockwaves throughout the aviation sector. It wasn't only a remarkable mending of relations between an American airline and a Middle Eastern carrier; it also represented several other positive developments. It also meant that United would return to a market that it had left in 2016 as a result of Emirates' excessive supply of flights.

"The reason this flight is going to be a success now and the prior flight did not work comes down to one word, and that's a partnership," United's senior vice president of global network planning and alliances Patrick Quayle said in an interview with TPG. Quayle is responsible for United's worldwide network planning and alliances.

This partnership follows closely on the heels of American Airlines' recent efforts to deepen its relations with Qatar Airways, which is currently America's codeshare partner and is also a member of the Oneworld alliance. Back in June of 2022, American Airlines began operating a daily route from New York City to Doha, Qatar. In addition, it offers nonstop connections to cities in Qatar from other parts of the Middle East, Africa, and even further beyond.

The partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates does not appear to be particularly all-encompassing at the outset.

It enables both Emirates and United to promote flights that go beyond specified hubs in the United States, with United being able to sell connections outside the United Arab Emirates. It comprises a ticketing arrangement between interline carriers at a select number of airports in the United States. (Because of this form of collaboration, the two airlines can rebook their passengers onto each other's aircraft during times of irregular operations and transport their checked bags according to different schedules.)

In addition to having more options for itineraries, premium passengers who are connecting to or from United's new flight in Dubai will have access to lounges there on a reciprocal basis. There are currently some chances for frequent fliers to earn mileage between the two airlines, but those opportunities are limited.
Although the cooperation has resulted in a significant improvement in relations between the carriers, it is not a codeshare in the traditional sense. A recent filing with the United States Department of Transportation revealed that plans for a codeshare are now being developed.

Despite this, phase one presents a significant opportunity for United, particularly with the introduction of the historic new service between Newark and Dubai.

According to Quayle, "all indications from the data we're seeing suggest that [the new route] is doing exactly as we have planned" He went on to say that it "has fantastic connectivity to a bunch of points that we can't serve," which could be because the cities are located too far away or because United is confronted with geopolitical problems.

For example, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, U.S. airlines are no longer allowed to fly over the nation, which has caused United to cease service on some of its routes to India. Because United now has a direct connection to Dubai, the airline can resume providing service to the aforementioned cities via connecting flights with Emirates and Flydubai.

This kind of "pragmatic" thinking was ultimately what drove United to make up with Emirates and put the past behind them.

"We approached it openly and candidly, and we spent a lot of time building a relationship with an airline that we didn't have a relationship with because, understandably, there were a lot of hurtful things said by both sides," Quayle told TPG. "We spent a lot of time building a relationship with an airline that we didn't have a relationship with because there were a lot of hurtful things said by both sides."

United Airlines, which is headquartered in Chicago, has been working hard to expand its portfolio of long-haul destinations, and the introduction of the new route comes at a time when it is arguably busiest expanding its long-haul route network.

Amman, Jordan; Bergen, Norway; Brisbane, Australia; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Ponta Delgada, Portugal; and Tenerife, Spain were added to the airline's route map during the previous year as part of a major development drive that was initiated the year prior. All of these will still be a part of the United network, except Bergen, which did not live up to United's aspirations and hence will be phased out.

In the meantime, Dubai ushers in yet another banner year for the team responsible for United's network planning. United Airlines is expanding its service to include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as adding flights to Stockholm and Malaga, Spain. Additionally, during the summer, the carrier will introduce four new routes to previously established destinations. Not to mention, it is increasing its presence in two important European markets by adding a second daily route from Los Angeles and Washington, District of Columbia, respectively. These cities are London and Paris.

Dubai is unique among the majority of United's newly established routes since it is possibly the market with the most untapped potential. "From a network perspective, the Dubai flight will function much more like a Munich or a Frankfurt or Zurich than it will a Palma or a Ponta Delgada in the Azores," Quayle said. "From a network perspective, the Dubai flight will function much more like a Munich or a Frankfurt or Zurich."

Because of all the traffic going in the other direction, Dubai is a "powerful" aviation hub, which means there is plenty of potentials for United to expand there. Quayle stated, "I don't want to announce anything today, but we have thought through how we can add more flying into Dubai from other destinations across the United States." "I don't want to announce anything today,"

While expansion in Dubai is certainly a possibility, the focus of everyone's attention, for now, is on the maiden flight that will depart from Newark on Saturday. This flight might be the first of many for the carrier.

Keep checking back with The Points Guy for additional coverage from onboard United's first trip to Dubai!

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