The three Persian Gulf airlines

Quote: AZDuffman

Anyone who invests in aviation is insane in the first place.

Why is that?

It's traditionally how you make a small fortune: take a large fortune and buy an airline...

Quote: Fleastiff

Why is that?

Quote: chickenman

It's traditionally how you make a small fortune: take a large fortune and buy an airline...

To add to this, if you added all the profits and losses of all the US Carriers since the Wright Brothers and I believe you still get a net loss. Fuel can go way up, unions are killers, a hiccup in the economy gives you pneumonia. CNBC did a week with AMR as one of their specials and one flight made like $250. So one less ticket sold would have been a loss.

So let them keep buying from BA, helping our balance of payments. They have the cash to lose.

Electric flight by Airbus:

"...An hour long commercial flight with the E-Fan could cost only $16, compared to $55 for a flight in a petrol-powered plane of the same size, ' Inhabitat.com' reported.

Although the E-Fan is an all electric trainer, the E-Fan 2 will be a hybrid trainer and general purpose aircraft.

Quote: AZDuffman

Their idea is that if you look at a flat-earth map they are pretty much in the middle more or less. Take their logic for whatever you like. They are about in the middle of Eurasia and between the top of Europe and the bottom of Africa no matter how you slice it.

I know they want to be the center of the world. They have a pseudo scientific argument that the zero latitude should be moved from Greenwich outside of London to Mecca, and that was the reason for building the clock tower.


It is pretty amazing that Dubai Airport has grown over 500% since year 2000, and with the help of only two routes on US airlines (Delta to Atlanta, and United to Washington DC Dulles Airport).In January 2014 it was the 3rd busiest airport behind Atlanta and Beijing.

I realize that some of these cities and airports are in different countries, but they are trying to establish an economic and monetary union with a single currency.

Quote: Pacomartin

I know they want to be the center of the world. They have a pseudo scientific argument that the zero latitude should be moved from Greenwich outside of London to Mecca, and that was the reason for building the clock tower.

Must be very pseudo as there is no scientific reason for it to be in one place over another. I am told it is where it is because it runs right thru the living room of the guy who invented the concept. Otherwise the date line does have good reason to be where it is so as not to divide any population centers. Could move the date line to the Atlantic if they wanted I guess.

In the Middle East they seem to believe in Lawrence of Arabia's advice to Prince Saud: "Time to be great again".

They want their own GPS satellites, there own weather sateliltes and their own "weather" satellites as well as their own Dateline.

Another reason for growth in the area is to consider Union of South Africa's need for the "border" states. Along the wild coast there were casinos and night clubs where whites and blacks could intermingle, where smuggling was rampant and in general behaviors that were dangerous in South Africa were less dangerous. Sort of a "Sin City" for the more staid Union of South Africa.

In the heavily restrictive society of Saudi Arabia and other Islamic states, there may be a need for a more "western" enclave where liquor and gambling and women are more easily available. That could be one impetus for increased travel in the area.

Quote: AZDuffman

Must be very pseudo as there is no scientific reason for it to be in one place over another.

Originally, in the 16th century they used the Canary Islands, then in the late 18th century many calculations were done using Royal observatory in Greenwich. Most of the countries signed up in the late 19th century to Greenwich, but the French held out for Paris for almost three decades. For the last 100 years, it is has pretty much been universal.

Mecca would split Juneau (capital of Alaska) with Anchorage (largest city of Alaska) by the date line.

Quote: Pacomartin

Originally, in the 16th century they used the Canary Islands, then in the late 18th century many calculations were done using Royal observatory in Greenwich. Most of the countries signed up in the late 19th century to Greenwich, but the French held out for Paris for almost three decades. For the last 100 years, it is has pretty much been universal.

Mecca would split Juneau (capital of Alaska) with Anchorage (largest city of Alaska) by the date line.

It makes sense to have the prime on land so you can have a benchmark where you can walk up and measure it. But leave it to the religion of peace and tolerance to want to put the benchmark where no non-muslim can ever come and verify it.

Quote: AZDuffman

It makes sense to have the prime on land so you can have a benchmark where you can walk up and measure it.

Well, it is a prime meridian. You could go somewhere in the woods to the east of Moscow and have a marker.

Moscow airport 37°54'E
Mecca mosque 39°49'E

Quote: AZDuffman

But leave it to the religion of peace and tolerance to want to put the benchmark where no non-muslim can ever come and verify it.

I don't think that even the Muslims call it the religion of tolerance.

Charles Martell (The Hammer) stops the Muslims from conquering Paris in 732


Siege of Vienna 1529


Battle of Vienna 1683