Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker can smile today. He won the battle at the White House. President Donald Trump sided with him…and perhaps for reasons having less to do with the issue itself than over ego.
A successful warrior must know his adversary. A successful lawyer must know his audience. Al Baker clearly demonstrated this. He carefully laid the groundwork for this meeting and owned it like a salesman closing a deal.
As I wrote yesterday, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, who has complained about Air Italy and Qatar Airways more than any other U.S. figure, declined to attend the White House meeting over this issue. Delta blamed “previously scheduled travel” for his absence:
Ed unfortunately had some previously scheduled travel that he was unable to reschedule. He is appreciative of opportunities … to discuss this important issue with the president and members of the administration. Delta remains 100% committed to leveling the playing field in international aviation.
But the White House was not amused. An insider told CNBC:
The real story is that Delta refused the invite. That didn’t help their cause.
Trump was apparently fuming during the meeting that Bastian declined his invite, bringing it up several times. Meanwhile, Al Baker used the opportunity to remind Trump that he flew in all the way from Doha to take part in the meeting.
See, Trump and Al Baker have friends for years (see photos above). Trump has also expressed amazement over Doha’s Hamad International Airport in the past, which he sees as a model for U.S. airports. And perhaps that relationship has helped Al Baker to pick up on what Bastian missed. Trump 1.) thinks very highly of himself and 2.) does not tolerate slights.
…or a very nervous and skinny version of Pocahontas (1/1024th), as your President, rather than what you have now, so great looking and smart, a true Stable Genius! Sorry to say that even Social Media would be driven out of business along with, and finally, the Fake News Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2019
Al Baker Laid The Groundwork in Advance
It wasn’t just Al Baker’s presence in the meeting that swayed Trump. Earlier this month, Trump appeared with Al Baker to announce Qatar Airways would be buying Boeing jets and using General Electric engines. Other than direct flattery, the best way to Trump’s heart is to support U.S. manufacturing jobs. Al Baker’s investment in Boeing and GE pleased the President and comes in stark contrast to Delta’s recent decision to order Airbus A220s and A330neos over Boeing jets. In other words, talk is cheap for Delta.
US airline CEOs were apparently shocked when they learned Al Baker would be at the meeting. In fact, that may even be why Bastian refused to attend. But a White House official said:
The president expressly wanted the Qatar CEO as he wanted a variety of perspectives, as he always does.
After listening to both sides, Trump essentially sided with Qatar, telling US airlines to use the “mechanisms available in law” to adjudicate their grievances. Just as Bastian’s “travel” excuse was a nice way of saying no, so was Trump’s suggestion to use existing channels. US airlines have already done so to no avail, even in a protectionist administration.
CONCLUSION
Carl von Clausewitz famously said, “War is a continuation of politics by other means.” Wars are fought on many fronts and Al Baker can claim victory in this battle through his employment of shrewd diplomacy. But the war is not over yet. We will see what battle US carriers wage next.
But don’t let Al Baker’s shrewdness take away from the greater point. This so-called subsidy issue is so clear-cut that even a child can objectively listen to both sides and agree with Qatar’s position on Air Italy. We must not forget that either.
> Read More:
- Dense, Dimwitted Logic From A Deliberately Deceptive Delta CEO
- U.S. Airlines Pandering To President Trump In Gratuitous New Ad
- Delta’s Victory Lap Over a Meaningless Agreement
- Qatar vs. Delta – Who Really Won?
- A Dishonest Smear in the Fight Over Gulf Subsidies
- 10 Ways Taxpayers Subsidize U.S. Airlines
- Exposed: Shameful Double Standards on Airline Subsidies
Image: Doha News
I thought Saudi Arabia doesn’t want the USA siding or liking anything Qatari ??
Hmmm…maybe if you worship the King (Rump) …..
Maybe Bastian was busy checking on his upcoming plane orders in Europe. Either that or he had a basic economy ticket and couldn’t change it.
For all the negative attacks on President Trump, he has done a great job of being open to both sides of an issue and willing to talk. He did it with North Korea. He did it with being open to criminal justice reform and listening to Kardashian (who is a flake on everything else) about a few specific egregious sentences and had them commuted or pardoned. He did it with holding off on launching attacks on Syria and Iran which he was hounded to do by the Democrat and republican interventionists. He did it here by being open to Qatar’s arguments and speaking to its airline leadership. Kudos to Trump.
Yes, kudos to cozying up to dictators and autocrats (Putin, Kim, MBS, etc.) and bashing our long-term allies. Such a leader.
Well said UA-NYC
Trump and Al-Baker, two enormous egos in the same room at the same time.
I think Al-Baker knew just how to play it.
If you don’t even show up, how do you expect to prevail??
I have done plenty of business with US companies and not to my pleasure. Where other companies try to compete, win, strike deals, be the best, my experience with US companies is they push and shove, threaten, use their embassies to threaten governments with less World Bank support and try to litigate.
Leaning instead of competing.
Excellent that Trump did not go along in the whining.