Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al-Baker received a strong rebuke from the American airline industry after he publicly ridiculed his US competitors at a gala in Dublin, Ireland last week.
In his speech to celebrate Qatar Airways’ launch of its Dublin-Doha route, Al-Baker told the audience that the average age of his cabin crew was 26 years old and there was no need to travel on “crap American carriers.”
“You know you’re always being served by grandmothers on American airlines,” Al-Baker added, eliciting laughter from the audience.
The American aviation industry was quick to condemn Al-Baker’s comments, and wrote in a statement that the Qatar Airways leader had “sunk to a new low.”
The Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents pilots at Delta Air Lines and other major airlines, said that Al Baker “owes US airline workers an apology.”
“Straight from Akbar Al-Baker's lips, he confirms what AFA has said all along: Qatar Airways thrives on misogyny and discrimination,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said in a statement
“Qatar is not only seeking to choke out US Aviation, but also the 300,000 good jobs built through opportunity created on the principle of equality,” the AFA statement said.
“There is no room for a separation of humanity in air travel or in an emergency. Flight Attendants are onboard to save lives and every life counts. If you prop up Qatar Airways you are supporting sexism, racism, and ageism

Source: Arab News