Etihad report alleges three big US carriers received $71.5bn in benefits

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Following Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker’s media briefing in Washington DC yesterday, during which he accused the US carriers of greed, comes a report from Etihad, citing the amount of “benefits” US airlines have received. A staggering $71.48bn in the past 15 years, according to The Risk Advisory Group, which was commissioned by Etihad. The majority of this amount was as a result of Chapter 11, the controversial US bankruptcy benefit. Etihad said it wasn’t looking to have a tit-for-tat argument, just seeking some balance in the ongoing debate. As Mr Al Baker noted, IATA’s AGM in June should make for some interesting discussions.