The Economist magazine did a recent article about the emergence of Middle East carriers. It talks about how Dubai’s Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad are all ramping up capacity and expanding their airports to accommodate millions of passengers.

All of this means good news for passengers as they are expanding capacity and pushing the limit in customer service and airplane offerings. It also means lower prices for consumers with the increased competition.

There are grumblings from the European and US airlines that these three airlines could do for long haul what discount airliners did for short haul. They also complain about the unfair advantage these airlines have with the government’s financial backing – a little bit ironic given the previous bailouts.

I have not had the pleasure yet to fly any of these airlines but I look forward to having the chance someday and also welcome the increased competition.

I’ve subscribed to the Economist for the past 4 years using 3200 Delta Skymiles each year through Magazines for Miles. They have other subscriptions available as well including the Wall Street Journal for 1800 miles.

It’s not limited to Delta Skymiles program either as all of the major carriers participate as well. It is a great way to use up orphan miles.