Rivals vent fury on Gulf airlines

Struggling airlines from North America and Asia complained about losing market share to Gulf carriers Monday, amid accusations of predatory pricing and capacity dumping as the industry experiences its worst slump on record.

But the region’s carriers rejected their rivals’ complaints, made at an international conference in the Malaysian capital, saying they were generating new demand by opening up previously untapped markets.

Executives from Air Canada and Air New Zealand attacked the “Big Three” carriers from the Gulf – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – which have built their airlines on a go-it-alone strategy, rather than joining alliances with established players.