Varifrank: Thank you for flying Hyperbole Airlines

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Thank you for flying Hyperbole Airlines

Well, in this case " Thank you for shipping on Emirates Sky Cargo"

...snip
Emirates SkyCargo is the award-winning air freight division of Emirates Airline. Established in 1985, we quickly built a reputation for leading the industry in innovation, flexibility and service.

Today, we continue to set the standard. Flying to over 75 destinations worldwide, we pride ourselves on offering our customers comprehensive cargo solutions. Through SkyChain, our online cargo logistics system, we're changing the way the cargo business works, empowering our customers with the tools they need to better control their consignments.

Our cargo solutions have been developed to provide our customers with cutting-edge air freight services. Our Priority Products assure on-time delivery throughout the world, while our extensive trucking and offline partner networks ensure comprehensive coverage where our customers need it most.

Our fleet, too, demonstrates our commitment to excellence. Amongst the youngest of any airline, it comprises the latest wide-body jets from Airbus and Boeing. We were the first major airline to place an order for the revolutionary Airbus A380 super jumbo.

In everything we do, quality is our watchword. We're particularly proud that our efforts have been recognised throughout the industry. IFW voted us 'Air Cargo Carrier of the Year' in 2004 and 2005. Air Cargo News voted Emirates 'Cargo Airline of the Year' in 1995, 1999, 2000 and again in 2001 and has named us 'Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East' for the last 17 consecutive years. SkyCargo was also awarded 'Best Cargo Airline to the Indian Subcontinent' for the 8th consecutive year by Air Cargo News and ' Logistics Service Provider Award ' by STMicroelectronics.

...end snip

So, let me get this straight - While the entire US political-wonk class is frothing out the mouth over the sale of "port dock concessions to the United Arab Emirates" in a fashion I havent seen since the great "Flouride Wars of the 1950's", it turns out that "Emirates Air" and its subsidiary "Emirates Sky Cargo" has Passenger and Cargo Terminal Space at JFK.

That's John F. Kennedy INTERNATIONAL Airport, formerly known as "Idlewild"

That's in New York City, New York State.

You read that right.
Passenger Terminal Space and Cargo Terminal Space.

New...
York...
City...

John...
F...
Kennedy...

Cargo...
Terminal...
Space...

Now, I ask you:

1) Did anyone ever go screaming about "Selling out our airports to the highest foreign bidder?"

2) Did anyone ever see any headlines in the New York Post saying "JFK Airport sold to dirty, untrustworthy,terrorist loving Arabs?

3) Did anyone ever say that we handed over security of New York airports to "Foreigners"?

4) Have we ever had any problems with Emirates Airlines, despite daily flight schedules since 1985?

5) Have we ever heard of any "terror" efforts being expidited to or from Emirates Airlines?

6) Has Emirate Airlines ever used its knowledge of Airport Security as a way to "sneak terrorists" into the United States?

7) Is there any evidence at all that the Emirates have used this airline as a conduit for terror networks?

Now, explain to me how this is different than the Dubai Ports Deal?

You want to go all "nativist" and start a policy of "keep the darkies out", you go right ahead. Let's do that, lets get this country on a policy of not allowing Air Cargo in the United States that follows the same line of logic that some of you are setting for ship based cargo and we can all go line up at the unemployment office now and beat the christmas rush.

I just want to understand your position here, they can fly aircraft in and out of an airport in New York City all.day.long, but allowing them to unload ships is out of the question? They can enter the airport traffic pattern over civilian populations all over the east coast all.day.long, but they can't operate a shipping terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey?

Now I know some of you are still going to say "HELL NO" and say we shouldnt let them do EXACTLY what they've been doing since 1985, but as far as I can tell, they have been following the rules
SET BY US...
Following the regulations
SET BY US...
Complying with security requirements
SET BY US...
and still managing to give their customers great service and their owners a profit!

Do you still really think its "too much of a risk" to let them run a crane and forklift service in Bayonne, New Jersey, considering they've been FLYING IN COMMERICIAL CARGO JETS INTO NEW YORK AIRSPACE SINCE 1985?

Emirates Sky Cargo is part of the Emirates Group. From the looks of things, they are a busy group of folks.

UPDATE: Welcome Hugh Hewitt readers. Vodka-lanche, Insta-Lanche, Malkin-lanche, Lucianne-lanche and now I can add a Hugh-nami to my collection! ( Reference trackbacks, they are like the Boy Scout merit badges of the blogosphere...)

Posted @ February 25, 2006 10:34 PM | Current Affairs

"Avoid the Christmas rush" ... indeed. When will people understand what a Global economy means, and that we cannot, and Must not, become isolationists. We have to make the whole world safer, or none of us are safe!

Posted by: Barb at February 26, 2006 10:38 PM

If this doesn't shut people up, nothing will. Good work on this. I suspect there are other similar examples out there that are going to come back and bite the anti-UAE folks as well. BTW, Hugh Hewitt has linked to this post. Congrats.

Posted by: PDS at February 27, 2006 08:52 AM

Just for grins, do a search of Emirates and Kosher.

Not that refusing Kosher meals equates blowing up American seaports, but it's still something to raise an eyebrow or two at.

Posted by: Laurence Simon at February 27, 2006 10:00 AM

Has anyone investigated Wizbang's comment that the Dubai question was brought up to Schumer by the TEAMSTERS - who fear that negotiations with Dubai over labor matters may be more difficult than with the Brits?
Does anyone think that the Brits have better security than the new company? Victims of political correctness that they are?

Posted by: Fiona at February 27, 2006 10:54 AM

One small, tiny difference is that you can't carry in a suitcase nuc on an airplane. You need a to contain the radioactivity with a lead container. You need a ship, one whose security is guarded by a security organization that is already infiltrated by organized crime.

And in reference to question 6 and 7 above, how do you know the answers to these? How do you know they never smuggled in terrorists?

The point is: Port security is a joke. It needs to be strengthened. How do we do that? Well, it sure isn't by turning management of the ports over to a foreign state-owned (totalitarian islamist sforeign tate, by the way) company. Get serious.

Posted by: TechnoWonk at February 27, 2006 01:01 PM

You need a container roughly the size of double wide refrigerator. The Airbus A380 Frieghter and Boeing 747 Frieghter, both of which are owned and operated by Emirates Sky Cargo, routinely carry containers that are much MUCH larger than that. An average aircraft shipping container that is filled with nothing but irradiated silica and high explosives that is detonated over any city in the flight path would be as devastating as any ship born bomb would be, possibly more so.

One other point, The Coast Guard and US Customs are in charge of Port Security in conjunction with the port authority police and harbor police. They do a great job and they do a lot of it overseas in the ports of the "dang foriegners". We can always do better, but that has nothing to do with the efficacy of the P&O Sale to Dubai Ports World.

Emirates Airines is also owned by the same "horrible people" that own Dubai Ports, they have a proven track record here in the United States. How do I know theyve been good? Not one - not a single case of smuggling of any sort, not one violation of any customs rules since 1985 as ever been reported. I'd put that record against Lufthansa or Aer Lingus or British Airways any day of the week.

The only way to get them 'dang foreigners" out of the ports is to stop buying things from them. Where did you fill up your car last time? I thought so...

I cannot understand why letting them run the forklifts to unload the ship is any more of a security risk than letting them own and crew the ship that docks at the port in the first place.

If the UAE doesnt meet your standards for muslim countries we should be working with, than can we have an example of one that does?

Posted by: frank martin at February 27, 2006 02:02 PM

And what of Singapore and LA? Lets not forget Jemaah
Islamiyah operates in the far east including Sing.
Congress has had decades to deal with the issue of
foreigners and 'strategic' US assets, and they
basically ran away. Until someone can brings some
facts beyond "9/11 hijackers from UAE!" this deal
should go through.

Posted by: mike at February 28, 2006 05:25 PM

I know that one of the arguments that are being made against the port deal is that since DPW is owned by the government of UAE and the UAE supports a boycott of Israel, they shouldn't be allowed to run some container operations at our ports.

Posted by: Jeff at March 2, 2006 05:31 PM

Emirates Air? What about Saudia, the airline of you guessed it Saudi Arabia. How about Pakistani, or Royal Air Maroc the airline of Morocco, or Egyptair, or Royal Jordanian, or Kuwait Airlines, or ...

Posted by: John at March 2, 2006 07:05 PM

I knew about the other airlines, but I dont think they have Air Cargo facilties like Emirates does.

Posted by: Frank Martin at March 2, 2006 07:36 PM

and an Irish guy as cargo manager, doing a great job

Posted by: ian at March 17, 2006 11:48 AM