Emirates has always priced its tickets commercially, competitively and fairly in the German market. Yet we were recently ordered by the German Federal Office for Goods Transport to raise our business class fares on three international routes from Germany via Dubai (Frankfurt to Johannesburg, Hamburg to Singapore and Berlin to Singapore) so that these aligned with two Star Alliance members offering direct flights.
The existing air services arrangements between Germany and the UAE do not in our view prohibit us from charging the fares in question. Emirates’ tariff was not the lowest available fare offered by a non-EU carrier in any of these cases, and tariffs of several EU carriers were significantly less than those of Emirates. Under threat of serious fines, Emirates increased the said fares. None of the lower competitor fares appeared to increase after Emirates had adjusted its own tariffs.
Emirates wishes to be allowed to price fairly and competitively all its services from the German market, in the interest of German customers, consumer transparency and healthy competition.