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2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
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8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Flag Carrier site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Flag Carrier, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Flag Carrier, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
A
flag carrier or
de facto flag carrier, refers to:
A transportation company, such as a shipping or airline company, that is registered in a given state. Example: "American Airlines, while a private firm, is a U.S. flag carrier."
A state-run, state-owned or state-designated transport company or organization, specifically (though not universally required) showing the state flag apparent for public view (state in this context used to mean any principality or country). Example: "Air Canada is its namesake's flag carrier."
Importance of flag carriers
The term "flag carrier" is a legacy of the time when most countries had a state-owned airline. However, many of these airlines have been privatised and the airline industry
deregulated, allowing multiple airlines to compete within each country's market. This has rendered the term less important than it was in the past.
The legacy of flag carriers can still be seen by the restrictions in international air travel through
bilateral agreements between countries (see Open skies), exemplified by the Bermuda Agreements—a set of
Bilateral Air Transport Agreement between the
United States and the
United Kingdom originally signed in 1945 (
Bermuda I) but revised in 1977 (Bermuda II) to redress the balance of air service advantage by limiting the number of airlines which could operate on certain routes.
Some
country (notably the
United States of America) have
legislation that requires the use of a national flag carrier, where possible, when travelling using government funds. One example is the Fly America Act.
List of national flag carriers
The chart below list the status of the three criteria to be considered a "flag carrier", designation as a national airlines either officially or based on history, whether or not it carries the national flag on its aircraft and whether or not it is state-owned.{| class="wikitable"! Country||Airline||Designated||Flies the flag||State-owned|-| || Ariana Afghan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes ||Joint-Venture|-| || Air Algérie ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Leeward Islands Air Transport || Yes || No || Majority|-| || Aerolíneas Argentinas ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| || Qantas ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (42,75%)|-| || Azerbaijan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| || Gulf Air ] is jointly owned by the governments of Bahrain and
Oman, and is the flag carrier for both nations.] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| || Leeward Islands Air Transport || No || No || No|-| || Belavia ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| || Maya Island Air ] || Yes || No || No|-| ||
Druk Air ] || Yes || No ||Minority (48%)|-| || B&H Airlines ] || Yes || No || Full|-| rowspan=2| ||
TAM Linhas Aéreas || No || Yes || No|-| VARIG ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-|rowspan=2| || Bulgaria Air ] || Yes || No || No|-| ||
Air Burkina ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Royal Khmer Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Air Canada ] || || |||-| || Cayman Airways ] || || |||-| ||
LAN Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| || Avianca ] || || |||-| ||
Trans Air Congo ] || || |||-| ||
Lacsa ] || || |||-| ||
Croatia Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Cyprus Airways ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| || Scandinavian Airlines System ] is partly owned by the governments of
Demark,
Norway and Sweden, and is the flag carrier for all three nations. ] || || |||-| || Dominicana ] || || |||-| ||
EgyptAir ] || || |||-| ||
Ecuato Guineana ] || Yes || |||-| || Estonian Air ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Atlantic Airways ] || || |||-| || Finnair ] || Yes France: Air France was (and is still considered by many) the designated national carrier before it was merged with the Dutch airlines, KLM. ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Tahiti Nui ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Gambia International Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Lufthansa ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Olympic Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Air Caraïbes ] || || |||-| ||
Aviateca ] || Yes || |||-| || Guine Bissau Airlines ] || || |||-| ||
Tortug' Air ] || || |||-|rowspan=2| || Cathay PacificCathay Pacific used to fly the flag of the United Kingdom. Some of the crafts of Dragonair used to feature the
flag of the United Kingdom, and some featured the flag of Hong Kong#History. || No || No || No|-| Dragonair ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Icelandair ] || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| Indian (airline) || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| ||
Garuda Indonesia ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Iraqi Airways ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (28%)|-| Ryanair ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (30%)|-| ||
Alitalia ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Japan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Astana ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Air Kiribati ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| rowspan=2| || Korean Air ] || No || Yes |||-| || Kuwait Airways ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Lao Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Middle East Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Libyan Arab Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Luxair ] || Yes || |||-| || MAT Macedonian Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Air Malawi ] || Yes || Yes || Minority||-| ||
Trans Maldivian Airways ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Malta ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Caraïbes ] || Yes || |||-| || Air Mauritius ] || || |||-|
Mexicana de Aviación || Yes || Yes |||-| || Continental Micronesia ] || Yes || |||-| ||
MIAT Mongolian Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Montserrat ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique ] || Yes || Yes || Yes|-| || Air Namibia ] || Yes || |||-| || Nepal Airlines ] || Yes || No || No|-| || Bonaire Express ] || || |||-| ||
Air New Zealand ] || Yes || |||-| || Virgin Nigeria Airways ] || Yes || Yes || Minority |-|rowspan=2| ||
Gulf Air ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (33%)|-| ||
Pakistan International Airlines || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| || Palestinian Airlines ] || || |||-| ||
Air Niugini ] || || |||-| || Air Perú ] ||Yes
||Yes
||Joint-Venture
|-| Cebu Pacific ] || Yes
|| Yes
|| No|-| Asian Spirit ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (67.97%) |-| || TAP Portugal ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Austral ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (95%)|-| || Aeroflot ] || Yes || |||-| || Mustique Airways ] || || |||-| || Air São Tomé and Príncipe ] || Yes || || Full|-| || Air Sénégal International ] || Yes || Yes || Full Jat Airways is currently in process of privatisation. Aeroflot is the most likely company to get a share in ownership.|-| || Air Seychelles ] || || |||-| || Singapore Airlines ] || || Yes |||-| || Adria Airways ] || Yes || |||-| || Somali Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-|rowspan=2| || Iberia Airlines || Yes ||Yes || Minority (5%) http://grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.5dcd178a7f0a73be19736c10d21061ca/|-| Spanair ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Sudan Airways ] || Yes || |||-| || Scandinavian Airlines System ] || || Yes |||-| || Syrian Arab Airlines ]) || China Airlines China Airlines used to fly the flag of the Republic of China.] || Yes || |||-| || Air Tanzania ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (53%)|-| || Air Togo ] || || |||-| || Caribbean Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Turkish Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Turks and Caicos ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Ukraine International Airlines ] || Yes || No || Yes UAE: Etihad Airways is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates.|-| Emirates Airline || Yes || Yes || Yes UAE: Emirates Airline is owned by the government of Dubai, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates.|-| || British Airways ]USA: The U.S. government has never officially recognized a single flag carrier, but Pan American World Airways was widely considered the de facto flag carrier before its 1991 bankruptcy.|| No || Yes || No|-| || PLUNA ] || Yes || || Majority|-| || Air Vanuatu ] || Yes || No || Full|-| || Vietnam Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Zambian Airways ] || Yes || Yes |||}
Notes
Even though Virgin Atlantic claimed they were the flag carrier of the United Kingdom after British Airways removed the Union Jack design from the tail livery in favor of world images, British Airways was actually created by an act of Parliament in 1972, merging BOAC and BEA under the newly formed British Airways board and eventually other separate airlines came together to form British Airways in 1974.
External links
- Wright State University Sample Federal funds usage for air carriers.
- International Air Transport Association Organisation formerly responsible for managing air services agreements and international fares.
A
flag carrier or
de facto flag carrier, refers to:
A transportation company, such as a shipping or airline company, that is registered in a given state. Example: "American Airlines, while a private firm, is a U.S. flag carrier."
A state-run, state-owned or state-designated transport company or organization, specifically (though not universally required) showing the state flag apparent for public view (state in this context used to mean any principality or country). Example: "Air Canada is its namesake's flag carrier."
Importance of flag carriers
The term "flag carrier" is a legacy of the time when most
countries had a state-owned airline. However, many of these airlines have been privatised and the airline industry
deregulated, allowing multiple airlines to compete within each country's market. This has rendered the term less important than it was in the past.
The legacy of flag carriers can still be seen by the restrictions in international air travel through bilateral agreements between countries (see
Open skies), exemplified by the Bermuda Agreements—a set of
Bilateral Air Transport Agreement between the
United States and the
United Kingdom originally signed in 1945 (Bermuda I) but revised in 1977 (
Bermuda II) to redress the balance of air service advantage by limiting the number of airlines which could operate on certain routes.
Some country (notably the
United States of America) have legislation that requires the use of a national flag carrier, where possible, when travelling using government funds. One example is the Fly America Act.
List of national flag carriers
The chart below list the status of the three criteria to be considered a "flag carrier", designation as a national airlines either officially or based on history, whether or not it carries the national flag on its aircraft and whether or not it is state-owned.{| class="wikitable"! Country||Airline||Designated||Flies the flag||State-owned|-| ||
Ariana Afghan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes ||Joint-Venture|-| ||
Air Algérie ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| || Leeward Islands Air Transport || Yes || No || Majority|-| || Aerolíneas Argentinas ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| ||
Qantas ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (42,75%)|-| ||
Azerbaijan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Gulf Air ] is jointly owned by the governments of
Bahrain and Oman, and is the flag carrier for both nations.] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Leeward Islands Air Transport || No || No || No|-| ||
Belavia ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| ||
Maya Island Air ] || Yes || No || No|-| || Druk Air ] || Yes || No ||Minority (48%)|-| ||
B&H Airlines ] || Yes || No || Full|-| rowspan=2| || TAM Linhas Aéreas || No || Yes || No|-| VARIG ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-|rowspan=2| ||
Bulgaria Air ] || Yes || No || No|-| ||
Air Burkina ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Royal Khmer Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Canada ] || || |||-| || Cayman Airways ] || || |||-| || LAN Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| ||
Avianca ] || || |||-| || Trans Air Congo ] || || |||-| ||
Lacsa ] || || |||-| ||
Croatia Airlines ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Cyprus Airways ] || Yes || Yes || No|-| ||
Scandinavian Airlines System ] is partly owned by the governments of
Demark,
Norway and Sweden, and is the flag carrier for all three nations. ] || || |||-| || Dominicana ] || || |||-| || EgyptAir ] || || |||-| || Ecuato Guineana ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Estonian Air ] || Yes || |||-| || Atlantic Airways ] || || |||-| ||
Finnair ] || Yes France:
Air France was (and is still considered by many) the designated national carrier before it was merged with the Dutch airlines,
KLM. ] || Yes || |||-| || Air Tahiti Nui ] || Yes || |||-| || Gambia International Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Lufthansa ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Olympic Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Air Caraïbes ] || || |||-| ||
Aviateca ] || Yes || |||-| || Guine Bissau Airlines ] || || |||-| ||
Tortug' Air ] || || |||-|rowspan=2| || Cathay PacificCathay Pacific used to fly the
flag of the United Kingdom. Some of the crafts of Dragonair used to feature the
flag of the United Kingdom, and some featured the flag of Hong Kong#History. || No || No || No|-| Dragonair ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Icelandair ] || Yes || Yes || Majority|-|
Indian (airline) || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| || Garuda Indonesia ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| ||
Iraqi Airways ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (28%)|-|
Ryanair ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (30%)|-| ||
Alitalia ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Japan Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Astana ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Kiribati ] || Yes || Yes || Full|-| rowspan=2| || Korean Air ] || No || Yes |||-| ||
Kuwait Airways ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Lao Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Middle East Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Libyan Arab Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Luxair ] || Yes || |||-| || MAT Macedonian Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Malawi ] || Yes || Yes || Minority||-| ||
Trans Maldivian Airways ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Malta ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Caraïbes ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Air Mauritius ] || || |||-|
Mexicana de Aviación || Yes || Yes |||-| ||
Continental Micronesia ] || Yes || |||-| || MIAT Mongolian Airlines ] || Yes || |||-| || Air Montserrat ] || Yes || |||-| || Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique ] || Yes || Yes || Yes|-| ||
Air Namibia ] || Yes || |||-| ||
Nepal Airlines ] || Yes || No || No|-| ||
Bonaire Express ] || || |||-| || Air New Zealand ] || Yes || |||-| || Virgin Nigeria Airways ] || Yes || Yes || Minority |-|rowspan=2| ||
Gulf Air ] || Yes || Yes || Minority (33%)|-| ||
Pakistan International Airlines || Yes || Yes || Majority|-| || Palestinian Airlines ] || || |||-| || Air Niugini ] || || |||-| ||
Air Perú ] ||Yes
||Yes
||Joint-Venture
|-| Cebu Pacific ] || Yes
|| Yes
|| No|-| Asian Spirit ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (67.97%) |-| || TAP Portugal ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Austral ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (95%)|-| || Aeroflot ] || Yes || |||-| || Mustique Airways ] || || |||-| || Air São Tomé and Príncipe ] || Yes || || Full|-| || Air Sénégal International ] || Yes || Yes || Full Jat Airways is currently in process of privatisation. Aeroflot is the most likely company to get a share in ownership.|-| || Air Seychelles ] || || |||-| || Singapore Airlines ] || || Yes |||-| || Adria Airways ] || Yes || |||-| || Somali Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-|rowspan=2| || Iberia Airlines || Yes ||Yes || Minority (5%) http://grupo.iberia.es/portal/site/grupoiberia/menuitem.5dcd178a7f0a73be19736c10d21061ca/|-| Spanair ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Sudan Airways ] || Yes || |||-| || Scandinavian Airlines System ] || || Yes |||-| || Syrian Arab Airlines ]) || China Airlines China Airlines used to fly the flag of the Republic of China.] || Yes || |||-| || Air Tanzania ] || Yes || Yes || Majority (53%)|-| || Air Togo ] || || |||-| || Caribbean Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Turkish Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Air Turks and Caicos ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Ukraine International Airlines ] || Yes || No || Yes UAE: Etihad Airways is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates.|-| Emirates Airline || Yes || Yes || Yes UAE: Emirates Airline is owned by the government of Dubai, a constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates.|-| || British Airways ]USA: The U.S. government has never officially recognized a single flag carrier, but Pan American World Airways was widely considered the de facto flag carrier before its 1991 bankruptcy.|| No || Yes || No|-| || PLUNA ] || Yes || || Majority|-| || Air Vanuatu ] || Yes || No || Full|-| || Vietnam Airlines ] || Yes || Yes |||-| || Zambian Airways ] || Yes || Yes |||}
Notes
Even though Virgin Atlantic claimed they were the flag carrier of the United Kingdom after British Airways removed the Union Jack design from the tail livery in favor of world images, British Airways was actually created by an act of Parliament in 1972, merging BOAC and BEA under the newly formed British Airways board and eventually other separate airlines came together to form British Airways in 1974.
External links
- Wright State University Sample Federal funds usage for air carriers.
- International Air Transport Association Organisation formerly responsible for managing air services agreements and international fares.
Flag carrier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A flag carrier refers to a transportation company, such as a shipping or airline company, that is locally registered in a given country. They may be state-run, state-owned or state ...
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