US-Gulf airline dispute - Europe Part 2: market share in dispute. Does anyone "own" the passenger?

This is Part 2 of a report reviewing European airline comments filed in the US-Gulf airline dispute. This instalment examines AF-KLM and Lufthansa's supposed claims of damage from Gulf carriers: a long list of statistics about market share and closed destinations. Some imagination has been applied here. For example Lufthansa attributes its 1995 exit from the Sydney route on Gulf carriers- despite the first Gulf carrier not arriving in Australia until 1996; Lufthansa and Swiss cite closed destinations ranging from Busan to Monastir despite their not having service from the Gulf airlnes.

AF-KLM notes Gulf carriers have gained market share in Europe, but AF-KLM fails to note its own internal cost challenges, along with the impact of LCCs, that have seen it decline in parts of the world while IAG and Lufthansa grow. AF-KLM argues it suffered damage from two fewer Bangkok frequencies - despite KLM's up-gauging which produced 12% growth for the group. Lufthansa says "there is no evidence that the Gulf carriers meaningfully stimulate market growth". But Western European visitors to Bangkok are up 9.6% partially due to Gulf carriers, which are also stimulating growth from Africa and the Middle East.