Qatar Airways lays claim to Miami as Gulf airlines plan for a busy 2014 expansion into the US

Qatar Airways' has revealed Miami as its sixth US destination. This caps off a raft of planned new service by the three big Gulf carriers in 2014 as each airline - Emirates, Etihad and Qatar - works to increase its presence in the North American market. All are working towards feeding more North American traffic through their hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and onward to points in Asia, Australasia, Africa and Europe.

The rapid expansion by the three Gulf carriers into the Americas during the past couple of years reflects each airline's respective strategy to ensure they serve all the key global markets. That growth is also accompanied by changing dynamics in the global airline business triggered by the rise of the big three as other major airlines throughout the world have softened their attitudes towards Emirates, Etihad and Qatar and forged partnerships with those airlines to optimise the profitability of their networks. Delta and some other US airlines are exceptions, as Delta strongly resists Etihad's expansion into the US, perhaps fearing that US consumers will discover the much higher level of product offered by the Gulf airlines.