No one is asking you to travel to the UAE under the arrangement. You just have to transit the airport. Hopefully, most people will be able to refrain from sexual relations and consensual sodomy for a few hours while in transit. (i.e. they can exercise their will power for a little while)
I don't know about the medication issue. But limited reading of other threads suggests the issue may not be as big as implied while in transit at the airport.
Many of these issues have been discussed here:
Qantas/Emirates Code Share Arrangement - September 2012
Well, the transit areas are still subject to the laws and customs of the UAE.
And, I am fairly sure that QANTAS would not only be seeking through fares but stay-overs as well.
I frequently stay-over in Singapore and although I don’t care too much for some of their laws and attitudes it is, for me, a better choice than Dubai.
You will note my thread topic was specifically referring to the marketing aspect of the alliance (thank you TonyHancock).
Very important as Marketing is there are other items, such as Finance and Operations that QANTAS would have weighed-up when making their decision to team-up with Emirates.
Marketing is very much concerned with perceptions, which may or may not be factual and buying decisions are made in the main by emotions.
It is the aim of good sales people to substantially have reasons for buying out-weighing the reasons for not buying, particularly when presenting against the competition.
The “Gay” market of Australia is estimated to be about 12% and those in this group making regular overseas travel in excess of this.
Indeed, there are now some travel agents and advisers specifically targeting the “Gay” or “Pink” community.
As to the adulterers and fornicators the market growth for this sector is exponential.
The one thing the business person attending an over-seas convention with their secretary seeks to avoid more than anything else is attention.
As an aside this reminds me of what I once thought was the biggest airline marketing blunder.
An American airline once sent a letter directly to the wives of businessmen that had taken up the offer to accompany their husbands to a specific conference at the special fare of two for the price of one inquiring if they enjoyed the trip.
The medication topic which is reported to have extreme consequences in the UAE is just another thing that would be of concern to many.
These days most doctors at the press of a button can print out an authorisation for all the drugs you have taken plus any others you might like to add but still there is the doubt if that is good enough.
However, it is just another reason “not to buy” and like all these perceptions is most applicable to the new, inexperienced and less frequent flyer.
The reason I put up this thread was because I and several well travelled colleagues had quite a fun few hours discuss the marketing ramifications of the proposed alliance over a couple of beers.
We did not come to unanimous agreement but there was one thing we were in total agreement and that was if they had got into bed with a dry airline then they should also have a name change to Titanic Airlines.
I was going to post it in the “QANTAS/Emirates alliance - thoughts?” but thought it had enough legs to stand alone and not clutter the main thread.
I must say that I would never have found to where it has now been moved.