Qatar Airways announced on Wednesday that by mid-September they will operate over 650 weekly flights to more than 85 destinations, offering more global connectivity than any other airline. The carrier will now serve over 50 percent of their pre-pandemic destinations.
On Wednesday (September 2, 2020), Qatar Airways announced that by mid-September they will offer more global connectivity than any other airline with over 650 weekly flights to more than 85 destinations. The carrier has operated continuously since the onset of the pandemic and their network has never fallen below 30 destinations of five continents. This month, Qatar Airways will offer over 50 percent of their pre-pandemic destinations. In Wednesday’s announcement, Qatar Airways Group’s Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said,
“We are proud to be the leading global airline connecting passengers with the world, operating one of the youngest, most fuel-efficient and sustainable fleets to take people safely to where they need to be. The gradual rebuilding of our network has been focused on strengthening connections between our hub in Doha and key gateways around the world as well as major business and leisure destinations. The resumption of flights to Philadelphia will provide seamless connections via our U.S. partners to several key domestic points such as Atlanta, Detroit and Miami. Similarly, the increase in frequencies to Djibouti, Ho Chi Minh City, London and New York will provide further air freight capacity to these important trade and economic centres.
“The recovery of international travel will take time but returning to over 50 per cent of our pre-COVID-19 network is a significant milestone. Restoring passenger confidence is key, and we are proud to lead the industry by offering one of the most flexible and generous booking policies that enables customers to plan their travel with confidence. By continuing to fly during the pandemic while others stopped, we have gained the trust of passengers as an airline they can rely on. We have taken more international passengers home than any other airline during this pandemic and as entry restrictions ease and we resume more of our pre-COVID-19 network, we remain focused on our fundamental mission of carrying passengers across the globe safely and reliably. There are still millions of people who have not seen their friends and families for months and our growing network allows them to travel home or take a trip to see loved ones. With a young fleet of fuel efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 operating the majority of the current network, Qatar Airways continues to offer passengers a sustainable solution for their travel plans.
“We also remain in close contact with Australian authorities regarding flight restrictions as ensuring the ongoing repatriation of passengers to the country is becoming increasingly challenging. Despite the restrictions on passengers allowed to be carried into the country, we continue to fulfil our mission to facilitate ongoing repatriation for as many people as possible by operating a robust Australian network to five cities, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne (currently no inbound passengers permitted), Perth and Sydney, offering more flights than any other international airline. While other airlines grounded operations, we maintained our flights, carrying almost 40% of all international travellers to and from Australia between April and June 2020, helping to take over 180,000 Australian and international travellers home since the start of the crisis. These flights have also helped maintain vital supply chains for Australian businesses with our airline carrying over 15,000 tonnes of Australian goods since 1 March 2020.”
Qatar Airways has enhanced onboard safety measures for guests and crew including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew including masks, gloves, safety glasses and a new protective gown. The carrier has also implemented a modified meal service designed to limit contact. Passengers are also required to wear facemasks inflight, and the carrier recommends travelers bring their own for personalized fit and comfort. The airline has also introduced protective face shields which will be distributed at the check-in counters at Hamad International Airport. Guests boarding from other locations will receive their face shield at the boarding gate. Qatar Airways’ guests will receive a complimentary protective kit onboard which includes a single-use surgical mask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel. Additionally, Qatar Airways now allows unlimited date changes for tickets (within 5,000 miles of the original destination) for travel completed before December 31, 2020, without any fare difference charges.
Business Class Guests traveling in Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite will enjoy a private sanctuary with sliding privacy partitions and fully closing doors. Customers can also use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ (DND) indicator in their private suite to limit crew interactions. Qsuite is currently available on flights to over 30 destinations including London, Sydney, Singapore and Dallas-Fort Worth and will be added to more routes throughout the summer.
Celebrated and award-winning Qatar Airways was named the ‘World’s Best Airline’ in the 2019 World Airline Awards managed by Skytrax. The carrier was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and awarded the title for ‘Best Business Class Seat.’ Qatar Airways is the only airline ever to have received the prestigious “Skytrax Airline of the Year” title five times. The national carrier of the State of Qatar, Qatar Airways normally serves over 170 global destinations with a fleet of more than 250 modern aircraft. The airline’s primary hub is located at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar.
Source: Qatar Airways
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