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1 Back to --> Qatar Airways
2 Qatar Airways new Codeshare Agreement With United Airlines
3 Qatar Airways Announces Huge Expansion In India
4 Qatar Airways Announces Lagos Route Launch Date
5 See also
6 FlyerWiki Deutsch
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Qatar Airways new Codeshare Agreement With United Airlines

Qatar Airways and United Airlines today announced they are filing a joint application with the US Department of Transportation seeking permission to place their codes on each other’s flights. Under the agreement, Qatar Airways will significantly expand its presence in the United States, a market it entered this week with scheduled flights from Doha to New York (Newark). Qatar Airways is set to launch daily non-stop scheduled services between Doha and Washington DC on July 19.

Pending regulatory approval, Qatar Airways’ QR flight code on selected services operated by United Airlines will give the Doha-based carrier access to a number of domestic cities across the United States from Washington DC, and on flights from key European gateways to the US.

As part of the agreement, Qatar Airways will apply its QR flight code on:-

Flights operated by United Airlines from Washington DC to more than 50 cities across the US

Flights operated by United Airlines from London Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, Rome and Munich to one or all of the following cities – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and Chicago.

Speaking at a press conference in New York today, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Yesterday, Qatar Airways embarked on an historic journey to North America with our first flights to the United States. I am pleased to announce here in New York today that we are looking to expand our operation in America through this very important codeshare tie-up with United Airlines.

“United Airlines has an extensive reach across the US domestic market. Our passengers travelling from Doha, the Indian subcontinent, Asia and the Middle East will gain online access to an array of US cities via connecting flights operated by United Airlines through Washington DC and Europe.

“For passengers it means seamless transfers between flights, baggage checked-through to their final destination and a host of other benefits.”

Michael Whitaker, United's Senior Vice President of Alliances, International and Regulatory Affairs, said: "We are pleased to partner with Qatar Airways to offer our customers service to five new countries as well as expand our current service to the Middle East – one of the fastest growing business regions in the world.

"United is giving our customers what they want – flights to more international destinations with easy connections and a convenient schedule."

Since November 2005, members of Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club frequent flyer programme have been able to earn and redeem Qmiles on flights operated by United Airlines. Both carriers have also enjoyed a strategic cargo partnership through which the airlines have carried more than 600,000 kilos (1.3 million pounds) of general freight and in excess of two million kilos (4 million pounds) of mail since its inception in early 2006.

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, currently operates a modern fleet of 58 all-Airbus aircraft to 77 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East, Indian subcontinent and America.

The launch of the US flights is the highlight of Qatar Airways’ route expansion programme during 2007, which has already seen Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Geneva and New York added to the carrier’s burgeoning network. On November 30, the carrier launches services to the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Qatar Airways Announces Huge Expansion In India

Qatar Airways today announced a huge expansion of its operations across India with the launch of two new routes and the introduction of additional capacity on existing services.

Beginning April 2007, Chennai in southern India, and Ahmedabad, in western India, will join Qatar Airways’ burgeoning Indian network, which already includes non-stop services from Doha to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Cochin and Trivandrum.

Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state, and the Gujarat capital of Ahmedabad, will each be served with seven flights a week from the start of the Summer 2007 flying season.

With immediate effect, the Doha-based carrier has been granted rights by the Indian government to increase capacity to the country’s commercial capital of Mumbai and the southern city of Trivandrum with its bigger, state-of-the-art Airbus A330 aircraft – almost doubling the number of seats on both routes, each served daily.

The Cochin and Hyderabad flights will see frequency increase by two and three flights, respectively, to give both cities a daily operation, and each served with a two-class Airbus A321.

Qatar Airways normally operates 30 flights a week between Doha and five cities across India. Under the new bilateral arrangement, the airline will serve India with 49 flights a week. The increase has been made possible following a successful round of bilateral negotiations in New Delhi this week between the governments of Qatar and India.

During the Indian government's current temporary open skies policy for Winter 2006/07, Qatar Airways has been granted rights to operate 42 flights a week, effective from December 15 until January 31, 2007.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker was ecstatic with news of the expansion and thanked both the governments of India and Qatar for their diligent bilateral negotiations.

"This is tremendous news for the travelling public and Qatar Airways," he said, addressing a packed press conference at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.

"India is one of our key markets, sustainable due to the high demand for our popular services to five important cities. Qatar Airways has been eyeing new opportunities across India for some time, and I am extremely thankful to both the Indian and Qatari authorities for their successful negotiations to open up the market to more flights.

"The Indian government has demonstrated that it is keen and willing to open up its market to more competition and this has to be good news for the consumer. More flights mean more choice.

"Our expansion further strengthens ties between both countries which goes back many years."

Added Al Baker: "2007 will be yet another year of huge growth for Qatar Airways – a year in which we celebrate a milestone 10th anniversary of operations.

"Chennai and Ahmedabad will be joined by New York, Bali, Ho Chih Minh City, Lagos, Dar Es Salaam and two points in eastern and northern Europe in 2007, together with the first of our 20 Boeing 777 long-range commercial aircraft – so what a year we have in store."

Indian media at Qatar Airways' press conference in New Delhi

Al Baker said the expansion reinforced the message that Qatar Airways was one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, with 70 destinations served from Doha to cities across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Far East.

With a growing international network, he added that more travellers would have an opportunity to use Qatar Airways’ brand new Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport, exclusively for departing First and Business Class passengers.

The Premium Terminal features facilities such as a spa, jacuzzi, duty free, business centre and fine dining restaurants. Built in just nine months, the terminal is the world’s first commercial passenger building dedicated to First and Business Class passengers.

During the press conference, Al Baker applauded India's athletes for their tremendous performance during the recent 15th Asian Games held in Doha.

"As Official Airline of the Asian Games, Qatar Airways delivered its award-winning Five Star service to sports men and women, officials and spectators to the Games, which lived up to its promise of being the best and biggest ever in Games history.

"Qatar Airways' trademark is personal attention and service quality, epitomising the values and hospitality of our Qatari tradition. We looked after the thousands of people who travelled with us to Qatar for the Asian Games and I look forward to welcoming more people on our new services as we enter 2007 in buoyant mood."

Qatar Airways Announces Lagos Route Launch Date

Qatar Airways has today announced Lagos will be the airline's second route launch of 2007 with scheduled flights to Nigeria's commercial and business capital beginning on March 1.

Following the success of Qatar Airways' new services to the east African city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania at the beginning of January, the airline is preparing for further expansion on the African continent.

Qatar Airways will operate three flights a week between its hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, and Lagos using the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A330 aircraft, in a two-class configuration of Business and Economy.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populated country with 130 million people and, apart from cocoa and rubber, its main industry is petroleum and related products.

Nigeria is currently one of the world’s biggest oil producers. With natural oil and gas the mainstay of Qatar’s economy, there are significant business and commercial interests in bridging links between both countries.

With the addition of Lagos, Qatar Airways will operate a wider African network that spans the entire continent, from Casablanca in the west and Cairo in the north to Nairobi in the east and Cape Town in the south.

The Doha-based airline looks forward to 2007 as a year of huge expansion with non-stop scheduled services planned to several key destinations around the world, including Bali, New York, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Ahmedabad and two, as yet to be announced, cities in northern and eastern Europe.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the addition of Lagos reinforced the airline’s strategy to serve key cities around the world.

“We launched flights to Nairobi at the end of 2005, recently began services to Dar es Salaam and are now planning our newest route of Lagos on March 1,” he said.

“Lagos is a vitally important commercial and business centre and with the strong oil and gas interests in both Qatar and Nigeria, we expect a high level of business on the route, as well as from key feeder markets of the GCC countries.”

Lagos will be destination number 72 for Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, which operates scheduled flights from Doha to cities across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Far East with a fleet of 53 all-Airbus aircraft.

With a growing international network, Al Baker added that more travellers would have an opportunity to use Qatar Airways’ brand new Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport, exclusively for departing First and Business Class passengers.

The Doha – Lagos schedules, effective 1 March 2007 are:-

Depart Doha International Airport