Qatar Airways sets bar high in its bid for world ranking
- BTN Archive Stories Issue #26
- Friday, 15 December 2006
Qatar Airways Flight QR638
Doha to Singapore and Jakarta, Sunday, November 12
Airbus A330-200
Seat 3K
QATAR Airways has set itself some formidable targets in seeking to become one of the world’s leading airlines, writes Ian Jarrett.
The Doha-based carrier is taking on stiff competition; not just in its own backyard, where Emirates dominates and Etihad is taking large strides, but also in some of the destinations it serves.
In Asia, it will be compared with — among others — Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, both airlines with a long-standing and deserved reputation for service and product excellence.
It is against this background that Qatar has set out to establish its own reputation for quality following its relaunch in 1997, and its success in meeting the challenges so far has been reflected in a string of awards.
Next year, QR will add another seven routes to its network, including a prestigious Doha-New York daily service. In Asia, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City will join an international network that covers 70 destinations.
Non-stop Airbus A340-600 aircraft featuring a unique onboard First Class Lounge will operate the US route. Qatar Airways was the recent launch customer of the High Gross Weight version of the aircraft, which is currently flying between Doha and London.
The Qatar Airways fleet has grown to 51 aircraft and will more than double to 110 by 2015, when it will include new generation Airbus A350s, Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.
On the ground, the current international airport lounge at Doha is facing capacity problems at peak times, although work is underway on a new airport four kilometres east of the existing terminal.
The new Doha International Airport is the world’s first airport to be designed and built specifically to handle the Airbus double-decker A380. Phase one will be completed in 2009 to service an initial capacity of 12 million passengers per year, increasing to 50 million by the time the airport is fully operational.
The new facilities will relieve current congestion. On a busy Saturday night, it was standing room only in the Business Class lounge and a delay of just over one hour in the departure of QR638 was made more frustrating because ground staff made no announcements about the reasons for the delay, while information boards continued to show an on-time departure 60 minutes after the plane was scheduled to leave.
Once on board, however, Qatar Airways’ polished service clicked in and those frustrations were quickly forgotten. Cabin service was friendly and while many passengers opted to sleep rather than take up the offer of a late night snack, a more substantial meal later in the flight was a popular choice.
The meal presentation and quality was as good as any experienced on similar full service airlines, and the wine list was notable for some standout vintages, including a 2004 Block 7 Deep Woods shiraz from Australia’s Margaret River region.
Onboard entertainment on selected QR A330 long-haul aircraft includes live television and audio video on demand.
On long-haul A340-600 services, First Class seats convert into 180-degree fully flat beds and Business Class seats convert to lie-flat beds. There is also an onboard First Class lounge with a stand-up bar, drinks rack, leather sofas and mood lighting.
Qatar Airways has interlining agreements with Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Qantas, allowing for seamless connections to Doha and beyond from Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
Brett McDougall, manager QR sales development Australasia, said 50 per cent of QR passengers from Australia are heading to the Middle East, 25 per cent are going to Africa and most others are travelling to Europe.
VERDICT: Ambitious Qatar is an airline that is going places. New York, New York, of course ¬— and also in terms of its service and product quality.
