Qatar Airways looking to expand US presence
Qatar Airways this month begins service to the US with four flights per week to Newark Liberty International Airport from Doha, Qatar’s capital.
“We want to bridge the Middle East with the U.S.,” Qutar Airways ECO Al Baker said. Qatar hopes to bring in 1.5 million tourists by the next decade.
Mr Baker said Qutar will soon extend its US operations with non-stop flights to Washington, D.C.
The new service bumps Qatar Airways’ network of international destinations to 77.
Mr Baker told wire services that Americans still aren’t familiar with Qatar, but he predicted new destinations and an ever-increasing fleet would help distinguish it as a region for both business and leisure travelers.
The five-star carrier has been lauded for its first- and business-class amenities, which include flat beds and live TV (the airline claims to be the only carrier outside the US to have this feature). The airline also maintains a lavish first- and business-class terminal at Doha International Airport, which boasts a spa with saunas and Jacuzzis, a restaurant with complimentary food, a nursery, even bedrooms for travelers with longer layovers.
The airline, which launched in 1994, recently ordered 80 Airbus A350 aircrafts totaling $16 billion and 22 Boeing 777s, with deliveries of the later beginning in November. Qatar projects to have 115 total aircrafts in the fleet by 2015.
Qatar Airways also announced it and United Airlines had filed a joint application with the US Department of Transportation to place their codes on each other’s flight, which will help expands its US presence.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025