Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker (left) shakes hands with Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter before exchanging a gift during the airline’s launch event at the Philadelphia International Airport yesterday.

 

Qatar Airways inaugural flight to Philadelphia arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) yesterday marking the airline’s fifth gateway in the US and its 137th international destination.

The new route offers a connection between Philadelphia and a vast number of destinations across the Middle East, Africa, India, and Asia Pacific via Doha, while the morning departure time from Philadelphia offers US passengers “a unique opportunity to access an entirely new schedule of connecting flights out of Doha.”

“I would like to take this special opportunity to thank the people of Philadelphia and local airport authorities for their great support in helping Qatar Airways launch passenger flights to this vibrant city,” al-Baker said.

The arrival of Flight QR727 was received by dignitaries that include Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker, Philadelphia mayor Michael A Nutter, and PHL CEO Mark Gale.

“Today, Philadelphia joins our existing North American hubs: Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Houston and Montreal. But only our newest gateway offers a unique, morning route to Doha, our earliest departure from North America, and provides passengers with unprecedented access to a new schedule of convenient connections to our entire global network,” al-Baker said.

Seen as a key destination for business and leisure travellers, Philadelphia is one of the world’s busiest airports and accommodates 30.5mn passengers a year.

“Our five-star service begins by forging a connection with the communities we serve and we appreciate the opportunity to work together with this great city,” al-Baker noted.

He also explained that Philadelphia “marked yet another significant milestone for the airline, which is expanding its global network at a remarkable pace.”

Qatar Airways now operates 35 passenger flights a week between the United States and Doha – daily from New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.

The Doha-Philadelphia route is being operated with a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration of up to 293 seats in Economy Class and up to 42 in Business. The aircraft offers seatback TV screens providing passengers with the next generation interactive onboard entertainment system and a choice of more than 1,000 audio and video options.

Qatar Airways is set to launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes in the coming months, including Larnaca, Cyprus (April 29); Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Turkey (May 22); Edinburgh, Scotland (May 28), Miami, USA (June 10), Haneda, Japan (June 18), Dallas/Fort Worth, USA (July 1); and Djibouti (July 27).

 

 

To Morocco with ‘QMiles’

Qatar Airways have entered into an agreement with Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, a leading tourism destination in Morocco, to offer ‘QMiles’ to the airline’s Privilege Club members against their accommodation expenditure.

Mazagan guests will enjoy exclusive benefits and earn triple Privilege Club QMiles for every $1 spent on accommodation.

The club members will also get free access to Kids clubs: Baby, Kids & Rush, free airport transfers, Tennis, Fitness, Biking and Hammam, access to the beach plus many other complimentary facilities.

According to the resort’s management, the partnership is the first of its kind between Mazagan and Qatar Airways and is a direct response to the increasing influx of tourists coming from Qatar.