Qatar Airways has hosted a private gala in Atlanta, US, featuring singer, dancer and actress Jennifer Lopez as the headline act, for more than 400 guests from the local business and travel community.
Lopez, who returns to the Vegas stage this summer for her All I Have residency at the Axis Theatre in Planet Hollywood, performed a special 45-minute set at the historic Fox Theatre, including hits such as ‘Let’s Get Loud’, ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’ and ‘Jenny From The Block’.
The red-carpet event saw Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation, philanthropist Laura Turner Seydel, in attendance, alongside representatives from the Falcons, Hawks, Coca-Cola, Porsche and the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Through the event, the Doha-based carrier has celebrated the launch of its upcoming service between its hub in Doha, Hamad International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The daily non-stop service will commence on June 1 with a special flight on the first day featuring an A380 superjumbo. Thereafter, the airline will operate a Boeing 777 on the route.
Qatar Airways currently has services to nine destinations - from coast to coast - in the US, with Atlanta marking its 10th route to the country in less than a decade, according to a statement.
The special evening featured a three-course meal resembling Qatar Airways’ “award-winning, premium” on-board service, which ended on a high note with four winners taking home a prize of a pair of business class tickets for travel to any of the 150 destinations the airline flies to.
A formal address was made by Reed as well as by Qatar Airways group chief executive and the host for the evening, Akbar al-Baker.
“We have waited a long time to include Atlanta on our route map, and with this formidable welcome and overwhelming response so far, we are looking forward to serving the people of Georgia with our renowned hospitality on board," al-Baker said.
From the start of the year, Qatar Airways has added services to Los Angeles and Boston and recently added a second daily flight on its New York (JFK) route.
Jennifer Lopez
