Qatar Airways was given the 'PAX International Readership' award for ‘Best Cabin Interior Passenger Experience’ at an awards ceremony in Hamburg, Germany on Wednesday.

The national carrier also received the ‘Best In-Flight Duty Free Programme’ award for the Middle East – the third time in four years that it has won this award – as well as the ‘Outstanding Food Service’ award.

The ‘Best Cabin Interior Passenger Experience’ award recognises the “unparalleled” in-flight experience offered on Qatar Airways’ patented business class seat, Qsuite, which features the industry’s first-ever double bed in business class, as well as sliding panels that stow away, enabling colleagues, family members and friends travelling together to create their own private suite.

Qatar Airways group chief executive, HE Akbar al-Baker said, “As an airline, one of our highest priorities is to provide our customers with an exceptional experience each and every time they fly. We continually strive to innovate in order to create a memorable environment onboard – from our cabin interior, to our exquisite food and beverage service, to our extensive duty free offering. We are very pleased that these awards recognise our efforts to pay attention to every detail.”

Qatar Duty Free senior vice president, Bruce Bowman said, “We are delighted that our in-flight duty free programme has been recognised as the best in class in the Middle East for the third time in four years. This is testament to our commitment to providing passengers with a selection of luxury and leading brands and products tailored to their needs. The introduction of our online pre-order facility last year also means that passengers can shop prior to travelling and have their shopping delivered to the comfort of their seats. The Middle East is a highly competitive region for duty free; thus we are tremendously gratified to have received this award.”

Qatar Airways’ in-flight offering includes an exclusive selection of affordable and luxury brands, as well as its in-flight duty free magazine, Extravaganza, introducing passengers to a collection of more than 170 in-flight products, including fragrances, cosmetics, skincare, watches, jewellery, fashion accessories, toys, and Qatar Airways memorabilia.

One of the largest duty free retailers in the world, QDF boasts more than 90 elegant boutiques and luxury, high-end stores, as well as more than 30 restaurants and cafes covering an area of 40,000 square metres at the Hamad International Airport, providing travellers with a world-class shopping experience under one roof.

Luxury brands available at the five-star airport include Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Bulgari, Hermes, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Moncler, Rolex and Harrods. In addition, the award-winning duty-free retailer regularly showcases podiums and pop-up stores including the Maison Christian Dior boutique, a TUMI Pop-up store, the Dior Les Parfums Podium and the Aigner Luxury Boutique.

A multiple-award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Business Class Seat’, ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’

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