alberttky 0 Report post Posted January 20, 2011 Local media reports quote Qatar’s CEO Akbar Al Baker as saying that the carrier will soon place a “large” order for A380 aircraft. Al Baker was speaking at the launch of Qatar’s new route to Bucharest and Budapest. Website arabianbusiness.com quotes Al Baker as saying that “We have five A380s on order and imminently we will order another large number of the same aircraft”. There has been no official confirmation from Qatar’s head office, possibly as any such announcement may be held back for this year’s Paris Air Show in June. Rivals Emirates increased its A380 orders by a further 32 aircraft last year, taking its total orders of the superjumbo to 90, and while it’s unlikely Qatar would announce an order of this magnitude, it is logical that the carrier would look to increase its future A380 fleet for use on routes such as London, Paris, New York and possibly destinations in Asia and Australia. Meanwhile Qatar Airways has launched flights to Budapest and Bucharest this week. The carrier is hedging its bets by routing the Budapest service via Bucharest, and using Airbus A320s rather than larger aircraft at its disposal, but readers can expect the service to split into stand alone routes if successful. The current schedule see flight QR943 departing Doha at 0815 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, landing in Bucharest at 1220, before taking off again at 1320 and landing in Budapest at 1345. The return leg QR944 leaves Budapest at 1500, landing in Bucharest at 1725, then departing the Romanian city at 1825 and landing back in Doha at 2355. Neither of Qatar’s main Middle Eastern rivals Etihad nor Emirates currently serve either of these destinations. http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/qatar-airways-set-for-a-imminenta-a380-order Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alberttky 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Qatar Airways' outspoken chief Akbar Al Baker did not mince his words when asked to rate his airline. It is "most definitely" better than Singapore Airlines (SIA), he said, warning that the gap will only get wider when Qatar unveils its new Airbus 380 cabin this year. "I don't think that there is any airline operating into Singapore, including Singapore Airlines, that offers this (Qatar's) high standard of product," he said in an interview yesterday with The Straits Times in the business-class cabin of Qatar Airways' Boeing 787, now on display at the Singapore Airshow. From flying the most modern aircraft to offering top-end in-flight products at attractive fares, Qatar Airways provides "the best value for money", he said. The Doha-based carrier is one of the first airlines in the world to fly the B-787, and will be the first to operate the Airbus 350, which it expects to take delivery of in November or December. Singapore is a key market for Qatar Airways, which flies twice a day between Doha and Singapore, he pointed out. To reflect this, the airline, which has nine B-787s in its fleet, will start flying the aircraft to Changi Airport from March 31. Singapore will be the first of the airline's South-east Asian destinations to receive the aircraft. "It is normal that when there is an important destination, we fly the most modern aircraft to showcase what Qatar Airways has," he said. As airlines compete for passengers and yields, many are trying to outdo each other by offering the latest in-flight products, including the best seats, movies and cuisine. Expanding route networks to provide customers with access to as many destinations as possible is also key, industry players said. SIA, for instance, has signed deals with a growing number of carriers to allow it to offer customers connecting flights operated by its partners. SIA, which has a stake in Virgin Australia, also has a deal with Indian conglomerate Tata to set up a joint-venture carrier in New Delhi. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has also bought into several other carriers. But Qatar Airways prefers not to buy stakes in other carriers. Instead, it recently became the first of the three big Gulf carriers, which include Emirates and Etihad, to join the global airline grouping dubbed oneworld, which includes British Airways and American Airlines. Mr Akbar, who has been Qatar Airways CEO since 1997, said: "We feel that joining a larger alliance serves the same purpose without those huge investments." - See more at: http://business.asiaone.com/news/qatar-better-sia-says-its-chief#sthash.yx1jxcXV.dpuf Edited February 18, 2014 by alberttky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 At the rate QR, EK and EY are going, they will definitely beat SQ and other legacy airlines hands down.....Whether we like it or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mushrif A 3 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 The real test of a great airline is to combine the experience onboard and on the ground when things go as planned AND when things go awry... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 The real test of a great airline is to combine the experience onboard and on the ground when things go as planned AND when things go awry...EY was (in my opinion) quite good about it when we got stranded at AUH, taking into consideration circumstances at the time Dunno about QR and EK as no previous experience, and I hasten to add I do not wish to add to my experiences in this subject matter if it can be helped Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd. Helmi 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2014 I recently flew Qatar's Dreamliner out of Frankfurt, I definitely prefer them over SQ. It's great they are in one world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S V Choong 4 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 Qatar is the not the first airline to operate the B787 into SIN and South East Asia though. JAL and RBA has beaten them to it. I almost bought the airtickets with QR for my Europe trip, it is indeed value for money. Who else would offer HKD $6200 return incl. surcharges and from HKG to CDG? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Waiping 12 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 I believe TSTF also claimed they were better than SIA a few years back. So QR is side-by-side with AK/D7? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted February 19, 2014 I believe TSTF also claimed they were better than SIA a few years back. So QR is side-by-side with AK/D7? He is past that now - his new ambition is to build the LCC version of Emirates! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zeqa 1 Report post Posted February 20, 2014 only if they ever open up their new airport- Always sick of hearing delay delay delay... and I do not favour using the bus to the terminal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alberttky 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2014 Even with the new airport there will still be delay delay delay. The new airport can even accommodate their current demand. So guess what? The buses are going to the new airport! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted February 20, 2014 Talking of which, what is the latest schedule for Hamad International to be operational ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Michael Report post Posted February 20, 2014 We will be waiting for a long time for MAS to be as profitable as the ME carriers, actually I think they are planning to take over the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashraf 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2014 We will be waiting for a long time for MAS to be as profitable as the ME carriers, actually I think they are planning to take over the world. QR and EY claim they are profitable but are not transparent when it comes to announcing their audited accounts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JuliusWong 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2014 QR and EY are private companies so they are not obliged to reveal their profits. EK is a public listed companies therefore needs to reveal their numbers. Whether the numbers are inflated is another story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashraf 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2014 QR and EY are private companies so they are not obliged to reveal their profits. EK is a public listed companies therefore needs to reveal their numbers. Whether the numbers are inflated is another story. EK is not public listed, it is wholly owned by the govt of Dubai and financial numbers are audited by the way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alberttky 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 Qatar Airways has unveiled the cabin interior of its Airbus A380s at the ITB travel trade show in Berlintoday, which features a new first class product. The airline plans to put the superjumbo into service this summer between Doha and London Heathrow. http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-qatar-unveils-new-first-class-with-a380-cabin-396630/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Azizul Ramli 2 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 Quite a shock that it only comes with 50 J seats. Even MH has more J seats on our A380s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SS Lee 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 WOW !! The first class seats has the private jet feeling. Like two Gulfstream hulls merged to one. And there are only 8 seats in that section of the cabin. Should be quite easy to get call the crew. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johan Z 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 QR first class remind me of TAM first class. Very cosy, homey feeling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC Tam 2 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 I wonder which DOH-LHR flight(s) they will deploy the dugong on ? Not that F is any of my concern though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
J. Suri 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 MH F Class won in terms of IFE Screen size... and that's it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KK Lee 5 Report post Posted March 5, 2014 I wonder which DOH-LHR flight(s) they will deploy the dugong on ? Not that F is any of my concern though Probably those currently operate by A346. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Azizul Ramli 2 Report post Posted April 29, 2014 Service to LHR announced. http://airlineroute.net/2014/04/28/qatar-airways-to-launch-a380-service-to-london-from-mid-june-2014/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Azizul Ramli 2 Report post Posted May 20, 2014 Service to CDG announced. http://airlineroute.net/2014/05/19/qr-cdg-jul14/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
