Qatar Airways announces first A350 XWB route to USA

DOHA, Qatar: Qatar Airways, the Global Launch Customer of the A350 XWB, has announced that Philadelphia will be the first destination it will fly to in the USA using the state-of-the-art aircraft.

Qatar Airways plans to begin operating an A350 on its daily service from Doha’s world-class Hamad International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport from 1st January 2016. The date will coincide with the launch of services to Los Angeles, one of three new Qatar Airways destinations in the US for 2016.

Flying a long-haul service to Philadelphia, which is a key business and leisure destination and one of the busiest airports in the US, will enable Qatar Airways to maximise the A350’s efficiency and performance and allow its US passengers with the first opportunity to try the world’s newest aircraft.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are very pleased to announce the launch of our first A350 service to the United States. Philadelphia is the sixth largest metropolitan area in the USA and is an important international business hub that is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. With the launch of the new A350 service from 1 January next year, Qatar Airways will be further strengthening its position in Philadelphia and the US overall as an airline offering passengers a world-class travel experience.”

Starting on 1 March 2016 and 16 March 2016, the A350 will fly on one daily flight to New York and also to Boston; meaning three of Qatar Airways’ US destinations will all be served by the A350.

Qatar Airways’ A350 offers outstanding levels of comfort with a spacious seating configuration. Wider seats in both Business and Economy classes, the lowest twin engine noise level of any aircraft, advanced air conditioning technology and full LED mood lighting, all work together to enhance the comfort of passengers, while reducing fatigue after a long flight.

The introduction of the state-of-the-art A350 on the daily flights between Doha and Philadelphia brings an additional capacity of more than 9% compared to the Boeing 777-200LR which is being operated on the route. Qatar Airways’ daily capacity to Philadelphia will grow from 259 seats on the B777-200LR to 283 seats on the A350 aircraft.

Qatar Airways’ A350s feature 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80” inch fully flat horizontal beds, and a 247 seating capacity in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout. All seats in Business Class have direct aisle access with 17” HD in-flight entertainment screens. Economy Class features 10.6” in-flight entertainment screens and more space for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design.

Passengers can also enjoy more than 2,000 movies, games and audio entertainment options on Qatar Airways’ newly revealed inflight entertainment system, “Oryx One – Explore. Play. Share.” – available in both Business and Economy classes.

Qatar Airways now operates 47 passenger flights a week between the United States and Doha – daily from New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and five flights a week from Miami. In addition to this, over the next few months, Qatar Airways’ US network will grow further with new routes Los Angeles (1 January 2016), Boston (16 March 2016), Atlanta (1s t July 2016) and a second daily flight to New York from 1 March 2016.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 158 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations. The airline’s on-board experience and service is renowned and provides an unparalleled commitment to service quality, as exemplified by being ranked twice in a row as the best in Business Class in 2013 and 2014, and also by being named World’s Best Airline in 2011 and 2012 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.