Qatar Airways will operate direct non-stop daily services to New York's JFK International Airport from October 26 using a brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The new routing shaves close to three hours from the current 17-hour flying time between Doha and New York. Qatar Airways currently operates to the New York gateway city of Newark via Geneva.
As part of the revised operational schedules, Qatar Airways will switch its existing six-flights-a-week between Doha and Newark Liberty International Airport to New York”s JFK Airport and step up frequency to daily non-stop services giving passengers greater choice.
Under the new schedules, Qatar Airways will no longer operate flights between Geneva and New York, but will significantly increase seat capacity between Doha and Geneva, which will become a dedicated service.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the airline had seen significant growth in traffic on the New York route since launching it in June 2007.
”As we have introduced more aircraft into our fleet, we have been able to increase frequency on the New York route from four-flights-a-week to six services in just 12 months,” he said.
”We are now preparing to go daily with our brand new Boeing 777s featuring lie-flat Business Class seats from October and offer unprecedented levels of space and comfort, which will truly give us an edge over our competitors in the Middle East and around the world.
”The move to New York”s JFK Airport is in response to passenger demand flying to one of America”s premier airports on the US east coast.”
The Boeing 777-300ER will offer a 78-inch Business Class pitch in a 2-2-2 configuration across the 42 premium seats and up to 34-inch pitch on the 293 seats in the economy cabin. The aircraft also features the next generation in-flight entertainment system ” the Panasonic eX2 ” with more than 700 individual audio and video entertainment options.
Added Al Baker: ”Qatar Airways is committed to the Swiss market and is delighted with the huge response and popularity of our Geneva service which has enabled us to add capacity as the four-times-a-week non-stop service from Doha using an Airbus A330 aircraft becomes a dedicated route.
”Passengers from Geneva and neighbouring cities will be able to take advantage of our excellent array of onward connections over Doha to key business and leisure cities to the Far East and south Asia.
”For the immediate future, our existing flights to Zurich will continue to operate four-times-a-week, but we will shortly be announcing additional frequencies to both Zurich and Geneva with effect from 2009 offering yet more choice for both business and leisure travellers.”
Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 62 aircraft to 83 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, south Asia, Indian subcontinent, Far East and North America. Earlier this year, the airline began scheduled services between Doha and the southern Chinese industrial city of Guangzhou. During the summer, the airline introduced daily flights linking the Qatari capital with Kozhikode in southern India.
Starting December 8, Qatar Airways is to launch scheduled flights to Houston, which at 17 hours, will be one of the longest flights in the world non-stop from Doha.
Qatar Airways' direct non-stop daily services to New York will offer passengers more convenience and greater access to America's largest city, as well as provide excellent connections to the GCC, Africa, South Asia and the Far East
The Doha ” New York schedule effective October 26 is:-
Depart Doha International Airport
Daily QR083 at 0820, arrive in New York at 1500
Depart John F Kennedy International Airport
Daily QR084 at 2235, arrive in Doha at 1910 +1 day
The Doha ” Geneva schedule effective October 26 is:-
Depart Doha International Airport
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun QR065 at 0720, arrive in Geneva at 1215
Depart Geneva International Airport
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun QR064 at 1345, arrive in Doha at 2135
Tom Otley
More about Qatar Airways here