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Qatar Airways has unveiled one of its new dream aircraft offering new levels of comfort and in-flight entertainment which it hopes, with its high-level of customer service, will continue to woo passengers from the kingdom.
The award-winning carrier, which was presented with three honours at the annual Skytrax 2013 World Airline Awards ceremony in Paris, France, showcased the newest member of its fleet at Bahrain International Air Show … the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Qatar Airways chief executive officer, Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to display one of our new 787 aircraft in Bahrain, giving people an opportunity to see the aircraft and its impressive features.
“Our 787s provide passengers with a unique travel experience with custom-built comfort features that are the hallmark of our Five-Star service across both the business and economy cabins.”
The Dreamliner is capable of flying to any long-haul business or leisure destinations worldwide from the airline’s hub in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Airshow attendees and members of the press were invited to take a tour of the Dreamliner, which features 254 seats and state-of-the-art on-board technology.
There are 22 lavish business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and a 232 seating capacity in economy with a 3-3 layout.
While the economy seating appears to be comfortable, it’s the business class that had visitors cooing at the show. Its seats recline into a bed to help travelers relax and sleep a lot easier on long flights.
The aim is to also ensure passengers never get bored thanks to the award-winning iTouch touch control unit. There are more than 1,000 movies, programming and audio entertainment options, an iPort, USB port and remote data outlet. There is also a custom-designed culinary offering, plenty of storage space for personal items and more. This is all available in every seat across both cabin classes.
As a result the airline was awarded World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge and, for the second consecutive year, Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East.
Aside from trying out the onboard options, guests and members of the press were invited to survey the cockpit.
The airline currently operates 49 flights each week between Doha and Bahrain and as part of its expansion programme it will launch routes to eight new destinations during 2014.
These destinations include Sharjah and Dubai World Central from March 1; Philadelphia, US, from April 2; Larnaca, Cyprus from April 29; Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Turkey from May 22; Edinburgh, Scotland from May 28; Miami, US from June 10 and Dallas/Fort Worth, US from July 1.
Also, during the 2013 Dubai Air Show the airline placed orders for more than 60 new aircrafts, a mixture of Boeing 777X and Airbus A330 Freighters. In total, the airline has more than 280 aircraft on order worth more than $50 billion. Qatar Airways will move into its new hub and home, Hamad International Airport, from early 2014.
For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.
