Qatar isolated by neighbouring countries – what does this mean for QR?

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Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 68 total)

  • AMcWhirter
    Participant

    Bloomberg quotes CEO Akbar Al Baker as saying, “Qatar Airways continues to operate to the rest of its network as per its published schedules with day-to-day adjustments for operational and commercial efficiencies.”

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-11/qatar-air-profits-rise-22-on-long-haul-routes-expanded-fleet?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social


    sleak76
    Participant

    TominScotland, you are referring to the following old NOTAM that states “OUTBOUND (from DOHA) VIA RAGAS … INBOUND (into DOHA) VIA MIDSI”.

    What I am referring to is the following more recent NOTAM “A0215/17 – ALL ROUTES WITHIN BAHRAIN FIR ARE AVILABLE FOR FLIGHTS AFFECTED BY NOTAM A0212/17” with the exception to 4 airways that remain closed to QR. So there’s a general easing to QR restrictions.

    In other news, I see on Flightradar24 the UAE is easing restrictions to non-Qatar registered airlines flying into and out of DOHA as well with two Jet Airways DOH-India have overflown the uAW. A NOTAM to this easement has also been issued.

    Good positive move that hopefully means a start to peaceful and constructive dialogue between the Gulf nations that is being lead by Kuwait.


    alainboy56
    Participant

    Just to add some cynicism into this subject. QR had 17 flights to DXB daily, another 7 I think, to AUH, and 3 to DWC, 2 to SHJ and maybe daily into Ras al Khaimah. That’s about 60 flights daily, inbound/outbound that if we said conservatively are carrying 100 pax each, is 600 pax a day on that route that EY/EK and Air Arabiya have gained…………….


    SimonS1
    Participant

    I don’t follow….EK, EY and Air Arabia are not flying to/from Qatar so couldn’t have gained the business.

    And 60 x 100 is not 600….


    alainboy56
    Participant

    @SimonS1 – Before, people were flying from all parts of the world through DOH to DXB/AUH/DWC/SHJ etc, now in the main they will be impelled to fly with EK/EY and AirArabiya as well of course, as the other national airlines from the individual countries, but EK/EY will surely be the main beneficiaries, and gather the business. It is not the DOH seat business, there are only 2 men and a dog flying actually to DOH daily. Its the hub/spoke connectivity business. Why can you not follow that?
    Sorry for the typo, 6000 pax a day, who must find alternative ways to get to/from UAE, including myself, an habitual QR user.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    If you think the only travellers on QR were people doing hub and spoke you are deluded I’m afraid. I’ve used QR regularly from here to Doha (it helps with the BAEC status) and there are plenty of people going through immigration and into Doha.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    Maybe not deluded but mistaken?


    alainboy56
    Participant

    Its ok, we are all used to some sharp words from SimonS1, but I am neither deluded nor mistaken. Having been in these parts for more than 25 years, I know what I am talking about. There are very few pax for DOH. For example, does anyone remember when in the late stages of DOH at the old airport, the aircraft in the majority were parked remotely and it entailed a long bus journey all around the north west end of the runway, there was a DOH arrivals terminal specifically built and it would be the first stop on this ‘long’ bus journey. Inexperienced passengers would pile off the bus and then be coralled back on again, when the driver explained that it was not for transit passengers. Also for Premium pax, when entering the luxury minibus, the driver would ask discreetly if anyone was for DOH, there were very few ‘takers’, if any.
    I have been flying through DOH for many, many years (even during GF years) and the pax traffic is minimal, from UAE perhaps a few bankers and also some ‘locals’ for business, maybe some family members meeting friends/relatives, but minimal numbers. This has increased slightly since the boom years of last 2 or 3 years, but it certainly does not warrant even 5% of the flights available between UAE and DOH


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Well I first moved to Dubai in 1991 and spend 2 in every 4 weeks here so I guess you are not the only expert. Yes I remember the bus trip well, it was certainly more than one man and a dog on the bus when it got to immigration which is why the queues were such a bore.

    As a baseline I believe that 30% of passengers landing in Doha leave the airport, the others are in transit to somewhere else.

    Of the others coming to Dubai a decent chunk are migrant workers on low value tickets, they will switch to the next cheapest transit option such as Oman Air who fly to 11 destinations in India now.

    For the premium travellers – well my neighbour here who did have a booking via Muscat to LHR in July has been moved to BA via the OneWorld alliance, and another work collegue is going via Amman for the same reason.

    When you take those out I honestly doubt Tim Clark will be running for his investment advisor.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [quote quote=814433]Well I first moved to Dubai in 1991 and spend 2 in every 4 weeks here so I guess you are not the only expert. Yes I remember the bus trip well, it was certainly more than one man and a dog on the bus when it got to immigration which is why the queues were such a bore.

    [/quote]

    As a matter of fact, when travelling DXB to Doha a few years ago (in the latter days of the old terminal and in Y for the short hop) I paid a handsome fee to get expedited immigration, as it would have taken literally hours otherwise, waiting behind a long queue of expat workers who got off before me (obviously having chosen EK from the subcontinent).

    Only one data point, but I’d have stayed in the regular queue for (edited) two men and a dog!


    alainboy56
    Participant

    Some good points made, however I did say 2 men and a dog. However we will agree to disagree on the 30% DOH visitors figure. Surely the routes will be differ. I remember flying in and through to Casa every 2 weeks from Seychelles and the numbers exiting were very neglible. The connections outbound from AUH through DOH was the midnight special and again, there were very few, so perhaps it depends on the time of the day and would venture that DXB perhaps has more pax traffic to DOH than AUH or DWC which I have been using more recently.


    alainboy56
    Participant

    FDOS_UK — ahhhhh the olden/golden days when EK fares were cheap.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    [quote quote=814440]Some good points made, however I did say 2 men and a dog. However we will agree to disagree on the 30% DOH visitors figure. Surely the routes will be differ. I remember flying in and through to Casa every 2 weeks from Seychelles and the numbers exiting were very neglible. The connections outbound from AUH through DOH was the midnight special and again, there were very few, so perhaps it depends on the time of the day and would venture that DXB perhaps has more pax traffic to DOH than AUH or DWC which I have been using more recently.

    [/quote]

    On the 30%…well I wasn’t far out.

    71 percent of HIA passengers never leave Qatar’s airport


    alainboy56
    Participant

    @SimonS1 = oh well you win, I must be on flights that are rather sparce on this 30% number – ‘good digging’.
    On a fact you gave a little earlier, I was interested to note that you started to come here in 1991, or to DXB, or were there in 91, whatever. I first visited there in 84, I think. Do you remember the old original terminal, with I think 10 or 12 check-in desks on the Ground floor, and I think just 4 gates downstairs, that were ‘door’ gates out to a waiting bus?
    Maybe FDOS_UK can help us on this?
    I often espy the frontage of that old original terminal from T1 on the Rashidiya side, for those others reading this, its the white facade with arches. I wonder how many millions of people whom pass through, or even today, live in DXB, and are not aware of the significance of those arches and that facade.
    As I do not use DXB so often, is it still there, as part of the new Terminal building?

    Anyway this is now way off thread, and I will get told off. Furthermore QR did not even exist in those days.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Yes I remember it well. I believe (although not 100% certain) the original terminal is now part of Terminal 1. I do remember when we went for vacation or trips we used to part on the sand across the road just up from what was the International Hotel (now Meridien).

    I had a good friend who worked in ATC at the airport and used to take me in occasionally, if there were 2 flight an hour that was about it. I lived in Trade Centre Apartments where the EK crews stayed, that was pretty much the end of Dubai.

    Indeed there was no QR then, apart from EK pretty much everything was Gulf Air who did the hops through Doha to Bahrain.

    There is an interesting display in Terminal 3 as you walk through from B to C gates with pictures of how the airport has developed.

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