Qatar Airways returns to London Gatwick
Back to Forum- This topic has 13 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 8 Jun 2018
at 15:43 by AnthonyDunn.
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alainboy56ParticipantUsed to use this route very frequently on the old QR076/077 flight which was normally an A330. It was then, at that time more convenient for me and I got to know the 4 or 5 QR staff quite well before 2011. It was a good service and with good loads, so had difficulty understanding why they withdrew from this route. I remember one trip LGW-DOH when Biz was 100% full and I could not get a seat, but the CSM served me Biz Class food and wine ‘down the back’ as a compensation. I never forget the looks of the pax around me, especially as I sat in the very last row of 2 on the left. Hope QR can repeat that level of service…. lol
9 Mar 2018
at 06:11
FlightlevelParticipantQR doing excellent business to expand with codeshares and still making news with new aircraft.
Their new ‘public’ accounting satisfies the Americans and oneworld status for miles keeps the customers happy so their development is unrestricted despite a few local difficulties!13 Mar 2018
at 01:01
Tom OtleyKeymasterI’m flying on the inaugural of this today.
It’s interesting because the new double daily flights seem to be as a result of IAG slots that it does not currently have the aircraft to use.
BA owner in deal to keep extra Gatwick slots
IAG seeks to embed position at UK airport as it turns to Qatar and Thomas Cook
“Under EU “use it or lose it” rules, an airline must run services for at least 80 per cent of any given slot at an airport or it goes back into a pool for distribution. Of the 7,100 flights that used to belong to Monarch, IAG will take on 5,700, mostly for BA, while Qatar and Thomas Cook will take on 1,400, the shortfall the UK airline could not fill.”
But there’s also the rumour on FlyerTalk that these flights are only available for sale until the end of October 2018…
So plenty to ask Gatwick Airport this lunchtime.
22 May 2018
at 11:06
pheighdoughParticipantThis does appear to be a slot filler until BA (Level/Vueling) can get the airframes available to fill the Monarch slots. Expect QATAR to decide the route was not viable come the winter schedule.
22 May 2018
at 11:52
Tom OtleyKeymasterIt will be a shame, if true. And also Virgin moving its Las Vegas flights over to Heathrow…
22 May 2018
at 11:59
AnthonyDunnParticipantOne has to assume that the fact of QR’s not insignificant shareholding in IAG will have been another factor in the decision to let QR have not one but two slot pairs LGW-DOH.
23 May 2018
at 14:35
Robert StevensonParticipantSo Lgw – Doha direct is still not on sale for the winter. Meantime potential passengers are of course able to book from Heathrow. Then they will claim Lgw had poor passenger figures. Do airlines try really hard to ensure routes out of Gatwick fail if at all possible? I think some do.
7 Jun 2018
at 22:57
openflyParticipant@Robert Stevenson…..as Gatwick is recognised by many as a haven of low quality operators, most airlines do not want to be associated with it. Airlines start at Gatwick and move to LHR at the first opportunity. I would imagine that QR is only back at Gatwick with lack of enthusiasm, to use aircraft availability. It also helps BA short haul with connections. Gatwick’s rail and road connections are also abysmal unless you just want to go to Brighton or London.
8 Jun 2018
at 07:58
FDOS_UKParticipant[quote quote=869546] @robert Stevenson…..as Gatwick is recognised by many as a haven of low quality operators, most airlines do not want to be associated with it. Airlines start at Gatwick and move to LHR at the first opportunity. I would imagine that QR is only back at Gatwick with lack of enthusiasm, to use aircraft availability. It also helps BA short haul with connections. Gatwick’s rail and road connections are also abysmal unless you just want to go to Brighton or London.[/quote]
Monarch slot sitting for BA, IMO.
8 Jun 2018
at 08:50
AnthonyDunnParticipantInteresting point about rail connections to LGW because there used to be (twice?) daily services Manchester Piccadilly to LGW via Birmingham, Oxford, Reading, Olympia and then onto Brighton (and return) but there is no such service today – and not for some time. It’s also amazed me that in the LGW development plans for their second runway and new terminal buildings between the two runways (….!), that there was no plan to build a Gatwick rail station (with necessary flyover from the down lines) into the planned new structure. This would eliminate the need to have trains taking up platforms and train paths.
8 Jun 2018
at 15:43 -
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