Qatar Airways returns to London Gatwick

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Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

  • Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    alainboy56
    Participant

    Used 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


    SimonS1
    Participant

    When added to the new BA codeshares on QR flights to Asia this is a real result on the BAEC status front.


    icenspice
    Participant

    In addition, new route launches to Malta and Luxembourg. No details on when, frequency or equipment used.


    Flightlevel
    Participant

    QR 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!


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    I’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.


    pheighdough
    Participant

    This 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.


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    It will be a shame, if true. And also Virgin moving its Las Vegas flights over to Heathrow…

    Virgin to launch London Heathrow to Las Vegas flights


    Tom Otley
    Keymaster

    I have asked the CEO today in Doha, and been assured, that Gatwick is year-round, and they are loading the flights onto the system continuing double-daily.


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    One 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.


    Robert Stevenson
    Participant

    So 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.


    openfly
    Participant

    @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.


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    [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.


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    Interesting 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.

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
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