Qatar Airways (QR) will begin operating out of the newly opened Hamad International Airport tomorrow.
According to the Gulf carrier, it is scheduled to complete relocation at 0900. This means that passengers arriving in or departing from Doha before the aforementioned time will be using the old Doha International Airport. Flight QR1113 from Bahrain is expected to be the first Qatar Airways flight to arrive at the Hamad airport, at at 0910, while QR1046 departing for Abu Dhabi at 1150 will be the first outbound service.
Complimentary shuttle bus transfers will be provided for passengers who need to commute between the two airports during this transitional time. Premium loyalty programme members as well as passengers travelling in QR’s first and business class should be aware that access to the airline’s VIP lounges is currently limited.
According to Gulf Business, QR's chief executive Akbar Al Baker has stated that during the intervening period, affected passengers “will be accommodated in lounges we already have and if we find the capacity is getting filled we have vouchers for them to use.”
While QR's first class lounge is fully open, the business class lounge is opening in phases and the part that is open now is restricted to business passengers with silver or higher Privilege Club status. For all other business class passengers, they will be provided with vouchers that can be used at the airport's retail outlets and restaurants. Customers with a transit time of less than two hours will be given QAR 200 (US$54) worth of vouchers while those with longer layovers will get QAR 300 (US$82).
For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com and www.dohaairport.com/hia/
Clement Huang
