Qatar Airways is heading back to Atlanta. The Doha-based airline dropped flights to Atlanta's Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport last year amid the wider travel downturn. Now, citing its commitment to the United States market, Qatar Airways will resume flying between Doha and Atlanta four times a week from June 1, 2021.
“We are proud to be the leading Middle East airline providing safe and reliable connectivity to and from the United States," said Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, earlier today.
"As we look forward to global travel recovering in 2021, we will remain focused on providing seamless, safe, and reliable connectivity to our millions of passengers."
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Four Qatar Airways flights a week to Atlanta
From June 1, flight QR0755 will depart from Doha's Hamad International Airport at 08:10 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The flight will be operated by one of Qatar Airways' Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. After just over 15 hours of flying time, the flight will land in Atlanta on the same day at 16:15 (local time).
Heading back, flight QR0756 will push back from Atlanta at 19:55 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The eastbound flight is quicker, taking around 13.5 hours. It will land in Doha at 16:30 local time the following day.
Qatar Airways' Boeing 777-200LR can fly 272 passengers across two cabin classes. Up the front, 42 passengers can lie back in their QSuites, one of the world's best business class products. The main cabin seats 230 passengers, primarily in a 3-4-3 layout.
The airline says passengers booking any flight have the ability to change their travel dates free of charge, regardless of ticket type, on bookings made up to April 30, 2021, for travel up to the end of the year.
Qatar Airways builds its United States network
Qatar Airways' return to Atlanta sees the airline flying into 12 airports in the United States by the middle of the year. All up, Qatar Airways says it will offer 83 weekly flights to the United States mid-year.
"With the upcoming launch of Seattle and the resumption of Atlanta, we will reach 12 gateways in the United States, two more than what we operated pre-COVID-19," said Akbar Al Baker.
"Having never stopped flying to the United States throughout the pandemic, we have steadily rebuilt our network, gradually resuming destinations and adding more frequencies."
Flights to Seattle will begin on January 29. Like the Atlanta flights, a Qatar Airways Boeing will initially fly the route four times a week before going daily by July 1. A Boeing 777-300ER will operate the Seattle flights.
Qatar Airways is also stepping up its flights to multiple other destinations in the United States. The airline will be flying to Miami three times a week by July 1. Dallas-Fort Worth will see ten Qatar Airways flights a week by March 2. Chicago will get the same treatment, going to ten flights a week by March 4. Houston will host daily Qatar Airways flights from March 14. Another new Qatar Airways destination, San Francisco, will go to daily flights by July 2, up from the current four flights a week.
Services to New York, Washington DC, Boston, & Philadelphia remain unchanged
In addition, Qatar Airways is also flying into New York (JFK), Washington DC, Boston, and Philadelphia. Services to these four airports remain unchanged. However, across Qatar Airways' United States network, 13 extra weekly flights are getting added.
Qatar Airways says it is keen to rebuild its global network and cement its position as the leading Middle East airline connecting the United States with Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The airline is presently flying to 120 destinations worldwide with plans to increase to over 130 by the end of March 2021.