Qatar Airways to Launch Airbus A350 Flights to Philadelphia

Qatar Airways has confirmed that it will launch daily Airbus A350 XWB flights between Doha and Philadelphia International Airport on 1 January 2016.

The date will coincide with the launch of services to Los Angeles, one of three new Qatar Airways destinations in the US for 2016.

Flying a long-haul service to Philadelphia, which is a key business and leisure destination and one of the busiest airports in the US, will enable Qatar Airways to maximise the A350’s efficiency and performance and allow its US passengers to be amongst the first to try the world’s newest aircraft.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker said, “Philadelphia is the sixth largest metropolitan area in the USA and is an important international business hub that is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. With the launch of the new A350 service from January 1st next year, Qatar Airways will be further strengthening its position in Philadelphia and the US overall as an airline offering passengers a world-class travel experience.”

Starting on 1 March 2016 and 16 March 2016, the A350 will fly on one daily flight to New York and also to Boston; meaning three of Qatar Airways’ US destinations will all be served by the A350.

The introduction of the state-of-the-art A350 on the daily flights between Doha and Philadelphia brings an additional capacity of more than 9% compared to the Boeing 777-200LR which is currently being operated on the route. Qatar Airways’ daily capacity to Philadelphia will grow from 259 seats on the B777-200LR to 283 seats on the A350 aircraft.

Qatar Airways’ A350s feature 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80” inch fully flat horizontal beds, and a 247 seating capacity in Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout. All seats in Business Class have direct aisle access with 17” HD inflight entertainment screens. Economy Class features 10.6” inflight entertainment screens and more space for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design.

Qatar Airways now operates 47 passenger flights a week between the United States and Doha – daily from New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas/ Fort Worth, and five flights a week from Miami.

In addition to that, over the next few months, Qatar Airways’ US network will grow further with new routes Los Angeles (1st January 2016), Boston (16th March 2016), Atlanta (1st July 2016) and a second daily flight to New York from 1st March 2016.