Qatar Airways signs Fly-Rail deal with Eurostar

Qatar Airways has signed a new commercial deal with Eurostar, the high-speed train service that links the UK with France and Belgium, to sell rail tickets through its reservation offices.

The agreement enables Qatar Airways passengers travelling from the airline’s hub in Doha, capital of the State of Qatar, to either London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle, to have the rail segment of their itinerary booked on the airline ticket.

Qatar Airways currently operates twice daily scheduled flights to Heathrow and daily to Paris using three-class Airbus A330 aircraft.

Last month the airline took delivery of its biggest aircraft, the Airbus A330-300 for use primarily on the Heathrow and Paris routes.

The 259-seat aircraft features a brand new First, Business and Economy Class with innovative inflight features. It is the first of 14 A330-300s to be delivered to Qatar Airways over the next few years.

Passengers can enjoy two-centre breaks through the Eurostar partnership: flying into either the British or French capitals, spending a few days on business or leisure and then taking the train across the Channel before returning to Doha.

Eurostar operates up to 16 daily train services between Waterloo International Station in London and Paris Gare du Nord in the centre of the French capital with a journey time of just 2 hours 35 minutes, travelling at speeds of up to 186mph (300 km/h).

For those flying to London, passengers also have the option of taking Eurostar to the Belgian capital Brussels in 2 hours 15 minutes or to Disneyland Resort Paris in 2hrs 50mins. 

Announcing the tie-up at the World Travel Market in London, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker said the Eurostar agreement was another step to facilitate ease of travel between three of Europe’s leading capitals and give passengers greater choice.

“Qatar Airways now offers a link between London and both Paris and Brussels thanks to this tie-up with Eurostar. We are happy to be partners with Eurostar, even more so this year as it celebrates its 10th anniversary of cross-Channel services.

“Our passengers have the convenience of booking their Eurostar journeys at any our reservation offices and the travel coupon will be incorporated into the ticket document.”

Alain van West, Eurostar’s Director of International Sales, said: “We are always looking for ways to make it easier for travellers to buy Eurostar tickets, the partnership with Qatar Airways does just this.

“Travellers can now plan a trip which combines visits to two different exciting European cities, or schedule business meetings in two different European countries with a seamless connection between the two on Eurostar.”

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