Qatar Airways is proud of the relationships that it has formed with other airlines over the years. The flag carrier of Qatar realizes the benefits of a strong partnership. This week, Simple Flying has the chance to speak with Qatar Airways SVP of Revenue Management, Alliances and Strategy, Mark Drusch, about the opportunities to be had with these links.
Supporting each other
During the interview, Drusch highlighted that a significant reason for the success of Qatar Airways’ operations to the US is its partnerships. For instance, it joined up with American Airlines before the pandemic hit. As a result, it managed to maintain connectivity across the United States while services were reduced. This collaboration, along with the one with JetBlue, has been crucial amid the challenging conditions.
These partnerships have even helped the airline expand across North America during the tough environment, with developments in cities such as Seattle coming about. With Alaska Airlines joining oneworld, it was only natural that Qatar Airways took the opportunity to increase its presence at the US carrier’s hub.
It’s not only the US where there have been advancements. Last month, the carrier announced that it had confirmed a codeshare agreement with Air Canada. The terms are applicable for travel between Doha and Toronto and will begin on Tuesday.
Room for growth
Altogether, there has been great progress made with other airlines across the continents. These relationships will continue to be important for Qatar Airways this decade.
“I think perhaps one interesting thing to highlight is we will continue to deepen our partnerships with our airlines. Airlines like American and Alaska, JetBlue, British Airways, Iberia, LATAM. We will continue to drive the value that we can provide both to the customers and to each of those companies as we move forward because one thing I think we’ve all discovered – one of those silver linings during COVID – is that your partnerships are an amazing way to extend the reach of your company and therefore, your customers,” Drusch told Simple Flying.
“That, in the past, I don’t think anybody has fully appreciated the vitality of it, and we will continue to make sure our partnerships are achieving the best customer integration possible. I can say for sure we will continue to deepen our existing relationships, and as opportunities develop, like our codeshare with Air Canada for the new market and opening of Toronto, we will obviously opportunistically evaluate those.”
Looking ahead
Ultimately, Qatar Airways’ recent developments with the likes of Alaska Airlines and Air Canada shows that it has no intention of stopping when it comes to partnerships. It won’t be a surprise to see more relationships being made next year. Links such as these will prove to be vital as the aviation industry recovers from the global health crisis.
What are your thoughts about Qatar Airways’ partnerships with other airlines? Who do you think the carrier will partner with next? Let us know what your thoughts are on the progress in the comment section.
