Qatar Airways announced yesterday that it is resuming flights to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Philadelphia International Airport from the beginning of September. Additionally, the flag carrier of Qatar is increasing frequencies to Los Angeles International and New York JFK over the next month.
Scaling up
According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, the airline will add three weekly flights to Houston from September 2nd and four weekly flights to Philadelphia from September 15th. Meanwhile, the LAX flights will become daily from August 12th, and the JFK service will be double daily from September 1st.
These moves ramp up Qatar Airways’ United States’ network once again following this year’s downturn. Now, the airline serves eight gateways in the country, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Washington, D.C.
Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker spoke of his airline’s resumptions to the two key US airports. He is also excited to return to additional destinations across the country. The carrier also previously conducted passenger services to Miami and Atlanta. So, routes to these two cities could be on the cards again shortly.
“Qatar Airways has remained committed to bringing people home safely since the onset of the pandemic, and our commitment to the U.S., a very important strategic market, has never wavered,” Al Baker said, as per the press release.
“We are proud of our repatriation efforts to-date, and we look forward to providing travellers access to even more flights to the U.S. with the resumption of flights to Houston and Philadelphia, two major cities.”
Helpful connections
The executive added that the resumption of these flights help to maintain the company’s position as the largest international carrier in the US. The airline also highlights that these services will connect on to hundreds of other destinations across the nation through its partnerships with American Airlines and JetBlue.
During the quiet period caused by the global health crisis, the airline remained busy. Despite its flight schedule being reduced since March, it brought 160,000 people back to their homes in the US. Altogether, it clocked over 1.3 billion revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) during April, which accounted for 17.8 percent of the worldwide market.
Adapting amid the circumstances
The airline was still performing a respectable level of passenger services. However, last month, it started boosting its international program once again. While the world is still going through an uncertain period, Qatar Airways wants to give its customers peace of mind. Therefore, it has extended its booking policies to offer better flexibility and choice.
Passengers can make unlimited date changes to the option of changing the location of their trip as often as needed. The new destination just has to be within 5,000 miles of the original airport. Moreover, fare difference fees will not apply for travel completed before the end of the year.
The US is still trying to get on top of the pandemic. Regardless, it looks like demand is picking up for international flights to the country. Nonetheless, it’s advisable to check travel restrictions amid the ever-changing conditions.
What are your thoughts about Qatar Airways’ flight resumptions to Philadelphia and Houston? Will you be flying with the airline shortly? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
