Qatar Airways adds Airbus A380s to Doha-Guangzhou route

Qatar Airways has will up-gauge its Doha-Guangzhou service with the introduction of its flagship Airbus A380 on the route. Guangzhou will be Qatar Airways fourth A380 destination, after London, Paris and Bangkok.

Daily flights on board the world’s largest commercial aircraft will begin 1 July 2016 from Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Passengers travelling to and from Guangzhou on Qatar Airways QR874 and QR875 will enjoy a unique and enhanced travel experience on the airline’s A380 super-jumbo aircraft. It is anticipated that travellers will be able to fly the A380 to Guangzhou for the Canton Fair - one of China's largest import and export trade events - in October. Qatar Airways is the official airline partner for the event.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, said: “This year marks our eighth anniversary of operations in Guangzhou and we are delighted to celebrate this milestone by introducing our bespoke A380 aircraft, re-affirming our long-standing commitment to China. The Pearl River Delta region is one of China’s most vibrant trade and travel hubs and we have witnessed steady passenger growth both to and from Guangzhou over the years. Passengers from Asia can now enjoy their entire journey on our luxurious A380 aircraft when they fly to popular cities such as London and Paris via our state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport in Doha.”

The A380 provides outstanding levels of comfort and reliability using state-of-the-art technology and sets new benchmarks for all the key qualities related to a passenger’s wellbeing while on board. Wider seats, lower noise levels, draught-free air circulation, and accurate temperature control are among the many advancements on the A380 that keep passengers feeling fresh and comfortable during a long flight.

The 517-seat aircraft is spread across twin decks in a triclass configuration of eight seats in First Class, 48 seats in Business Class and 461 in Economy Class. Seats in each cabin class are proprietary to Qatar Airways and have been crafted in close collaboration with the designers and manufacturers.

Source: Qatar Airways. In first class.

The First Class cabin features eight exclusive suites on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each seat features a 90" pitch with a fully lie-flat bed, 26" HD in-flight entertainment screen and direct aisle access. The First Class cabin also offers features such as spa-inspired bathrooms with luxurious amenities.

Qatar Airways’ Business Class cabin on the A380 features 48 seats on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration, with an 80" full flat bed, 17" HD in-flight entertainment screen and direct aisle access. The upper deck also features an in-flight lounge offering First and Business Class passengers an escape from the typical airplane environment, a Qatar Airways experience that is unique to the A380. In addition, First and Business Class passengers can look forward to an on-demand à la carte service menu and Giorgio Armani amenity kits.

Source: Qatar Airways. The in-flight lounge.

The two Economy Class cabins on the Qatar Airways A380 can be found on the upper deck in a 2-4-2 configuration and on the main deck in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each Economy Class seat is 18.5" wide with a 32" seat pitch. Coupled with the higher ceilings on the main deck and a configuration that uses fewer seats, the inflight environment contributes to a feeling of real spaciousness when onboard.

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Doha (DOH) and Guangzhou (CAN) daily flight schedule (all times local)

Departs DOH QR874 at 2:30am, arrives CAN at 3.30pm
Departs CAN QR875 at 12.55am, arrives DOH at 4am

Watch the video on Qatar Airways' A380

Emirates adds Airbus A380 to Perth route

Emirates will be adding its Airbus A380 planes to the Perth, Australia route for the first time, commencing 1 May 2015. The airline has announced that it will up-gauge one of its three daily services between Dubai and Perth to its flagship aircraft, demonstrating the growth of Perth as a global destination. 

The change from a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will see an increase in capacity of 136 seats per flight and 1,904 seats per week, reinforcing Emirates’ commitment to business and leisure passengers visiting the capital city of Western Australia.
Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations - East said the deployment of a fifth Emirates A380 service to the Australia in association with Qantas demonstrates the priority that Emirates places on travel to and from Australia.

“Emirates looks forward to being the first airline to bring the state-of-the-art A380 to Perth, offering residents the chance to experience this revolutionary aircraft and the best service in the sky first-hand, including spacious seating and generous luggage allowances in Economy Class, Wi-Fi throughout, 2,000 channels on ice, our award-winning inflight entertainment system, access to the world’s only on-board shower spas for first class passengers and the on-board lounge where first class and business class passengers can socialise at 40,000 feet,” said Brown. 

"For business and leisure travellers, the Dubai-Perth route is a popular choice and our new Emirates A380 service will be instrumental in helping the airline meet this growing passenger demand as well as deliver substantial economic benefits through travel connections and inbound seats.”

Together with Qantas, a total of seven daily A380 services will operate from Dubai to Australia from May 2015, with onward connections across the country via Qantas’ domestic network.

The Emirates A380 is set in a three-class configuration, with 401 seats in Economy Class on the main deck, 76 fully flat-bed, mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper deck.
Emirates passengers will be able to fly the A380 to Perth via Dubai from over 35 European cities including 12 which Emirates also serves with the A380. Emirates’ Perth A380 service will operate daily as EK420 departing Dubai at 0255 and arriving at Perth International Airport at 1735 the same day. The return flight, EK421, will depart Perth at 2210 and arrives in Dubai the following day at 0525, a flying time of 11 hours 15 minutes.

The airline recently introduced a daily A380 service to Brisbane and Melbourne, a double daily A380 service to Sydney and a daily Adelaide service.

Emirates is today the world’s largest operator of the A380 aircraft, with 56 in the fleet and 84 on order. Emirates’ A380 programme has seen 12 new double-decker aircraft join the fleet and launch to ten new A380 destinations in the past 12 months, including to Kuwait. Manila and Tehran have also experienced the flagship Emirates aircraft when the A380 touched down on their tarmac for a one-off showcase in 2014.

Etihad Airways provides mobile and Internet connectivity in all Boeing 777s

Etihad Airways has completed the deployment of mobile and Internet connectivity across its entire fleet of 24 Boeing 777 passenger aircraft, making it easier for guests to stay in touch with while in the air.

Source: Etihad. In-flight connectivity becomes a reality.

The airline expects that its entire fleet of 89 passenger aircraft is connected in the coming months, which will make Etihad Airways the first in the region and one of the few airlines in the world to offer mobile and internet connectivity services on every aircraft. The passenger fleet includes 28 Airbus A320s, 26 A330s, 11 A340s and 24 Boeing 777 family aircraft.

The full suite of inflight connectivity services on the fleet includes Wi-Fi, mobile services and live TV. The services combine the Etihad Wi-Fly solution, powered by the Panasonic Avionics Global Communications Suite, and OnAir’s inflight connectivity solution.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are a global market leader in terms of onboard connectivity solutions. We believe that onboard connectivity is an important competitive differentiator for our guests and are continuously introducing new communications technology to enhance their travel experience. The rollout of our state-of-the-art connectivity solution will give our modern connected guests a seamless, robust experience at 35,000 feet, similar to what they expect at home or work.”

Guests will be able to enjoy high-speed broadband services on Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops from the comfort of their seat. The mobile connectivity service can be accessed by guests using their mobile phones and smartphones to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages and emails, and use mobile data services.

The live TV onboard service allows guests to watch live news and major sporting events on seven popular television channels including BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, euronews, Japan’s NHK World Premium, Sky News Arabia, and Sport 24.

Cabin crew and flight deck operations can also utilise Wi-Fi connections to handle medical emergencies. The crew is empowered to manage inflight guest issues by phone or email in real-time with the airline’s ground teams based in Abu Dhabi. Connectivity is also paving the way for the airline to enhance the guest experience through increased onboard retail opportunities, with the added benefit of real-time credit card transactions.

Packages to access the internet start at US$5 and can be purchased using credit cards, PayPal and other payment methods. Mobile telephone usage will be billed by the guest’s mobile service providers based on the international roaming rates levied by the service providers.

Etihad Airways’ Boeing 777 aircraft are used for long-haul destinations across the airline’s network, such as to Los Angeles and Washington DC, London, Manchester, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, São Paulo, Bangkok and Jakarta.