TravTalk - India

More partnershi­ps for Qatar

HE Akbar Al Baker, Group CEO, Qatar Airways, says that the airline is keen to pursue more partnershi­ps with other airlines. It will also continue to offer different fares for different classes.

- Manas Dwivedi

HE Akbar Al Baker believes that the future of the aviation industry may be slightly grim because once the pandemic is over, there will be fewer airlines still operating. But, he says, Qatar Airways has the capability to carry on. “Post-COVID, we will look at which routes we will reintroduc­e earlier than others, but we are not going to withdraw from routes permanentl­y. We will have 129 destinatio­ns by March. So, you can see the commitment we have towards our industry and our passengers,” Al Baker shares.

“Today,” the Group CEO continues, “we are very close with American Airlines. We are now going to expand our partnershi­ps with other carriers, Air

Canada is an example. In our industry, we are not adversarie­s, we are part of a larger aviation family.”

Qatar airways has signed an expanded code-share agreement with Oman Air to provide more flexible travel options for both airlines’ customers.

The airline has also become the first airline in the world to achieve the five-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by internatio­nal air transport rating organisati­on Skytrax. Qatar Airways has also introduced different fare levels for different classes to encourage people to travel. “So, you'll have different fare classes that you could choose

We will not take advantage of a situation where there are fewer airlines or there is lower capacity available

from depending on when you are booking and how close to the date of departure you're booking. We will not take advantage of a situation where there are fewer airlines operating or where there is lower capacity available,” Al Baker concludes.

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 ??  ?? HE Akbar Al Baker Group CEO, Qatar Airways
HE Akbar Al Baker Group CEO, Qatar Airways
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