Qatar Airways has restarted its flight from Atlanta to Doha, connecting the city with more destinations around the world as travel begins to recover and countries start to open up from the isolation imposed by the pandemic.
The airline held a reopening ceremony at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport June 2 as the Airbus A350-900 prepared to take off with 36-lie-flat seats in the Qsuite business class and 247 seats in economy class.
With the Atlanta flight, Qatar Airways has restored its full U.S. network to pre-pandemic levels, plus the two gateways that it added during the pandemic. That brings to 12 the number of U.S. cities served by the Middle Eastern carrier, which has also intensified partnerships with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue to reach more travelers.
Qatar’s Atlanta service has been popular with members of the Indian diaspora and those aiming to reach the Middle East, Central and South Asia and Africa, Senior Vice President Mark Drusch told Global Atlanta in March after the flight’s return was first announced.
“Reinstating the full U.S. network – and even adding new destinations along the way – is a testament to Qatar Airways’ innovation, resiliency and reputation as a reliable global connector amid the challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said CEO Akbar Al-Baker.
The nearly 14-hour Atlanta flight runs four times per week, departing at 7:55 p.m. and arriving in Doha at 4:35 p.m. local time on the following day. The return flight leaves Doha at 8:10 a.m. and arrives at 4:15 p.m. on the same day.
While COVID-19 continues to rage in some world regions, international travel seems to be on the uptick in others. Certain European countries like Greece have already opened to vaccinated American travelers; In a news release, Qatar noted that Thailand is set to do the same. Qatar Airways is set to restart service to Phuket July 1.
The airline is also increasing flight frequencies between Doha and Boston, New York, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle starting in July.
