As a major hub for business and leisure travelers, Chicago is a city that will greatly benefit from the announcement from Qatar Airways that the city will be included in its USA route expansion. The carrier already operates out of Chicago twice a week with cargo flights, however, with the new announcement, Qatar will introduce daily passenger flights beginning April 10, 2013. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker, said, “As Qatar Airways continues its aggressive expansion, we are pleased to finally offer another gateway in the United States, this time to the ‘The Windy City’ of Chicago, five years after we began operations to North America.”
Qatar Airways will use its Boeing 777-300 Extended Range passenger aircraft for its route between Doha and Chicago. The craft has 335 seats, featuring a 42-seat Business Class and 293-seat Economy Class. The Business Class section of the plane will also include beds that extend fully as well as 17 inch televisions and access to top-tier dining. Both Business and Economy classes will have access to a broad range of in-flight entertainment options, with over 1,0000 movies and audio/video selections.
According to an article by TN Global Travel Industry News, Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines, with a fleet of over a hundred aircraft connecting in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North and South America. In addition, since the beginning of 2012, Qatar has launched flights in cities spanning from Azerbaijan and Rwanda, to Iraq and Tanzania, and further expansion in Myanmar, Mozambique and Serbia are imminent.
As for the new Chicago routes, flights will depart daily from Doha at 0915 hours and arrive in Chicago at 1550 hours. Conversely Chicago departures begin at 2130 hours and arrive in Doha the next day, 1900 hours. To learn more about Qatar Airways’ new Chicago route visit QatarAirways.com
