Qatar Airways’ Airbus A350 lands in Atlanta

Qatar Airways is nowservicing the Atlanta market with its ultra-modern Airbus A350-900,bringing a new level of aerodynamics, design and advanced technology tointernational travellers in Atlanta, it was announced yesterday. Skytrax’sreigning “Airline of the Year” marked the occasion with a water cannonsalute and special celebration at the airport, which included givingpassengers a celebratory Qatar Airways-themed cake and refreshments aswell as complimentary in-flight Wi-Fi.The airline operates dailyflights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), andis the only carrier to offer nonstop flights between Atlanta and Qatar.Thenew service connects corporate and leisure travellers in the Atlantamarket to more than 150 destinations worldwide via the airline’s homeand hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha.“Since ourarrival in Atlanta in 2016, we’ve been honoured to provide the utmosttravel experience to the local community, as Atlanta has been andcontinues to be a key route for business and leisure traffic,” QatarAirways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said.“With ourextensive network and Doha-based hub, we offer geographic advantagesother airlines cannot; conveniently connecting passengers to the FarEast, Africa and the Middle East,” he noted.“With our A350 arrival,Atlantans will continue to enjoy unprecedented levels of comfort andinnovation that will meet their long-haul demands,” al-Baker added.QatarAirways was the global launch customer of the Airbus A350 in December2014, and debuted the ultra-modern aircraft in the US in January 2016 toPhiladelphia. Last month, the award-winning airline welcomedAirbus’ newest twin-aisle jet, the Airbus A350-1000, for which it is theglobal launch customer once again.The state-of-the-art aircraftfeatures 36 seats in Business Class in a spacious 1-2-1 configuration,featuring 80-inch fully flat horizontal beds and a 247 seating capacityin Economy Class in a 3-3-3 layout. In addition to being Wi-Fienabled, passengers in all classes can enjoy more than 4,000entertainment options on Qatar Airways’ award-winning Oryx One in-flightentertainment system. Encompassing a host of eco-efficiencyfeatures, the aircraft is equipped with LED mood lighting, which helpreduce the effect of jetlag and maximise passenger comfort.Further,passengers will experience less fatigue upon arrival, thanks to theaircraft’s optimal air management system, which filters the air everyfew minutes and controls the humidity level onboard.Qatar Airwaysplans a host of new route launches for 2018-2019, including LondonGatwick and Cardiff, UK; Lisbon, Portugal; Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta,Malta; Cebu and Davao, Philippines; Langkawi, Malaysia; Da Nang,Vietnam; Bodrum, Antalya and Hatay, Turkey; Mykonos and Thessaloniki,Greece and M?laga, Spain.