Qatar Airways Holds Commercial Sales Conference

Qatar Airways gathered its entire North and South American sales teams together for an Americas Commercial Sales Conference, hosted at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles Airport.

Entitled "Ahead of the Curve – Creating Aviation History", the conference reflected Qatar Airways' dedication to innovation, including its role in developing the Airbus A350. The group focused on company strategies, shared best practices and prepared for Qatar'sAirways' upcoming expansion in 2016.

The conference took place in the executive boardroom at the Udvar-Hazy Centre, which houses an incredible collection of aviation and space artifacts, including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a Concorde, and the space shuttle Discovery. The Center is a part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and served as the ideal setting for Qatar Airways to prepare for the US arrival of the Airbus A350, in 2016.

"We chose this historic venue to inspire our team and set the tone for discussions surrounding the introduction of this innovative aircraft to America," said Qatar Airways Vice President of the Americas, Mr. Gunter Saurwein. "This isn't just a sales conference. It's about bringing our best people together to chart the future course of aviation and continue to be ahead of the curve when it comes to meeting and exceeding our passengers' expectations."

Recently named "Airline of the Year" by Skytrax, Qatar Airways will launch three new gateways in the United States in 2016: Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta. In addition, Qatar Airways will bring the first A350 to American shores on January 1, 2016 along itsPhiladelphia (PHL) to Doha (DOH) route. Qatar Airways is the global launch customer for the A350. Qatar Airways will add a second flight along the popular New York City (JFK) to Doha (DOH) route, featuring the new A350.

"2016 will be a pivotal year for Qatar Airways in the Americas, particularly the United States," continued Mr. Saurwein. "We continue to deliver higher standards in aviation to American travelers with our award-winning 'world's best' service and access to over 150 destinations around the world."

Qatar Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Hugh Dunleavy, delivered a welcome address by video from the company headquarters in Doha. SVP Revenue Management, Mr. Nayeem Ekbal and SVP Network Sales, Mr. Arved Von Zur Muehlen were in attendance, presenting updates and strategies from headquarters.

Qatar Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. As the global launch customer of the Airbus A350, travelers can benefit from a new on-board experience achieved by the unique dome-design entrance and wide seats with generous room in all classes of service.

This state-of-the-art aircraft comprises a two-class configuration with 36 seats in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring 80" fully flat beds and 17" HD in-flight entertainment screens, and 247 seats in Economy Class, each 18-inches wide in a 3-3-3 configuration, with up to a 32-inch pitch. Each individual Economy seat features a 10.6" in-flight entertainment screen, and more space at shoulder level for passengers in window seats, thanks to a vertical side wall panel design. From 2016 the A350 will additionally operate to both Philadelphia and New York from the airline's international hub, Hamad International Airport, Doha.