Qatar Airways to operate out of Sharjah
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Qatar Airways to operate out of Sharjah
From the UAE Khaleej Times(10/10):
"QATAR Airways will commence passenger flight operations from Sharjah International Airport on October 28 to European, Asian and Middle Eastern destinations, according to a Press release.
"It is the tremendous demand that is encouraging us to operate from Sharjah and we are sure the Sharjah International Airport will support our cause to the best possible extent," said Regional Manager of Qatar Airways Ali Al Rais.
Qatar Airways will operate two weekly flights, connecting international destinations like Frankfurt, London, Munich, Cairo, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, Amman, Beirut, Sanaa, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Delhi, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, Khartoum etc, on Mondays and Thursdays.
The airline is operating with Airbus 320 and Airbus 300, equipped with state-of-art in-flight entertainment and shopping facilities. It has plans to add more flights in the future.
The Sharjah airport handles more than 1,000 passengers per day and is expecting a steady increase in traffic with the onset of winter. The Sharjah International Airport is witnessing a steady increase in passenger movement since the last quarter and more new airlines are planning to operate through the airport owing to the facelift given to it as a whole."
"QATAR Airways will commence passenger flight operations from Sharjah International Airport on October 28 to European, Asian and Middle Eastern destinations, according to a Press release.
"It is the tremendous demand that is encouraging us to operate from Sharjah and we are sure the Sharjah International Airport will support our cause to the best possible extent," said Regional Manager of Qatar Airways Ali Al Rais.
Qatar Airways will operate two weekly flights, connecting international destinations like Frankfurt, London, Munich, Cairo, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, Amman, Beirut, Sanaa, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Delhi, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, Khartoum etc, on Mondays and Thursdays.
The airline is operating with Airbus 320 and Airbus 300, equipped with state-of-art in-flight entertainment and shopping facilities. It has plans to add more flights in the future.
The Sharjah airport handles more than 1,000 passengers per day and is expecting a steady increase in traffic with the onset of winter. The Sharjah International Airport is witnessing a steady increase in passenger movement since the last quarter and more new airlines are planning to operate through the airport owing to the facelift given to it as a whole."
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Bit like BA saying.........'Edinburgh to New York on BA' (but via LHR!).
All these flights will be via DOH.......they said the same thing in the Bahrain press a couple of weeks ago.
All these flights will be via DOH.......they said the same thing in the Bahrain press a couple of weeks ago.
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Re: Qatar Airways to operate out of Sharjah
hi
i think it will be good for the gulf family to go to shrj than dxb
.the traffic will increease spesialy the familys like the hotels between sharja and dubai. and it will be faster to check in and out than dxb ,and u are there ,it is good destaniation it is dxb #2
route and dxb is stratigic destaniation i think
i think it will be good for the gulf family to go to shrj than dxb
.the traffic will increease spesialy the familys like the hotels between sharja and dubai. and it will be faster to check in and out than dxb ,and u are there ,it is good destaniation it is dxb #2
route and dxb is stratigic destaniation i think
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Bahrainlad, I was wondering why they were bothering, since the competition from DXB is going to be keen. They are offering some fairly aggressive DOH connect times - less than an hour in a number of cases.
Pricing will be interesting.
Pricing will be interesting.
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If it's anything like Bahrain, the pricing will be "competitive" to say the least!!!
In fact, so "competitive" that they will undercut every other carrier and destroy the market, just like they did/are doing in BAH.
All this guff about QR being interested in profitability....they want load factor, not yield.
In fact, so "competitive" that they will undercut every other carrier and destroy the market, just like they did/are doing in BAH.
All this guff about QR being interested in profitability....they want load factor, not yield.
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Well said
How true, QR is not (and never have been) interested in yields, they are only interested in load factors.
although QR boasts about high load factors on some routes, yields are pretty sick. think easyjet has better yields. I am not surpised that they have ruined the BAh market with low prices, that is why i said in my previous posting, the guy in charge of revenue and yield manangement is useless, a puppet.
but with SHJ I hear the booked load factor is only 20%, so what is going on? In fact I am awaiting some inside info on this... so watch this space. Rumours are that this is a subsidised route by shj authorities.
has anyone heard that QR is flying to MAN from march 2003? I hear that it will be 5 times a week to compete with EK. There goes the prices in MAn too
although QR boasts about high load factors on some routes, yields are pretty sick. think easyjet has better yields. I am not surpised that they have ruined the BAh market with low prices, that is why i said in my previous posting, the guy in charge of revenue and yield manangement is useless, a puppet.
but with SHJ I hear the booked load factor is only 20%, so what is going on? In fact I am awaiting some inside info on this... so watch this space. Rumours are that this is a subsidised route by shj authorities.
has anyone heard that QR is flying to MAN from march 2003? I hear that it will be 5 times a week to compete with EK. There goes the prices in MAn too
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From what I have heard there are incentives offered by SHJ for QR to start flights there. SHJ has been trying for a while to attract passenger airlines to fly there especially with the new terminal under construction which would otherwise be a waste if not more passenger airlines operate to SHJ.
In my opinion starting flights to SHJ is a wrong move and if they see lots of demand to that area of the UAE then adding extra flights to DXB is a better move. Also 2 flights per week doesn't make much sense in attracting business passengers or connecting passengers. Probably the only people you'll see utilising these flights are labourers from South Asia.
On the subject of yeilds, most if not all airlines around the world saw dropping yeilds in the current economic climate especially after September 11. You are seeing airlines such as BA which traditionally were very reserved with discounted tickets now offering excellent deals for Business and First Class passengers. QR are known on having low prices for connecting traffic, but this practice is not only used by QR but by most other airlines operating to the Gulf. From Doha if I want a cheap ticket to Europe, my best bet is KLM followed by GF or EK. To Asia both EK and GF undercut QR ex DOH and you see airlines like AI, BG and even IR offering unpassable deals to Asia. Another thing to consider is that QR don't advertise much (something that I disagree with) but the CEO believes that offering cheap tickets will still be cheaper and more effective in attracting passengers than advertising.
Another trend that I am surprised no one noticed is that QR are also increasing prices to many markets. Ex-LHR QR had very low prices to Asia and the Gulf. Prices started to increase after QR got more established in the London market. After September 11 prices plunged again and this is a natural way to attract passengers back into flying. Now if you monitor prices on QR ex-LHR you will see a steady increase in prices from round about March and now for example prices to KTM and MLE are nearly double what they were at around January. The same thing is happening all accross QR's network, in routes where QR are starting to get more established prices are being raised to being comparable or even higher than competitors.
One last point, QR's isn't supposed to be profitable untill ~2007 and all losses are acounted for. In fact from what people in Upper Management said including Al-Baker QR are meeting and exceeding all their targets and the losses they are making are less than what they have accounted for.
If I was running an airline I would chose a slow and steady expansion plan, but with QR's financial backing they can afford rapid expansion plans and only time will tell if those plans will be succesfull or not. In fact if you looked at Al-Baker's plans in 1997 you will see that he didn't plan all this expansion but rather pursued a more slow, steady and focused expansion plan but the reason QR have been going through all of this expansion a few years ahead of this plan is summer up in this quote from Al-Baker.
We plan to freeze our fleet expansion no later than 2005 and then wait until we get our A380's. But we are servants of our country, and if my government wants me to expand more than is allowed for in my business plan, then I have to obey. We are geared towards the requirements of the state.
If the government wants QR to expand in expense of profits then it is their right since they are the ones financially backing it.
Anyway I am happy that this thread has gone down to the level of hurling insults and constant bickering.
In my opinion starting flights to SHJ is a wrong move and if they see lots of demand to that area of the UAE then adding extra flights to DXB is a better move. Also 2 flights per week doesn't make much sense in attracting business passengers or connecting passengers. Probably the only people you'll see utilising these flights are labourers from South Asia.
On the subject of yeilds, most if not all airlines around the world saw dropping yeilds in the current economic climate especially after September 11. You are seeing airlines such as BA which traditionally were very reserved with discounted tickets now offering excellent deals for Business and First Class passengers. QR are known on having low prices for connecting traffic, but this practice is not only used by QR but by most other airlines operating to the Gulf. From Doha if I want a cheap ticket to Europe, my best bet is KLM followed by GF or EK. To Asia both EK and GF undercut QR ex DOH and you see airlines like AI, BG and even IR offering unpassable deals to Asia. Another thing to consider is that QR don't advertise much (something that I disagree with) but the CEO believes that offering cheap tickets will still be cheaper and more effective in attracting passengers than advertising.
Another trend that I am surprised no one noticed is that QR are also increasing prices to many markets. Ex-LHR QR had very low prices to Asia and the Gulf. Prices started to increase after QR got more established in the London market. After September 11 prices plunged again and this is a natural way to attract passengers back into flying. Now if you monitor prices on QR ex-LHR you will see a steady increase in prices from round about March and now for example prices to KTM and MLE are nearly double what they were at around January. The same thing is happening all accross QR's network, in routes where QR are starting to get more established prices are being raised to being comparable or even higher than competitors.
One last point, QR's isn't supposed to be profitable untill ~2007 and all losses are acounted for. In fact from what people in Upper Management said including Al-Baker QR are meeting and exceeding all their targets and the losses they are making are less than what they have accounted for.
If I was running an airline I would chose a slow and steady expansion plan, but with QR's financial backing they can afford rapid expansion plans and only time will tell if those plans will be succesfull or not. In fact if you looked at Al-Baker's plans in 1997 you will see that he didn't plan all this expansion but rather pursued a more slow, steady and focused expansion plan but the reason QR have been going through all of this expansion a few years ahead of this plan is summer up in this quote from Al-Baker.
We plan to freeze our fleet expansion no later than 2005 and then wait until we get our A380's. But we are servants of our country, and if my government wants me to expand more than is allowed for in my business plan, then I have to obey. We are geared towards the requirements of the state.
If the government wants QR to expand in expense of profits then it is their right since they are the ones financially backing it.
Anyway I am happy that this thread has gone down to the level of hurling insults and constant bickering.
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In regards to prices, I think it is almost always that connecting traffic will have a lower yield than directs. So, when it comes to selling tickets from Doha, GF and KL will logically offer lower yields than QR. However, I have also heard that when it comes to selling tickets from BAH, QR has been REALLY undercuting GF by quite a lot thereby slowly killing GF. I have also heard that the reason they can do that is because they do not have to worry about certain costs (such as fuel, which is paid by the government). As a result, they can afford to lower prices significantly and steal away traffic from GF. How much of this is true?
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Boilermaker,
I have also heard that the reason they can do that is because they do not have to worry about certain costs
I don't know about fuel I wouldn't be surprised if its free, but virtually everything in DOH is owned by them (e.g. Ground Handling, Catering etc...). They also have a very low cost structure compared to other airlines in the Gulf for several reasons. So the money saved helps compensate for the low yeilds.
Anyway all there losses are covered by the government so they can afford to lose money. The government will basically give QR all they need untill they can get on their feet and have the IPO before then end of this decade.
I have also heard that the reason they can do that is because they do not have to worry about certain costs
I don't know about fuel I wouldn't be surprised if its free, but virtually everything in DOH is owned by them (e.g. Ground Handling, Catering etc...). They also have a very low cost structure compared to other airlines in the Gulf for several reasons. So the money saved helps compensate for the low yeilds.
Anyway all there losses are covered by the government so they can afford to lose money. The government will basically give QR all they need untill they can get on their feet and have the IPO before then end of this decade.
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It's hard to do a direct comparison as they fly on different days....but for a week jolly to CDG from BAH in Feb next year, QR are almost £200 cheaper than Gulf Air........and GF is a non-stop service!!
Total: £705.40
09:45 Depart Manama (BAH)
Arrive Paris (CDG) 18:45 Wed 12-Feb
10hr 0mn Qatar Airways 153 / 15
Connect in Doha (DOH)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21:20 Depart Paris (CDG)
Arrive Manama (BAH) 09:00 +1 day Wed 19-Feb
10hr 40mn Qatar Airways 16 / 152
Connect in Doha (DOH)
Total: £902.00
01:45 Depart Manama (BAH)
Arrive Paris (CDG) 07:05 Thu 13-Feb
6hr 20mn Gulf Air 19
Nonstop flight
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11:20 Depart Paris (CDG)
Arrive Manama (BAH) 19:40 Thu 20-Feb
7hr 20mn Gulf Air 18
Nonstop flight
Total: £705.40
09:45 Depart Manama (BAH)
Arrive Paris (CDG) 18:45 Wed 12-Feb
10hr 0mn Qatar Airways 153 / 15
Connect in Doha (DOH)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21:20 Depart Paris (CDG)
Arrive Manama (BAH) 09:00 +1 day Wed 19-Feb
10hr 40mn Qatar Airways 16 / 152
Connect in Doha (DOH)
Total: £902.00
01:45 Depart Manama (BAH)
Arrive Paris (CDG) 07:05 Thu 13-Feb
6hr 20mn Gulf Air 19
Nonstop flight
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11:20 Depart Paris (CDG)
Arrive Manama (BAH) 19:40 Thu 20-Feb
7hr 20mn Gulf Air 18
Nonstop flight
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BahrainLad,
It works both ways (Prices from ITN.net).
Doha (DOH) to Paris (CDG) Friday, February 14 / Paris (CDG) to Doha (DOH) Friday, February 21
Qatar Airways: QR3050 ($876.30) non-stop
Gulf Air: QR2000 ($597.30) via Abu Dhabi (AUH)
That just proves my above point that all Gulf Airlines do this and not just QR.
It works both ways (Prices from ITN.net).
Doha (DOH) to Paris (CDG) Friday, February 14 / Paris (CDG) to Doha (DOH) Friday, February 21
Qatar Airways: QR3050 ($876.30) non-stop
Gulf Air: QR2000 ($597.30) via Abu Dhabi (AUH)
That just proves my above point that all Gulf Airlines do this and not just QR.
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It is not really a case of just Gulf airlines, but this sort of thing happenes all over the world, even in the U.S. Direct tickets are almost always more expensive than itineraries with connections. It does not make any sence to have a one-stop ticket be more expensive than a direct, since there is more travelling involved. So, to make it attractive, the price is less.
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Fair enough.
My only remaining argument is that I have heard from several people, including those who sit on the Bahrain Yield Improvement Committee (made up of representatives of all the airlines) that QR are in danger of being reprimanded for aiming to 'destroy' the market out of BAH......so much so that other airlines are starting to complain....
My only remaining argument is that I have heard from several people, including those who sit on the Bahrain Yield Improvement Committee (made up of representatives of all the airlines) that QR are in danger of being reprimanded for aiming to 'destroy' the market out of BAH......so much so that other airlines are starting to complain....
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I havent been in Dubai for a while, but on the last intra gulf flight I booked, I was under the impression that all NON STOP flights had to be the same price. On my last trip to Doha, I looked into return flights from Dubai. EK, GF and QR offered the same fare. The travel agent said there was an agreement between the airlines that they all would charge the same price from Dubai. Similar scenario when flying to BAH and MCT. All flights had to be the same price. It was the rules.
I recently checked the internet and it also backs me up. Flights from DXB to MCT, BAH and DOH are all the same price, give or take 1 or 2 dollars. Is this rule just valid for flying from Dubai, or is it valid from the other nearby states.
I should also add that even the 1 STOP intra Gulf flights were very, very similar in price.
Cheers
I recently checked the internet and it also backs me up. Flights from DXB to MCT, BAH and DOH are all the same price, give or take 1 or 2 dollars. Is this rule just valid for flying from Dubai, or is it valid from the other nearby states.
I should also add that even the 1 STOP intra Gulf flights were very, very similar in price.
Cheers
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It isn't really a rule that the prices should be the same. Every now and then, the airlines get together and try to agree on a certain unified price for certain destinations. This is to prevent the decline in yields that all airlines are going through due to the severe competition. Sometimes it works out and they abide by the agreements made, and sometimes they don't.
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The way QR is undercutting the fares is ridiculous. The published fare on my OW ticket from Trivandrum to Heathrow via DOHA was around Indian Rupess 35000.The amout I paid to my travel agent was Indian Rupess 2000. I had checked with some three others all flying on the same flights to Heathrow on QR and some were paying as low as Indian Rupess 17000 (50% of the published fare).
Load Factor at what cost?
rsoman
Load Factor at what cost?
rsoman
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load factors at QR
It was roseman asked the question of load factors at what cost?
Inside info is that since May this year (after the current commercial ex-GF man taking over), yields have dropped significantly and QR's brake even load factors have supposed to risen closer to 80%.
I found out yesterday that the current load factor on the network is about 68-70%, very much less than to even to cover the cost of operation. I am confident that this is accurate info as my contact is very close to people in commercial.
so we all can see the affect of low ticket prices, and for sure, QR has a vcery high cost base to match its very poor revenue.
I am awaiting some very useful info which maybe of interest to us all here.
Now before anyone accuses us of QR bashing, the comments I have made are reality and causes for concern for every staf and Qatari's like me who are proud of QR (not for their management obviously!).
Peace my rothers!
Inside info is that since May this year (after the current commercial ex-GF man taking over), yields have dropped significantly and QR's brake even load factors have supposed to risen closer to 80%.
I found out yesterday that the current load factor on the network is about 68-70%, very much less than to even to cover the cost of operation. I am confident that this is accurate info as my contact is very close to people in commercial.
so we all can see the affect of low ticket prices, and for sure, QR has a vcery high cost base to match its very poor revenue.
I am awaiting some very useful info which maybe of interest to us all here.
Now before anyone accuses us of QR bashing, the comments I have made are reality and causes for concern for every staf and Qatari's like me who are proud of QR (not for their management obviously!).
Peace my rothers!
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BA load factor
Interesting concerns expressed on load factor. In their latest release(09/02), BA say that their current passenger load factor is 76.8%.
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the plot thickens.....
Two more airlines reduce fares
By SOMAN BABY
TWO more airlines have followed Gulf Air's lead and reduced their fares.
Qatar Airways and Indian Airlines are the latest carriers to reduce their fares to India.
Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) yesterday endorsed a move by airlines to offer promotional fares for limited periods.
Gulf Air reduced fares by up to 50 per cent to 29 destinations in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa and the Indian sub-continent on Sunday.
Gulf Air sought the approval of CAA before implementing the new promotional fares.
"The new fares have been introduced under certain terms and conditions and for a limited period of time," a CAA Air Transport Directorate spokesman told the GDN yesterday.
"It has been made clear at the Board of Airline Representatives meetings that every airline has the right to introduce promotional fares for a limited period, provided the CAA is informed three working days in advance," added the spokesman, in reply to a letter from Air India. Air India had complained that Gulf Air's unilateral decision was a blatant violation of the Yield Improvement Committee (YIC) fares.
"Gulf Air has followed all regulations before slashing their fares - other airlines also have the right to do so," continued the CAA spokesman.
"Airlines wishing to do so should apply in advance and we approve their decision if we find it reasonable."
Qatar Airways reduced its fares to Bombay and Trivandrum to BD139 yesterday, against Gulf Air's BD150.
The fare was earlier BD202 to Bombay and BD244 to Trivandrum.
Gulf Air's new business class fare to these destinations is BD200, while Qatar Airways reduced it to BD149.
"The move has been taken to protect our market share. We have already written to CAA," said a Qatar Airways spokesman.
Indian Airlines reduced its return fares to Calicut to BD210 from BD265, while a one-way fare dropped from BD165 to BD125 yesterday.
"The sales validity is until Monday and outbound travel should be completed before November 30," said Indian Airlines area manager G Dinakaran.
Air India had earlier matched its Bombay and Delhi fares with that of Gulf Air on Sunday.
The Cochin fares were reduced yesterday from BD265 to BD210 (return) and BD165 to BD125 (one way).
The airline also dropped its one-way fare to Bombay and Delhi to BD95.
Gulf Air's fares are based on return travel.
Gulf Air's regional general manager for the GCC and Middle East, Ali Murtaza, said the reduced fares have been welcomed by the travelling public.
"The response in the past two days has been overwhelming," he said.
Meanwhile, travel agents have taken measures to benefit from the new fares introduced by the airlines.
Sunshine Tours is offering three nights accommodation at an extra BD30 each to passengers who fly to Malaysia and Bangkok on Gulf Air at BD150.
Passengers travelling to India are being offered three nights' accommodation in Bombay at BD30 and three nights in Trivandrum at BD35 each, said general manager Abraham John.
By SOMAN BABY
TWO more airlines have followed Gulf Air's lead and reduced their fares.
Qatar Airways and Indian Airlines are the latest carriers to reduce their fares to India.
Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) yesterday endorsed a move by airlines to offer promotional fares for limited periods.
Gulf Air reduced fares by up to 50 per cent to 29 destinations in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa and the Indian sub-continent on Sunday.
Gulf Air sought the approval of CAA before implementing the new promotional fares.
"The new fares have been introduced under certain terms and conditions and for a limited period of time," a CAA Air Transport Directorate spokesman told the GDN yesterday.
"It has been made clear at the Board of Airline Representatives meetings that every airline has the right to introduce promotional fares for a limited period, provided the CAA is informed three working days in advance," added the spokesman, in reply to a letter from Air India. Air India had complained that Gulf Air's unilateral decision was a blatant violation of the Yield Improvement Committee (YIC) fares.
"Gulf Air has followed all regulations before slashing their fares - other airlines also have the right to do so," continued the CAA spokesman.
"Airlines wishing to do so should apply in advance and we approve their decision if we find it reasonable."
Qatar Airways reduced its fares to Bombay and Trivandrum to BD139 yesterday, against Gulf Air's BD150.
The fare was earlier BD202 to Bombay and BD244 to Trivandrum.
Gulf Air's new business class fare to these destinations is BD200, while Qatar Airways reduced it to BD149.
"The move has been taken to protect our market share. We have already written to CAA," said a Qatar Airways spokesman.
Indian Airlines reduced its return fares to Calicut to BD210 from BD265, while a one-way fare dropped from BD165 to BD125 yesterday.
"The sales validity is until Monday and outbound travel should be completed before November 30," said Indian Airlines area manager G Dinakaran.
Air India had earlier matched its Bombay and Delhi fares with that of Gulf Air on Sunday.
The Cochin fares were reduced yesterday from BD265 to BD210 (return) and BD165 to BD125 (one way).
The airline also dropped its one-way fare to Bombay and Delhi to BD95.
Gulf Air's fares are based on return travel.
Gulf Air's regional general manager for the GCC and Middle East, Ali Murtaza, said the reduced fares have been welcomed by the travelling public.
"The response in the past two days has been overwhelming," he said.
Meanwhile, travel agents have taken measures to benefit from the new fares introduced by the airlines.
Sunshine Tours is offering three nights accommodation at an extra BD30 each to passengers who fly to Malaysia and Bangkok on Gulf Air at BD150.
Passengers travelling to India are being offered three nights' accommodation in Bombay at BD30 and three nights in Trivandrum at BD35 each, said general manager Abraham John.