Doha: Qatar Airways (QA) and Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday announced the launch of a new code-share agreement between the two oneworld alliance airlines, as Cathay Pacific last night celebrated its new service between Hong Kong and Doha.
Under an agreement with QA, Cathay Pacific started servicing Doha directly on this March 30.
The agreement will offer both airlines’ passengers greater flexibility and a wider choice when travelling from Hong Kong to Europe, Africa and the Gulf or from Doha to Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan.
Guests of honour at the Cathay Pacific dinner were Akbar Al Baker, CEO, QA, Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, Chairman, Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, and Ivan Chu, Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific.
“Cathay Pacific has been serving the Middle East for more than 30 years and we are committed to developing our presence in this ever-growing market. Doha is our fourth destination in the region and the launch of the new service will enable travellers here to enjoy the great connectivity Cathay Pacific offers via the Hong Kong hub to our extensive network in Asia, Australia and China,” said Chu. The launch of the code-share agreement with QA will provide more travel options for our customers,” he said.
“Alliances and code shares are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today and that will continue long into the future. Becoming a member of oneworld last October was one of the most significant landmarks in QA’ history,” said Al Baker.
“It has strengthened our competitive offering and the advent of these new code-share routes with our partner Cathay Pacific will expand travel options for QA passengers across routes in Australasia and North Asia,” he said.
The code-share agreement enables passengers to freely book on either airline to an expanded network of destinations, while benefiting from accruing frequent flyer points or miles, together with other oneworld member privileges. Top-tier members from Cathay Pacific’s The Marco Polo Club and QA’s The Privilege Club can enjoy reciprocal benefits when travelling on flights between Hong Kong and Qatar, including lounge access, extra baggage allowances, priority boarding and other services.
Effective from this month, Cathay Pacific flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Cairns, Adelaide, Auckland, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Seoul will carry the ‘QR’ code, while QA flights between Doha and Jeddah, Nairobi, Athens, Geneva, Madrid, Barcelona and Venice will carry Cathay Pacific’s ‘CX’ code.
The Peninsula
