Qatar Airways Celebrates One Year In San Francisco

Qatar Airways this week celebrated one year of services to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The flag carrier of Qatar began operations to the Northern Californian hub in December 2020, and to highlight the milestone, it is launching special fares to the destination.

Qatar Airways made a series of expansions across North America over the last few years. Photo: Qatar Airways

Catering to different markets

Passenger flights to San Francisco conducted by Qatar Airways began on December 15h, 2020. The airline launched services to the destination with its revered Airbus A350 aircraft. The operator’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, highlighted how thrilled he was with the move. He stated that as the gateway to Silicon Valley, the Bay Area hotspot is a crucial destination across the globe.

Nonetheless, it’s not only about business and tourism opportunities. Qatar Airways launched the service during a peak pandemic period. Thus, it was keen to connect passengers with families and friends with the route.

With a strong presence across the United States and Canada, North America is an important market for Qatar Airways. Photo: Qatar Airways

Connecting the continents

One year on, the Doha-based airline is running a sale through December 21st, with ticket prices beginning from $670 for travel until March 31st, 2022. With tens of thousands of travelers benefiting from the San Francisco route, there will be plenty of passengers looking to take advantage of the special offers.

“Since its launch, the route has served over 70,000 passengers traveling throughout the airline’s over 140 destinations, with top destinations including India, Pakistan, Jordan, the Maldives, and Kenya among others. Qatar Airways increased flights to a daily frequency from the gateway in July to better service the passengers in the region, with flights connecting onward to hundreds of US destinations through strategic partnerships with airlines such as Alaska Airlines,” a spokesperson for the airline told Simple Flying.

“San Francisco is one of the airline’s 12 USA gateways (2 more than pre-pandemic) and one of the three main cities serviced on the West Coast, in addition to Los Angeles and Seattle.”

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Broader opportunities

San Francisco forms part of a 12-gateway United States passenger network for Qatar Airways. Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Atlanta (ATL), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Philadelphia (PHL), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD) are all part of the route map.

The recent launches to San Francisco and Seattle have helped North American flight frequency increase by 22%. Photo: Qatar Airways

Earlier this year, Simple Flying caught up with Senior Vice President Revenue Management, Strategic Alliances, Loyalty and Strategy at Qatar Airways, Mark Drusch, about the airline’s success in the US. He shared that the carrier has been able to utilize its relationships with other airlines to fully optimize the North American market. Partnerships with the likes of American Airlines, the addition of Alaska Airlines to oneworld, and the codeshare expansion with JetBlue have done wonders for the firm.

JFK is the most frequent US service, with 17 weekly flights conducted. San Francisco, on the other hand, sees Qatar Airways’ A350s land seven times a week.

Nonetheless, Qatar Airways is proud of the addition of the airport to its network. The carrier will undoubtedly be looking to explore further prospects in the US in the new year.

What are your thoughts about Qatar Airways’ presence in the United States? What do you make of the airline’s flights to San Francisco? Let us know what you think of the carrier and its services to the city in the comment section.

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