Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific sign strategic alliance on services

Cathay Pacific Airways and Qatar Airways, members of the oneworld alliance, today announced a strategic agreement on services operated by both airlines between Hong Kong and Doha, effective 30 March 2014. Sales will commence on 25 February 2014.

The agreement between the two airlines is expected to generate a wide range of benefits for customers. Under the new agreement, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways will each operate one flight between Hong Kong and Qatar daily, offering premium products and services to passengers travelling to and from the two cities.

Cathay Pacific makes its debut on the Doha route on 30 March, launching a daily service using Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a three-class configuration: Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class.

The new agreement will give customers of both airlines more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer points or miles. Top-tier members from Cathay Pacific’s The Marco Polo Club and Qatar Airways’ The Privilege Club will enjoy reciprocal benefits when travelling on flights between Hong Kong and Qatar, including lounge access, extra baggage allowances, priority boarding and many other priority services.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive John Slosar said: “Cathay Pacific has a strong commitment to serving the Middle East and we are pleased to enter into this agreement with oneworld partner Qatar Airways, and at the same time launch our own new service to Doha. This exciting business opportunity will help us maximise the potential of the market between Qatar and Hong Kong and enable both airlines to create synergies that will improve the overall travel experience for our customers.”

Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to extend our oneworld partnership with Cathay Pacific with this new initiative as it will offer our passengers the opportunity to enjoy an even greater range of five-star benefits. The advantages of this agreement, such as premium lounge access and extra baggage allowances, reflect our ongoing commitment to ensure that we offer the highest standard of in-flight experience.”

The combined Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways schedule for Hong Kong (HKG)-Doha (DOH) from 30 March 2014 is as follows (all times local):

Routing	Flight No.	Departure	Arrival	Day of the week
HKG-DOH	QR815 / CX 9201	0130	0540	Daily
HKG-DOH	CX645 / QR 5800	1840	2250	Daily
DOH-HKG	CX640 / QR 5801	0145	1440	Daily
DOH-HKG	QR816 / CX 9200	0740	2050	Daily

* Note: The schedule may change without prior notice.