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Qatar Airways adds lots of UK flights
With the Iran war almost over, Qatar Airways has announced that is further expanding its UK and Ireland flight schedule for summer, restoring a significant proportion of its previous capacity. The airline will operate to over 160 global destinations this summer via its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport.
If you have been hoping to book Avios flights on Qatar, this is an excellent time to see if there are more flights available, particularly at the lower Avios rates (Qatar has a few seats at the basic rate and then a lot more at double the Avios).
From this week, the airline is increasing flight frequencies across key UK and Ireland routes:
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- Edinburgh 7 > 14x weekly (doubled capacity)
- London Gatwick 4 > 7x weekly
- London Heathrow 42 > 49x weekly
- Dublin 14 > 17x weekly
Flights also continue from Manchester (21 per week) and Birmingham (7 per week).
Qatar Airways is now operating from 41 airports across the UK and Europe, with flights being resumed from Prague, Zagreb, Brussels, Lisbon, Budapest, Oslo, Belgrade, and Düsseldorf.
You can book flights or check Avios availablity here.
Qantas announce Project Sunrise launch from London non-stop to Sydney
Qantas has today revealed the cabin design for Project Sunrise, which will launch with the world’s first non-stop services between Sydney and London from October 2027. This has been a long time coming, and finally, we can see the full designs. It is obvious that a lot of thought has been put into this
The Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR has been configured with just 238 seats, the lowest seat density of any A350 around the world. For contrast, BA’s A350-1000 carries 331 passengers in 3 classes. Every element has been designed to help customers arrive at their destination feeling their best, drawing on a decade of research with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and close collaboration with Caon Design Office and technology partners.
First
The A350-1000ULR will feature six enclosed First suites in a 1-1-1 configuration. Each suite features an 80-inch flat bed and a separate reclining armchair, with a large flexible work and dining space for one or two people, a full-length wardrobe, and multiple personal storage areas.
The new First suites have undergone months of testing to map peak pressure points, resulting in a multi-layer memory foam mattress for optimal pressure distribution. Lighting in each suite can be programmed to support your circadian rhythm. A digital exterior suite panel will enable customers to communicate with crew throughout the flight. It does not specify, but I would guess there will be signs like do not disturb or the equivalent of a call bell in visual form.
Business
The 52 Business suites are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. For the first time, Qantas Business suites will feature a sliding door for additional privacy, as well as an adjustable divider between the alternating centre seats. Each suite includes an 80-inch flat bed, a large dining table and work surface, and increased storage options.
Flexible dining is being planned for Business, letting customers choose to time their meals with scientifically optimised windows, in line with the circadian research.. Luminescent lighting will dim at optimised intervals to help customers sleep.
Premium Economy
The 40-seat Premium Economy cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration and has been redesigned from the ground up for ultra long-haul travel. Every seat features an ergonomic leg and calf rest system for full leg cradling, an 8-inch winged privacy headrest, dedicated amenity and personal storage pockets, and what will be the most generous seat pitch of any Qantas aircraft. A custom multi-layer memory foam system, tested across ergonomic modelling, lumbar support and pressure mapping, has been developed specifically for this cabin.
Economy and Economy Plus
The 140-seat Economy cabin, configured in a 3-3-3, offers more generous seat pitch overall than any current Qantas aircraft. The new Economy seat also features a custom-designed multi-layer memory foam system which has undergone the same testing as Premium Economy, with woven wool upholstery in an earthy Australian ‘Pilbara Red’, improving breathability and temperature on long-haul journeys.
Customers will also have a new way to add comfort to the Economy experience through Qantas Economy Plus. Positioned at the front of the A350-1000ULR cabin, the 42 Economy Plus seats offer a 34-inch pitch, priority boarding, and priority access to overhead baggage space. More than 70 per cent of seats on the aircraft will offer a pitch of 33 inches or more, the most generous of any Qantas aircraft. Qantas Platinum One and Platinum Frequent Flyers receive complimentary access to Economy Plus seating at the time of booking, and Gold Frequent Flyers from 24 hours before departure, subject to availability.
Across all cabins, customers will have the option to pre-select meals before they fly.
Wellbeing Zone
Qantas will be the first airline in the world to offer a purpose-built inflight Wellbeing Zone, located between the Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Designed by Caon Design Office, the zone features sculpted wall panels and integrated stretch handles, a guided on-screen movement program, a hydration station, and a range of refreshments.
Inflight Entertainment
A new inflight entertainment system, the airline’s most significant upgrade in over a decade, has been designed to be as intuitive as the technology customers use every day.
The on screen ‘journey planner’, synced with the cabin lighting, shows when meals are served and when the cabin dims for rest, so customers can plan their flight across the full journey. The system is available in 15 languages, remembers viewing history, and allows customers to share a movie with up to three others through a ‘watch together’ feature. Fast inflight Wi-Fi and Bluetooth pairing are available across all cabins.
Comments from Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson:
“Project Sunrise has given us the chance to think differently about every aspect of the onboard experience. Working closely with Charles Perkins Centre over many years, we’ve designed the experience around the science of what the body needs on a long flight, so customers arrive feeling their best. This will be a completely new way to travel, and our customers are going to feel that from the moment they step on board.”
Further customer trials and testing of the new cabin features are underway, ahead of the first Project Sunrise flights taking off in 2027.
Project Sunrise will eventually connect Australia’s east coast with other international destinations, with Sydney-New York confirmed as the next service to follow Sydney-London.
Launch timing for these services will be announced next year.
Emirates to offer new travel insurance for customers
We previously reported on Etihad offering customers free travel insurance in a bid to tempt customers to travel through the Middle East.
Now, Emirates has followed with a slightly different offering, in that it is available at an additional cost, but it has much better coverage for the sort of events that have been happening recently. You’d hope that it would be competitively priced given that they are trying to entice customers to return. However, the fact that it covers, as they say “conflict” is a big plus as many insurance policies do not offer that coverage.
Emirates has become the first airline in the world to offer Comprehensive Travel Cover, an industry-first travel insurance product that handles it all, including medical cover for conflict-related incidents, backed by airline-managed hotel accommodation and extended-stay support across a range of disruption scenarios.
When itineraries include connecting on other airlines or Emirates services are unavailable, Emirates will also rebook disrupted customers to their destination at no additional cost, including where flights have been cancelled due to conflict-related disruption.
Customers can now plan and travel with even greater peace of mind from the moment they book their journey, with expanded medical cover in the insurance product, supported by Travel Guard, and additional disruption support by Emirates on top of the existing travel insurance offering.
Emirates’ new Comprehensive Travel Cover includes trip cancellation cover, compensation for baggage delay or loss, unlimited medical expense and emergency evacuation cover worldwide, among other generous benefits. Newly added conflict cover provides reimbursement for medical expenses of up to US$ 25,000 and a free trip extension of up to 30 days. The cover is not restricted by government travel advice, which is also very important.
Emirates is also offering a free date change for tickets booked from 2 April, and the option to ‘hold my fare’ for 24 hours free of charge.
Emirates Comprehensive Travel Cover can be purchased on emirates.com at the time of booking or added to existing bookings via Manage Booking.*
Comprehensive Travel Cover is available to purchase in the following markets:
Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
