NEWS & OFFERS: Qatar planning A380 mini refurb? Earn Avios on roaming abroad and IAG pulls out of Air Europa purchase

Qatar planning A380 mini refurb?

I recently interviewed Qatar Airways’ COO at Farnborough Air Show, and we discussed the future of the fleet and the A380s. Thierry confirmed that they have no plans to install the QSuites on these aircraft. However, according to Australia’s Executive Traveller, the new CEO of Qatar Airways, Badr Al-Meer is now considering some other options as they plan to keep their eight A380s until at least 2028.

While they are definitely not installing QSuites including the latest version (they don’t fit an A380 for a start) they are considering some other refurbishments. The A380 is also the only aircraft with first class currently and, therefore, used on premium routes.

I actually like the slightly older seats on the A380 when you get a window seat. They are very comfortable and have loads of storage on the upper deck. They are all aisle access, as well. However, they do lack privacy and feel smaller than the QSuites.

Al Meer confirmed to ET that the airline was discussing what it could do to elevate the current A380 offering. While they may not want to install the QSuite, there are plenty of other options available to enhance the product, such as new seats off the shelf that would fit and have a door. The airline has already added a different type of suite to its B787s called the Premium Suite.

Since the A380 seats were introduced, there have been many advances in technology, and things like wireless charging and Bluetooth connectivity are becoming common, along with larger TV screens and better definition. So they could just opt to upgrade the IFE instead of a new seat. 

One thing that has been confirmed is that Qatar will definitely be installing the latest in Wi-Fi to the A380 when it adopts Starlink, which is far faster than the current Wi-Fi available on the A380.

Earn Avios on Roaming

I have talked a lot about e-sim cards and how I think they are the future of roaming for those that don’t have a mobile contract with it included. It is usually cheaper than the £ per day that mobile networks offer as well.

There is now a new company that is offering Avios on Roaming. The company is called Roam (appropriately) and offers plans for different continents, unlike some competitors that offer it per country. Given that the plans don’t expire for 180 days that could be very useful if you have a few trips planned or travel a lot. I’d say the prices are about average for the amount of data.

However, the downside is that if you only have one trip planned in the area you buy for and don’t plan to use much it could work out more expensive than other e-sims as you probably won’t need that much data. When I am away, I generally use 1-2GB a week if I am using wi-fi in a hotel and just use it when out and about. 

Here are some example starting prices:

• 3GB for Europe £12 – Earn 200 Avios
• 3GB for US £10 – Earn 170 Avios
• 3GB for Asia Pacific £12 – Earn 200 Avios
• 3GB for South America £35 – Earn 600 Avios

To collect Avios, you need to use the same email address you used for your BA account. Then, after you have bought them, Roam will email you your British Airways Executive Club number to award them to you. On average, it takes 2 weeks to issue Avios to your Executive account. 

Each British Airways Executive Club member can only earn Avios on a maximum of 5 eSIMs per calendar year.

You can find their website here.

IAG pulls out of Air Europa purchase

International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways and Iberia, has shelved its agreement to buy Air Europa, the Spanish carrier. IAG said that it was the “current regulatory environment” which caused them to rethink the deal.  Apparently, it was expected that the EU Commission would reject the deal for being anti-competitive. However, IAG still holds a 20% minority interest in Air Europa.