DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways’ customer experience has again been recognised for its industry leadership position, having received the ‘Best In-flight Duty Free’ for the Middle East and Africa 2016 in the Pax International Readers Awards.
The annual awards for “the industry’s most deserving players” are selected by readers of the travel trade title, Pax International, over a period of six months. The wide selection of luxury and affordable brands in Qatar Airways’ in-flight duty free programmes were commended, together with competitive prices and outstanding customer service levels.
The in-flight duty free award comes just weeks after Qatar Airway’s hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), was announced as the world’s fifth ‘Best Airport for Shopping’ at the 2016 Skytrax World Airport Awards. Qatar Duty Free operates the 40,000 square metre duty free shopping emporium at HIA, including 70 boutiques and more than 30 cafés and restaurants.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways prides itself in being attentive to the customer experience details – from the check-in process to the seat comfort on board. This extends to our in-flight duty free programme. We curate a specific, exclusive collection of market-leading duty free products for our guests travelling across our global network. Qatar Airways’ in-flight duty free has always been regarded by our passengers as one of the finest in quality and product range, and this award, voted for by readers of Pax International, recognises our customers’ satisfaction as well as Qatar Duty Free’s dedication to providing an exceptional shopping experience to all passengers flying with Qatar Airways.
“Qatar Duty Free brings together some of the world’s leading brands for our customers to purchase on board and in our home, Hamad International Airport, Doha, where it has created a visionary travel retail experience that sets it apart from airports worldwide.”
Qatar Airways boasts a hand-picked selection of affordable and luxury brands that make in-flight shopping an essential part of every passenger’s journey. Qatar Airways’ in-flight duty free magazine, Extravaganza, introduces passengers to a collection of more than 170 in-flight products, offering an ideal balance of classic best sellers and contemporary new launches. Passengers can choose from a collection of fragrances, cosmetics, skincare, watches, jewellery, fashion accessories, toys, and Qatar Airways memorabilia, all from the comfort of their seat.
Qatar Airways was also recently recognised for the outstanding quality of its on-board entertainment platform, Oryx One, awarded for Middle East Content Innovation by Inflight magazine and F&E Aerospace. Qatar Airways was applauded for offering more than 3,000 channels of entertainment and a wide selection of content to suit its global passengers’ needs, from the latest premieres, to classic movies, and popular TV to special-interest programmes and TV series tailored to the Middle East market.
A global partnership with Ooredoo has further enabled Qatar Airways to enhance passengers’ journeys with free on board connectivity for all passengers. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380 and A319 as well as select A330 and A320 aircraft can enjoy free Wi-Fi for the first 15 minutes with a simple-to-use portal that makes it easy for passengers to browse the Internet or post on their social media channels whilst in the air. Continued use is offered at very reasonable rates, from US$5 to US$20.
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About Qatar Airways:
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 19th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 181 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents. Qatar Airways won Airline of the Year, Best Business Class Airline Seat and Best Airline in the Middle East at the 2015 Skytrax Awards. This is the third time the airline won the accolade of Airline of the Year.
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld global alliance. The award-winning alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance 2015 by Skytrax for the third year running. Qatar Airways was the first Gulf carrier to join global airline alliance, oneworld, enabling its passengers to benefit from more than 1,000 airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,250 daily departures.
In 2015 Qatar Airways launched Oryx One, an enhanced interface for its inflight entertainment system, increasing the number of movies and TV shows on board from 950 to up to 3,000. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 as well as select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the five-star airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways is one of the world’s leaders in sponsoring global sporting events, including the strategic team sponsorships of FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia FC. Qatar Airways’ strategy reflects the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message - Going Places Together.
Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest cargo carrier, serves more than 50 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally on 181 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet now includes eight Airbus 330Fs, eight Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747 freighter.
For Qatar Airways corporate images, please click here: http://www.qatarairways.com/corporateimages
For further information contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 40222072, Fax: +974 40225350
E-mail: qrmedia@qatarairways.com.qa
Visit our homepage www.qatarairways.com or our sites on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.
For Qatar Airways corporate images, please click here: http://www.qatarairways.com/corporateimages