Airline significantly lowers prices for transporting large pets travelling with their owners and more than doubles the weight allowance from 32 kgs to 75 kgs
Lower cost and increased weight limit means more passengers can now travel with their beloved pets across the airline’s global network
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways has responded to demand from passengers seeking to transport their pets around the world by reducing the price to the lowest rates ever into and out of Doha. As the only airline that will carry pets as excess baggage to and from Qatar, the airline has gone beyond expectations and reduced the cost of travelling with a pet.
While it used to cost pet owners and animal refuges approximately USD400 to transport a large dog to Europe or the Americas on another carrier, the same journey will now cost just USD300 on Qatar Airways out of Doha. This significant cost reduction means that it will now be easier than ever for passengers to travel with their beloved pets.
The airline has also more than doubled the weight allowance for domestic pets to travel on the same flight as their owners as checked-in baggage, by increasing the weight limit for pets and their containers from 32kgs to a generous 75kgs.
The move is set to position Qatar Airways as the airline of choice for people seeking to transport their pets around the world. It follows an increase in demand from passengers wanting to travel on the same flight as their domestic pets, or from animal refuges relocating stray animals to new homes overseas.
Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Ehab Amin, said: “We know how much our passengers love their family pets and often don’t want to be apart from them. This move to increase weight allowances while also reducing the fare structure means that our passengers and their domestic pets can now travel comfortably on the same flight together.
“We are one of the few airlines in the world that accepts domestic pets as checked-in baggage on our passenger aircraft. So in keeping with our very inclusive culture and our drive to always enhance the customer experience, we are delighted to increase the pet weight limit from 32kgs to 75kgs, while significantly reducing charges.”
Customers checking in for their flight only need to telephone ahead and make a confirmed booking for their pet to travel with them. After showing the appropriate veterinary certificate to confirm their pet is healthy and safe for air travel, the animal is delivered to a specially designated area at Hamad International Airport (HIA) on the day of travel.
As well as transporting domestic pets on passenger flights, the cargo division of the Qatar Airways Group has also become the third largest cargo carrier in the world in recent years and regularly uses its freighters to transport valuable show horses, dairy cows and animals for relocation and rescue purposes via its Qatar Airways Live Freighter Service (QR Cargo).
Pets and transport crates heavier than 75kgs will be transported in the safe hands of Qatar Airways Cargo. These pets travel in a specially equipped animal transport section of the airline’s cargo aircraft. With its sophisticated animal accommodation facilities, QR Cargo has qualified veterinary and husbandry personnel at its Doha hub. Husbandry staff travel on every animal transport flight.
As a founding signatory to ‘United for Wildlife’ Transport Taskforce, aimed at reducing the illegal transport of wildlife globally, Qatar Airways is proud to also be trusted with the care of pet-passengers by travellers the world over.
Qatar Airways was voted Skytrax ‘World’s Best Airline’ by travellers from around the world earlier this year, Qatar’s national flag carrier also won a raft of other major awards at this year’s ceremony, including ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’
Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft to a network of more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. The airline is launching a host of exciting new destinations planned for the remainder of this year and 2018, including Canberra, Australia; Chiang Mai, Thailand and Cardiff, U.K. to name just a few.
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Notes to Editors:
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, is celebrating 20 years of Going Places Together with travellers across its more than 150 business and leisure destinations. The world’s fastest-growing airline will add a number of exciting new destinations to its growing network in 2017/18, including St. Petersburg, Russia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Canberra, Australia and many more, flying passengers on board its modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently named ‘Airline of the Year’ by the 2017 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class,’ ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge.’
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.
Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers flying on Qatar Airways flights served by its B787, A350, A380, A319 and select A320 and A330 aircraft can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.
Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves. Qatar Airways, the official FIFA partner, is the official sponsor of many top-level sporting events, including the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cups, reflecting 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 international cargo carrier, serves more than 60 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its world-class Doha hub and also delivers freight to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations globally with more than 200 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet includes eight Airbus A330 freighters, 12 Boeing 777 freighters and one Boeing 747-8 freighter.
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +974 4022 2200