Qatar Flying Qsuite-Equipped A350-1000 to London, East Coast Soon
Qatar Airways just took delivery of the very first A350-1000 — the first for Airbus and the airline alike — in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday afternoon. In addition, airline CEO Akbar Al Baker announced that the new Qsuite-equipped Airbus will soon launch on routes to the East Coast of the United States, in addition to the inaugural airport of London Heathrow (LHR), which will get the first A350-1000 scheduled flight this Saturday.
The A350-1000 is an extended-length version of the A350-900, which Qatar has been flying since 2015. The plane adds 44 seats, plus the airline's phenomenal Qsuite business class, with sliding doors and a unique quad configuration that lets four passengers combine their suites. See my review of Qsuite on the 777-300ER for a detailed look at the best biz in the industry.
Al Baker confirmed that the US "East Coast" will be the next A350-1000 destination, though he wasn't clear about which city will get the plane first, and when it'll launch. It's most likely that the plane will replace the -900, though, which is currently flying to Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York-JFK and Philadelphia (PHL).
Stay tuned for much more from Qatar's A350-1000 delivery, including a tour of the plane later today, followed by reports from the ferry flight to Doha (DOH) tomorrow. TPG and I will be covering both events live on social media — follow along with @thepointsguy on Instagram and Twitter, along with my own Instagram and Twitter accounts.