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Qatar Extends Its Unofficial A350-1000 Tour of the US With a New Destination

July 22, 2018
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3 min read
Qatar A350-1000 Tour
Qatar Extends Its Unofficial A350-1000 Tour of the US With a New Destination
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On Monday, the US will experience its first-ever Airbus A350-1000 flight thanks to Qatar flying a one-off flight using its newest aircraft type. If you're still interested in making last-minute plans to make the flight, there's currently 29 unassigned seats in Qsuite and the flight still has three business class award seats available.

But, if that's too short notice, you'll be happy to know that Qatar has extended its unofficial US A350-1000 tour with flights to Miami. We were clued into one of these flights this morning thanks to a tweet from Airlineroute:

Sure enough, Qatar has loaded the following flight into its schedule for July 29:

  • QR777 Doha (DOH) 8:00 Departure → 16:20 Miami (MIA) Arrival

However, there's no flight for sale on the return leg from Miami to Doha on the A350-1000... or any other aircraft. The next day, Qatar resumes its service between the airports with its solid (but not as good as Qsuite) Airbus A350-900:

Business class on Qatar's A350-900. Photo by Zach Honig / The Points Guy.

When I dug into the situation a little more, I found that this isn't the only time that Qatar is flying the A350-1000 to Miami. The airline has added a flight a few days earlier on July 26 from Miami to Doha on the A350-1000:

  • QR778 Miami (MIA) 19:55 departure => 16:50 Doha (DOH) arrival on July 27

Note: the middle seats in the Qsuite quad are blocked for couples and larger groups to reserve. These seats are still available and can be selected during booking.

And there's currently one business class award available on this flight:

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So, what would explain this strange flight scheduling? The most likely explanation is that Qatar is operating an A350-1000 charter flight from Doha to Miami on July 26 and a return charter flight on the A350-1000 from Miami to Doha on July 29.

Update: As David points out in the comments below, there's a soccer match in Miami on July 28 between FC Bayern and Manchester City. Qatar just became a major sponsor of FC Bayern in March 2018. But, as ASR points out, the Bayern team will already be in the US for the tournament. So, this would likely be a charter for Qatari officials and fans.

But even if this is the reason that the A350-1000 is coming to Miami, we can be hopeful that Qatar is also using these flights to test how the brand new aircraft performs on these long-haul flights. After all, back when the airline took delivery of its first A350-1000 in February, Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker pledged that the US East Coast would see an A350-1000 flight scheduled "soon". And, we're still waiting.

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Why We Chose It

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  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.