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Qatar QSuite US Route Changes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
JT Genter
Contributor
JT is a location-independent digital nomad traveling 250,000+ miles each year with his wife Katie.
April 06, 2019
•
4 min read
Qatar QSuite US Route Changes: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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As of March 31, Qatar now has its TPG Award-winning business class product on eight daily flights to seven US destinations: Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK (x2) and Washington Dulles.
That leaves just three US routes ( Atlanta, Miami and Philadelphia) that aren't being served with the Qsuite product -- one of which was supposed to get Qsuites on June 2. Unfortunately, recent Qatar tweaks to the US routes has delayed that launch.
Let's take a look at the good, bad and ugly changes to the Qatar Qsuite routes between Doha (DOH) and the United States.
The Good
So far in 2019, Qatar has launched Qsuite on three new US routes already: Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles. With these additions, there's a whopping 2,408 Qsuite seats per week to and from the US.
And that number is going to increase sooner than expected. Qatar is accelerating the aircraft swap on the DFW route. Previously, Qatar was going to upguage the DFW route from a Boeing 777-300ER (42 business class seats) to an Airbus A350-1000 (46 business class seats) on July 1. That has now been accelerated to June 1 -- although there's a temporary swap back to the 777-300ER on June 15-22.
| Route | Aircraft Type | Flight # | Effective Date | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston (BOS) | 743 / 744 | 42 | ||
Chicago (ORD) | 725 / 726 | 42 | ||
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) | 729 / 730 | thru May 31, then June 15-22 | 42 | |
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) | 729 / 730 | June 1 | 46 | |
Houston (IAH) | Boeing 777-200LR | 713 / 714 | thru May 31 | 42 |
Houston (IAH) | 713 / 714 | June 1 | 46 | |
Los Angeles (LAX) | Boeing 777-200LR | 739 / 740 | 42 | |
New York JFK | 701 / 702 | thru May 31 | 46 | |
New York JFK | 701 / 702 | June 1 | 42 | |
New York JFK | 703 / 704 | 46 | ||
Philadelphia (PHL) | Airbus A350-900 | 727 / 728 | September 1 | 36 |
Washington Dulles (IAD) | 707 / 708 | 42 |
The Bad
Effective March 31, Qatar reduced its frequencies to Miami (MIA) from daily to 5x weekly, cutting flights on Monday and Wednesday. That's bad news for award availability as that pulls 72 lie-flat business class seats from inventory every week. The Miami route is currently scheduled to maintain a non-Qsuite Airbus A350-900 through the end of 2019.
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The Ugly
In mid-March, we noticed that the Philadelphia route would switch from a non-Qsuite Airbus A350-900 to a Qsuite Airbus A350-900 on June 2. Unfortunately, that unofficial launch has now been delayed.
As of the latest seat maps and schedules filed by the airline, the Philadelphia route is switching to a non-Qsuite Boeing 777-300ER from June 1 - August 31. That's a pretty ugly change for the summer travel season as it swaps from a solid 1-2-1 Airbus A350-900 to an aircraft arranged with 2-2-2 business class seating.
But it's not all ugly news. Philadelphia will still get a Qsuite product -- but it won't be until September 1 that Qatar switches back to an Airbus A350-900 with Qsuite:
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Featured image by ZACH HONIG/THE POINTS GUY
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Best for dining at restaurants
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Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 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.