Qatar Quietly Downgrades Business Class on Atlanta Route
Almost all Qatar routes to the United States use aircraft with the TPG Award-winning Qsuite business class installed. As of the last time we dug into Qatar's schedule, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC all have Qsuite aircraft -- leaving just Atlanta and Miami without. We've been monitoring these last two routes closely to see when Qsuite would finally be added.
So, I was optimistic when a number of ExpertFlyer aircraft change notifications came through Thursday afternoon for the Atlanta-Doha route. Would this finally be the long-awaited addition of Qsuite to the Atlanta route?
But instead of being upgraded to Qsuite, it turns out that this route was just downgraded. Currently, Qatar is operating an Airbus A350-900 daily on this route. While this aircraft doesn't have Qsuite, its business class has an all-aisle access 1-2-1 seating arrangement:
However, on October 27, this route is being switched to a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft daily, with a mediocre 2-2-2 business class product:
While the current A350-900 doesn't have Qsuite, it has a very solid business class product -- albeit rather open:
The 777-200LR has a rather outdated product that doesn't provide aisle access to all seats.
The only upside to the change is that this increases the number of available business class seats from 36 to 42. However, this doesn't seem to have opened up any more availability, at least yet. Before the change, there are quite a few dates with award availability on the nonstop from Atlanta to Doha:
But after the change, there are very few dates available. In fact, from the aircraft change on October 27 through the end of January 2020, I'm only seeing five dates with business-class award availability:
If you have an award flight booked on Qatar post-October 27 and you don't want to fly on the lesser biz class, note that American Airlines' International General Rules allows the "option of cancelling without penalty, or rerouting on different flights to/from the same or different destination" if a schedule change "result in a substitution of equipment not acceptable to the passenger."
These rules are focused on American Airlines published fares, but it's worth seeing if the AAdvantage agent you speak with will waive the award cancellation and redeposit fees -- or allow a free change -- based on this rule.
If you're looking to experience the incredible Qatar Qsuite product yourself, we have plenty of resources to help you fulfill that dream:
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.