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The US Will Get Its First-Ever A350-1000 Flight — And There's Award Availability

July 15, 2018
•
3 min read
Qatar 777 Qsuite First Look
The US Will Get Its First-Ever A350-1000 Flight — And There's Award Availability
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In February 2018, the first-ever Airbus A350-1000 was delivered to Qatar Airways. TPG was there for the ceremony and delivery flight from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France to Doha, Qatar.

As part of the media event, Qatar's CEO Akbar Al Baker noted that the US "East Coast" would see the brand-new aircraft "soon." A few weeks later in March 2018, I asked Al Baker when we could expect the US route announcement. He deferred, saying that the A350-1000 is running “proving exercises at the moment,” and the airline wants to “make sure that the aircraft is performing well” before launching flights to the US East Coast.

Over four months later, we finally know when the first A350-1000 flight to the US East Coast will be... but, the bad news is that it's just a one-off flight between Doha (DOH) and Philadelphia (PHL) which is occurring in just over a week.

According to RoutesOnline — which TPG has confirmed with airline schedules published through ExpertFlyer — the following flights will operate on July 23, 2018:

  • QR727 Doha (DOH) 8:00 departure => 14:45 Philadelphia (PHL) arrival
  • QR728 Philadelphia (PHL) 21:00 departure => 16:25 Doha (DOH) arrival +1 day

Qatar currently runs an Airbus A350-900 on this route, which features an excellent business class product:

Business class on Qatar's A350-900.

While it's disappointing that this is just a one-time flight, this flight is still notable as it'll mark the first-ever Airbus A350-1000 revenue flight to the United States, and — as far as I can tell — is the first-ever time the new aircraft type will touch US soil. Also, this is hopefully a "route proving" test run before a US route is announced using the Airbus A350-1000.

There's also plenty of reason to be excited about this aircraft. Qatar has factory-installed its award-winning Qsuite business class product on this new aircraft. While the airline is known for its grandiose claims, we do concur that the Qsuite is "First in Business Class."

Want to try the new aircraft for yourself? Well, you're in luck. There are a lot of empty seats available in business class.

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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.

Even better, there's currently three business class saver award seats available on the flight from Philadelphia to Doha:

Unfortunately, since there's only three available business class award seats, you won't be able to reserve the entire Qsuite quad.

One of the best ways of booking this award is through American Airlines' AAdvantage program. AA will charge you 70,000 miles for the one-way award from the US to the Middle East. And you can connect anywhere in the Middle East or the Indian Subcontinent region. Or, you can connect anywhere in Africa for 75,000 miles one-way. Unfortunately, AAdvantage rules don't allow connections to Asia Region 1 or 2 or the South Pacific on the same award ticket.

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Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    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.