Qatar Airways – A Story of Rapid and Aggressive Growth

Qatar is a small country in the gulf region with a small population, but a lot of money. The country is one of the largest LNG exporters and is a relevant oil exporter too. That money among other things in recent years has poured into the national carrier to set up an operation that could compete on the global stage with major carriers and make a name for itself. So, let's dive into Qatar Airways and its operations. How does the airline function, operate all there is to know.

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Qatar Airways' Origins – How and When Was the Airline Founded?

The airline has its origins in what was the shared gulf flag carrier experiment Gulf Air. Gulf Air was a share national carrier among:

• Oman
• Bahrain
• Abu Dhabi
• Qatar

Qatar was the first state to exit the joint venture to pursue the creation of its own airline. That took place in 2002, with Qatar Airways being founded shortly afterwards. Not long after all other parties also exited the shared airline leaving Bahrain as the sole owner of Gulf Air.

The state of Qatar invested enormous amounts of money to build a brand and brand recognition for the newly born carrier. There was a lot of ground to be gained to catch up with what was and is seen as the main competitor, Emirates. Large investments immediately went into infrastructure and staffing. I remember Qatar Airways recruiting campaigns in the mid 2000s being widespread. I also attended an open day for aspiring cabin crew and made it through to the final interview, only to be rejected due to age regulations that had been changed after my application.

What Business Model does Qatar Airways Have?

Qatar Airways rapidly spotted its main competitor in the Gulf region, Emirates. The Qatari airline, in its early years, mimicked much of what its more affirmed competitor did.

Qatar Airways immediately adopted a global hub-and-spoke model for its operations. That means connecting long-haul destinations from its hub in Doha Airport.

Also, some decisions taken mimicking Emirates proved not to right for the carrier. For instance, Qatar Airways also purchased the Airbus A380 but failed to make it work effectively for its operations. That was caused by at least a couple of factors:

• The airline and its passenger volumes were undersized for the giant plane. At least when it received it.
• Too few of the aircraft were ordered to ever take advantage of the economies of scale offered by the A380 once the airline reached an adeguate size.

What Travel Classes Are Available on Qatar Airways?

Now, here is where it gets a little complicated. Officially the Qatari airline operates 3 travel classes on its planes:

• First Class
• Business Class
• Economy Class

However, first class is only available on a handful of planes and is on the way out, for now. I must put it that way as the airline's management has announced plans to launch in the not-too-distant future a new First Class product.

Interestingly, Qatar Airways is one of the few carriers to have chosen not to invest in the creation of a Premium Economy cabin. The reasoning behind that connects to First, Business, and Economy Class.

It has been stated numerous times that the airline believes it doesn't need a Premium Economy cabin. Economy Class is regarded, by the airline, to be already at a Premium Economy level. Therefore, there is no need for a product of this sort. Not having a premium economy cabin also creates a certain distance in terms of service with Business class which could push passengers in search of a more comfortable experience to fork out the extra cash for a business class seat.

Finally, Qatar Airways' Business class in its best version, the QSuites, does hold up well when compared even to first class products. However, the airline has a massive consistency problem. I've covered it on an analysis post, however, TLDR is that the airline has just too many different business class configurations. Compared the QSuites, all other business class cabins are inferior and therefore when planes get switched for operational reasons the airline always ends up with some unhappy passengers.