Qatar to Adopt Avios as Points Currency
Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will have the privilege of earning and burning Avios when flying on Qatar as the carrier replaces its own Qmiles with the currency created by British Airways. Those with current balances accumulated in the Qmiles program will see their miles turned into Avios at a 1:1 ratio with bonuses for believable-sounding British accents and family-owned bangers and mash recipes.
Avios is the points currency used not just by British Airways but all IAG airlines in their own respective programs. Qatar, while not owned by IAG, is the single largest shareholder of the group, so this change aligns it with its corporate siblings. More details on the move by Qatar are expected in the coming weeks. It expects to make the switch sometime late next month, depending on how long it takes to coordinate required Downton Abby screenings for its own loyalty staff.
While Qmiles are going away, Qpoints are staying. Qpoints are how members of Privilege Club earn elite status with the airline, and that process is not expected to change. Redemption rates for award tickets are also expected to maintain current pricing – for now – with Qmiles being replaced by Avios.
Air Canada Adds Seven
Air Canada announced seven new routes today, restoring its North American pre-pandemic network by adding four transborder options to the United States and three domestic routes.
To the United States, the carrier will operate three new routes in direct competition with Delta, from Toronto to Salt Lake City and Montreal to both Atlanta and Detroit. A fourth transborder route will be from Vancouver to Austin 4x-weekly beginning June 1. As for the flights to Delta’s hubs, Montreal to ATL and DTW both launch June 1 and will be twice-daily, with YYZ to SLC flying 3x-weekly beginning June 2.
Domestically, it’s launching daily service from Calgary to Fort St. John — not to be confused with St John or St John’s on the other side of the country — on May 1, and from Montreal to Gander (YQX) on June 25. Five-times weekly service from Vancouver to Halifax (YHZ) also begins May 1 or when Halifax thaws out – whichever comes first.
Court Puts Airbus’ Cancellation of Qatar Order on Hold
A judge likely wearing a ridiculous looking wig in London’s High Court issued a restraining order against Airbus to temporarily halt the manufacturer’s cancellation of a 50-jet order from Qatar Airways. Airbus announced last month it would terminate Qatar’s order for 50 planes as retaliation for Qatar taking it to court over alleged paint issues on its A350 fleet.
The ruling prevents Airbus from reallocating delivery slots to anyone else pending a resolution of the paint dispute. Should Qatar win the case, Airbus will be required to make the deliveries as previously planned, which means beginning next February and continuing with six annual deliveries for five years.
Airbus will receive a hearing on April 4 to stop the order that prevents them from canceling the order. (Got it?) Arguments in the original case regarding the paint are expected to begin April 26. In the meantime, both parties were ordered to watch Netflix’s Downfall: The Case Against Boeing together by the end of this month to see if it would spur a compromise between the two.
- airBaltic is adding flights this summer to Malta, Yerevan, and Baku.
- Air France canceled Tuesday’s flight to Kiev and will “regularly assess” the situation for future flights.
- Austrian appointed Annette Mann as its new CEO.
- Condor will add twice weekly service to Johannesburg this winter.
- Delta has launched a new partnership with Instacart. A gallon of milk is available for just 100,000 SkyMiles while a loaf of bread is available starting at 125,000 SkyMiles. Blackout dates apply, and the airline reserves the right to swap out your selected item for a similar off-brand regional variety of your item at its discretion.
- Eastern failed its ETOPS certification and will not be operating its own aircraft over the ocean anytime soon.
- Eurowings Europe is moving its operating certificate from Austria to Malta.
- Greater Bay Airlines finally received is operating license from the Hong Kong government.
- ITA will wet-lease E190s from German Airways to operate from Milan to London/City, Luxembourg, and Geneva until its acquires its own fleet of A220s.
- Kenya Airways plans to reduce its fleet down to 30 airplanes.
- Qatar is upgrading its flight to Brisbane to year-round and making its Perth flight daily.
- Norwegian is running to begin a domestic route within Denmark on June 15 between Copenhagen and Rønne (RNN).
- S7 Airlines took delivery of an A321neo.
- Ultra Air received its AOC from the Colombian government and will begin scheduled ops tomorrow.
- Wamos Air secured €85 million of state aid from the Spanish government.
Front Desk Clerk: “How can I help you, sir?”
Hotel Guest: “Hello, I’ve forgotten what room I’m in.”
Front Desk Clerk: “No problem sir, that happens all the time. This is the lobby.”