Mumbai06 Nov 22 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Doha
About Doha
Qatar's capital, Doha, is one of the most famous and populated cities in the Middle East. It is nestled along the coast of the Persian Gulf and has brilliant connectivity with several international cities in the world.
Best time to visit Doha
Desert nations often enjoy exquisite winters making them the peak months for tourism. Doha too enjoys the brisk winter winds as it hosts various fun events. December to January is considered the ideal months for a travel pursuit to Doha. The weather is a beautiful amalgam of warm and cold. As a desert, the winter days are pleasant while the nights are cold in Doha. It is certainly inviting as the luxurious setting of the city with expanses of scintillating brown sand would make anyone happy. So much that the hotel prices skyrocket during these months. It would be extremely difficult to find a cheap snazzy hotel in Doha during winter. Unless you make prior hotel bookings in Doha, you might not be able to find the ideal accommodation. The same goes for flights as well, so best would be to book them months in advance.
Winter might be peak season but so is fall in Doha. September through November is actually ideal weather as the city transitions from hot to cold. The experience during the fall in Doha is exquisite. What makes this very convenient is how tourism doesn't reach its peak in these months. You will be able to enjoy the pleasant weather, and at the same time, you wouldn't even have to splurge massively. Prior hotel bookings in Doha always come in handy as it would help you save more to spend in the city. Besides, the flight and hotel deals in Doha ahead of winter are aplenty. You will find many flight deals to Doha online with some room for accommodation combos too. As long as you spend enough time to find the right deal with an exquisite hotel room, your Doha trip would be a good one. Note though that many tourists start planning for a fall vacation in Doha thanks to the climate and the possibility of getting cheaper rates in Doha.
Places to visit in Doha
Doha's popularity doesn't just come with its Middle East heritage but also fancy locales and tourist attractions. To get the feel of Qatari heritage, you should start your tourist endeavours from the Museum of Islamic Art. It is an architectural delight and definitely worth the pursuit. You will be amazed by the exquisite location with its tree-covered facade. Doha Corniche is the second most important tourist attraction of Doha. The location is basically a waterfront which has a fascinating promenade forming the Doha Bay. The Corniche often sees a lot of events and festivities as being an important hub of the city of Doha. You can also make a day plan to visit Doha's artificial island, The Pearl-Qatar. It spans across four kilometres, the island is still under work as the officials wish to stretch the coastline to 32 kilometres. The National Museum of Qatar is located within the city premise and would take you through the history and cultural train of Doha and Qatar. Speaking of history, the AlKoot Fort would definitely catch your fancy as a military fortress that was built in 1927.
You can add Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in your list of places to visit in Doha. The gorgeous infrastructure has been built with modern and contemporary influences of art and creativity. The complex has been recently created and has already managed to rake in a lot of attention and the position of one of Doha's famous attractions. Aspire Park is another interesting place that you can check out. It is located in the southern district of Baaya in the city of Doha. Covering over 88 hectares of land, it is recognised as Doha's largest parks, featuring lovely fountains, green expanses and the view of the Aspire Tower.
Things to do in Doha
The city of Doha has quite a few things that you can indulge in when you visit the place. Some of the tourist attractions are aesthetically pleasing. To make your trip a little lavish, you can head to the Racing & Equestrian Club to check out and bet on horses. Since horse racing is one of the legal gambling scenes in the world, you will be able to get an idea of high-end living. You can also visit the Al Wakrah Public Garden and relish the exquisite spread of colourful flowers and green landscapes that the park boasts. It also has a waterfront, which only adds to the garden's beauty. Oxygen Park is another green spread where you can enjoy some fresh air and lovely vibe of the place. Nightclub hopping is one activity you can take up when you're in the city. Meanwhile, shopping is another fun activity that you will want to do because the city flaunts its Dior and Gucci showrooms like it flaunts the lovely waterfront.
Food and Restaurants in Doha
Doha's diversity in terms of food culture comes from its accommodation of international cuisine. The place has a plethora of international food establishments to cater to the foreign tourists that visit the city on a regular basis. However, while you do indulge in the lovely global cuisine, do not miss out the classic and Qatari food that can be found in Doha. Qatari food is recognised for its exquisite home-cooked styled stews and impeccable delicacies. Much of the Qatari food is heavily influenced by North Africa, Levant, Bedouin and flavours from the Indian subcontinent. Dishes such as Saloona, Warak enab, balaleet, majboos, to name a few, are from the authentic Qatari kitchen. They would certainly leave quite an impact on you. You can find the best of these dishes at food establishments such as Al Jasra, Walima, Al Manchab, Easair Cafe, Shisha Garden and Chai Halib.
While you're indulging in their meals, do not miss their ubiquitous savouries with luqaimat taking the cake. It is a traditional sweet dumpling that is stuffed with flavours of saffron and cardamom and is drenched in sugar syrup. Umm Ali is also a fancy dessert that you should check out when in Doha. Some of the Indian influences in their Qatari dishes include the famous rogag. It is a thin layer of batter, inspired by dosa, filled with minced meat, vegetables or egg. The dish is traditionally consumed as a breakfast item. Shay Al Shoomos in Souq Waqif serves the best rogags, you should probably write down this name in your list of culinary expeditions in Doha. Another interesting savoury by the Qatari cuisine is the kunafa, quite famous in the Middle East belt. To experience the best of Doha's culinary delights, the ideal thing to do would be to check out the Al Souq Street in the city. They are literally swamped with exquisite food joints and establishments.
How to reach Doha (Transportation)
Flight connectivity to Doha from India is excellent and very regular. The city in Qatar has a massive demand in the city with many tourists flocking over on a daily basis. Hence, the number of flights are also excessive, not to mention the connectivity and convenient duration. There are a plethora of direct flights to Doha from India. In fact, many airports have been specifically constructed in India to cater to the demand for Doha and other Middle-Eastern countries. Airlines such as IndiGo, Srilankan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, to name a few, have daily flights to Doha. Even though there are many direct nonstop flights to Doha from India, many often take the international route to Doha from Muscat or Dubai. The flight duration to Doha from India is also quite decent as it takes about three hours to reach the city. This depends on the flight and airlines that you choose. Although the time duration is perfect since it leaves a lot of time in hand to explore the city, it comes with a price.
Flight tickets to Doha range from cheap and affordable to expensive. A majority of how much you spend on booking flight tickets to Doha depends on the airlines you pick and the flight duration. For cheap and inexpensive flight tickets to Doha, you will get them in the range of INR 17,000. However, you will end up spending about nine hours travelling. By adding an extra INR 1000 to the ticket expenditure, you will not just save up on flight duration to Doha but also receive better flight services. Booking flight tickets to Doha come with a plethora of online deals. You might be able to make the most of travel discounts by booking flights and hotels in Doha. Depending on the season, the hotel prices in Doha might vary and hence, to acquire cheap and affordable deals, you should make prior bookings. Interestingly, while Doha is easy and convenient to reach from India, many opt to drive down to Doha from Bahrain as the long stretch of highways in the Middle East are perfect for petrolheads to go on a driving excursion.
About American Airlines
American Airlines Inc. is one of the major American airlines with its headquarters located in Fort Worth, Texas. It is within the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is recognised to be the world's largest airline with respect to fleet size. Passengers carried on scheduled, revenge earned on passenger mile, to name a few. American Airlines, along with its regional partners, have been documented to operate about 6,800 flights per day on domestic and international routes. They have reached 350 destinations in more than 50 countries around the world. The airline is one of the founding members of the Oneworld alliance, which is the third-largest airline alliance recognised in the world. Some of the regional services operated under the subsidiary carriers, go by the brand name American Eagle. It is an independent carrier and reaches some of the cities of North America. Dallas/Fort Worth is the largest hub for both, American Airlines and American Eagle for operations. Aside from the Texas city, there are ten more hubs for the airlines to operate from.
Dallas/Fort Worth has the capacity to handle about 200 million passengers in a year. The average passenger traffic on a daily basis is recorded to be more than 500,000. Further, the company is also known to employ over 130,000 staff, as recorded in 2019. American Airlines' AA logo was curated by Goodrich Murphy in 1931. Decades later, the logo was redesigned in 1967 by Massimo Vignelli. American Airlines' earlier liveries were widely diverse. However, a common livery was adopted in the 1930s. The livery featured an eagle painted on the fuselage with the eagle becoming a symbol that further inspired the subsidiary's name, American Eagle Airlines. Eventually, the airlines rebranded and let the employees decide the design for the new livery. Two options were posted by the American Airlines' employees on their website, one with the old one and the other with a modified version of the same. All the American Airlines Group employees were allowed to vote to pick the livery. Eventually, the airlines decided to keep the new look for the livery. The latest design features an abstract American flag painted on the tail with a silver-painted fuselage that is a throwback to the old livery.
In 2019, American Airlines turned into a heritage aircraft with US Airways, Piedmont, Reno Air, TWA, AirCal, America West, as part of their fleet. American Airlines is listed through the parent company, American Airlines Group Inc., under NASDAQ. The company's market capitalisation stands at USD12 billion, as of 2019.
Fleet size of American Airlines
According to 2020's records, American Airlines is known to operate the largest commercial fleet comprising of 870 aircraft. They mainly have Boeing and Airbus. The airline has over 80 per cent of narrow-body aircraft. The fleet mainly comprises of Airbus A320 series as well as Boeing 737-800. American Airlines is the largest A320 series aircraft operator in the world. It is also the largest operator with respect to A319 and A321 variant aircraft. Further on the same, it is the fourth-largest operator of the Boeing 737 family aircraft as well as the second-largest operator of the 737-800 variant. In terms of wide-body aircraft, American Airlines' fleet has an amalgam of Boeing and Airbus airliners. American Airlines is known to be the third-largest operator of the Boeing 787 series as well as sixth-largest operator in the world for the Boeing 777 series. Out of all the aircraft that are operated under American Airlines, Airbus A330 aircraft has retired. Along with the same, Boeing 787 aircraft is also inching towards retirement.
In the 2000s, American Airlines continued to order Boeing aircraft exclusively. However, from 2011, the airlines changed its strategy of ordering Boeing aircraft. Instead, they started combining their aircraft order with 460 narrow-body jets that included 260 Airbus 320 series. Additionally, the airlines also brought Airbus to join the fleet in 2013, following the merger with US Airways. It is known that US Airways exclusively operated Airbus aircraft. However, with the merger, American Airlines also received rights to add Airbus to their fleet and enable operations of the flight under their banner.
American Airline's Baggage Allowance
First-class - American Airline's baggage allowance policy is quite strict, but depending on the cabin type, the rules change. Passengers travelling in first-class have the luxury of carrying three check-in bags in the aircraft. Out of these, two cabin bags are allowed while a complimentary third is a handbag that could either be a laptop bag or a handbag. There are certain restrictions with respect to the contents of the bag. Some items have been disallowed from being carried in the cabin and should be adhered to.
Business-class - The business class allows two complimentary bags for check-in. For cabin baggage, the passengers are allowed to carry a handbag too, which should not exceed a certain dimension as set by American Airlines' standards. These are mostly allowed on long-haul flights taking international routes. The weight of the check-in bags cannot exceed 32kgs. Additional charges will be levied if the weight is over what has been allowed by the airlines. There are certain items that cannot be carried with you in the check-in as well as cabin baggage. Ensure to read about the same on American Airlines' website.
Premium Economy - For Premium Economy class, the airlines allows two complimentary bags for check-in. However, this rule is excluded for flights going to and from Alaska and Hawaii. International routes and long-haul flights of American Airlines offer baggage deals that can be availed on the airlines' website. You can exceed the weight and number of bags but provided you pay an additional sum.
Main Cabin - Two check-in bags are allowed for Main Cabin with additional carryon baggage for the cabin. The weight is the same with first class and business class, with the option of altering their baggage weight and other features. Along with the baggage, the airlines also allows passengers to carry special equipment baggage, including the ones with sports and musical instruments as well as assistive devices for mobility disabled passengers.
American Airline's In-flight services
Flagship first - Flagship first is American Airlines' international First Class cabin. The in-flight services offered in the cabin are exceptional as they offer seats that can be converted to fully flat-beds. There is direct aisle access with a herringbone configuration of 1-2-1. Other premium benefits of American Airline's in-flight services are wider options with respect to food and beverages, larger seats, amenities such as WiFi, power plug points and more. You can ask for blankets and enjoy the magnificent hospitality that is available in the cabin. The crew is also quite friendly and accommodating with special reservations for privacy.
Flagship business - Flagship business is the airline's premium business class cabin that is available on all Airbus A330-200s, Boeing 787-8s, Boeing 777-200ERs, Boeing 787-9s and Boeing 777-300ERs. The seats are comfortable and can be extended to fully lie-flat. The food and beverages are complimentary with an array of options. You can also request for pillows and blankets while you enjoy the cabin's privacy. Plus, they have personalised entertainment decks also for the passengers.
Premium economy - Earlier in 2015, the airlines announced Premium Economy as part of its long-haul wide-body aircraft. The cabin sees an upgrade from the main cabin and is available on most of the Boeing flights that function under the American Airlines wing. The cabin is available on Boeing 777-200s, Boeing 787-9s, Boeing 787-8s, Boeing 777-300s and also Airbus A330-200s. The seats in the premium economy are wider in comparison to the ones in the main cabin. Along with this, the cabin also has several interesting facilities. American Airlines' in-flight services in Premium Economy include enhanced good and drink services. This also includes free alcohol services. There are extensive power supply plugs for laptops, mobile phones, tablets and more.
Main cabin - The main cabin in American Airlines is the economy class. The cabin is available on all mainline as well as regional aircraft of American Airlines' fleets. The economy class boasts increased legroom with less ticket prices. The in-flight services include recliner seats that have about 30 inches of legroom. Long-haul flights also have complimentary food and beverages. You can request for a blanket, pillow, headphones and more.
Popular routes and top cities for American Airlines
Over the years, American Airlines has expanded its horizons to not just cater to domestic routes but also international routes. As of 2020, the airline accommodates flights to connect to about 95 domestic destinations, 95 international destinations in 55 countries sprawled across five continents. Further, on the same, the airline plans to launch flights to Casablanca from Philadelphia. Cities such as New York-JFK, London, Sydney, Vancouver, Toronto, Beijing, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Delhi, Dublin, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Auckland, Seoul, Los Angeles and San Francisco, are well-connected, thanks to American Airlines.
Why travel by American Airlines?
American Airlines has an up-to-date website with all the necessary information regarding flights schedules, web check-ins, flight status, etc. You can also book an American Airlines flight online and upgrade the ticket to premium economy or business class. The airline has the best in-flight services plus impeccable connectivity and hence, should be considered.
About Hamad Airport
Hamad International Airport is the only international airport that caters to the state of Qatar and is situated in its capital city, Doha. The airport has replaced the former international airport, Doha International Airport, to be the principal airport that serves the city of Doha and the country Qatar. Earlier, the airport was referred to as the New Doha International Airport, the airport was renamed as Hamad International Airport. It was supposed to open for business and flight operations in 2009. However, due to some cost delays and a series of conundrums, the airport finally reopened in 2014 with a grand ceremony of Qatar Airways' flight landing from nearby Doha International. Following the same, several of Qatar Airways' aircraft and other flights functioning from the old airport were shifted to the new airport, a month after Hamad International Airport opened. The airport has been named after Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar. Since its genesis, the airport has been raking tremendous praise and accolades for being one of the best airports of the Middle East. In fact, it was voted as the Best Airport (in the category of 30-40 million passenger accommodation in a year) and Best Airport Staff in the Middle East in 2020.
Talks about constructing an all-new international airport in Doha started in 2003 with constructions commencing in 2005. Hamad International Airport is located about 5 km the east of older Doha International Airport. The airport is spread across an area of 5,500 acres of land. Initially, the airport was set to only cater to airlines that do not have lounge access to be utilised. The airport was designed to balance out the increase in passenger volume and air traffic witnessed by the city. Initially, the annual capacity of passengers as proposed was 29 million. However, upon completion of the new airport, the capacity also extended to 50 million passengers in a year. Some estimates suggest that the airport has the capacity of accommodating over 93 million passengers in a year, as opposed to the 50 million stated. With this fact, Hamad International Airport becomes the second largest in the region, following Dubai International Airport. The new airport is also set to handle over 320,000 aircraft movement along with 2 million tonnes of cargo in a year.
About Hamad International Airport Terminal
Hamad International Airport only has one terminal but is spread out in about five concourses that have been named alphabetically. These concourses have been designed by the American design, architecture, engineering and urban planning firm, HOK. Meanwhile, the contract to develop the airport was awarded to Bechtel. Here are details of the concourses at the Hamad International Airport.
Concourse A - The concourse has the ten passenger gates that are connected to jet bridges. It is located west of the check-in section of the main terminal. The two gates have been designed specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.
Concourse B - This concourse accommodates ten passenger gates which are connected to jet bridges, located at the east of the main check-in area. Out of the ten gates, two have been reserved to accommodate Airbus A380. Ten airlines operations form the old Doha International Airport has been shifted to Concourse B. Further, some facilities include smoking rooms, duty-free stores and family lounge areas.
Concourse C - The concourse consists of 13 gates which are connected to jet bridges and yet again, two of them are reserved for Airbus A380. The concourse was opened in 2014.
Concourse D - The concourse is divided into two levels, gates 1 - 4's operations being conducted on the first level while gates 18 - 24 have their operations on the ground level. This concourse is fully functional.
Concourse E - The concourse is fully functional and has a similar layout as Concourse D. It has been stated that Concourses D and E are due to be extended with talks of an additional Concourse F that is set to be installed. However, the plans haven't been finalised yet.
The terminal also has facilities of First Class and Business Class lounges installed. One of the biggest highlights of Hamad International Airport's terminal interiors is the prominent gigantic bronze statue of a teddy bear with its head inserted in a lamp. Often referred to as Lamp Bear, the sculpture is the creation of Swiss artist Urs Fischer. It has been put for display at the grand foyer and is surrounded by the airport's duty-free shopping hall. The Lamp Bear statue initially belonged to the Seagrams Building plaza in New York City. However, it was later purchased by a member of the Qatari royal family at an auction for a whopping USD 6.8 million. The structure weighs about 18-20 tonnes and is seven meters tall.
About airport authority
Hamad International Airport is owned and operated by Qatar Airways. The airline is responsible for bringing forth a whole new airport and replacing the old Doha International Airport. The airport authority has been striving to make Hamad International Airport as one of the best in the world by offering world-class amenities and aircraft perks. They aim to create new records and break many more with constant expansion plans. Qatar Airways has also initiated Hamad International Airport to be the first in the world to design structures specifically to accommodate Airbus A380.
The airport authority plans to expand the airport to accommodate the footfall of passengers who will be visiting the city to watch the FIFA 2022 World Cup. It has been speculated that the airport will need to accommodate a massive passenger capacity as the world cup would bring more passengers and travellers from around the world to Doha. Further, as part of their expansion plans, the airport authority also aims to beautify the central building by adding a tropical garden and a 268-meter tall water feature. They plan to emulate the water feature that is found at Singapore Changi Airport's Jewel complex. Qatar Airways also has proposals to expand its lounge space and make it the world's largest airport lounge.
Facilities at the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport has a slew of exquisite and world-class services and facilities that make it one of the best airports in the Middle East. With various facilities such as baggage wrapping, porter services, first-class and business class lounge experience, airline-specific lounge, spas, airport hotels and more, travelling to Hamad International Airport is an experience.
Top airlines flying from the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport caters to a massive number of international destinations by accommodating a slew of airlines. Apart from reserving space for the national carrier, Qatar Airways, some of the airlines that operate from Hamad International Airport include Air India, Air India Express, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, GoAir, Himalayan Airlines, IndiGo, Iran Air, Kuwait Airways, Nepal Airlines, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Jordanian, SalamAir, SriLankan Airlines, Syrian Air, Turkish Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines. These airlines operating from Hamad International Airport has flights to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kannur, Mangalore, Dhaka, London, Addis Ababa, Bangalore, Kuwait City, Kathmandu, Muscat, Islamabad, Manila, Paris, Venice, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, Zurich, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Colombo and more.
How to reach the Hamad International Airport
Hamad International Airport is blessed with a slew of connections to the main city of Doha. Travellers can take public bus services, personal taxi cabs, metro and hire car rentals and chauffer-driven limousines.
By Bus
The bus services in Doha have excellent connections to the airport. The buses are operated by Mowasalat, which is the state's transport company. Some of the routes covered by the bus services also include a route to the airport. You can catch a bus to reach Hamad International Airport at affordable rates and the comfort of an air-conditioned bus. The vehicles are clean and maintained perfectly. Not to mention details of the bus with schedules have been shared on the airport's official website.
By Metro
Hamad International Airport has a direct Metro connection. The airport has fast and frequent Metro services that are available on all seven days of a week. You can reach Hamad International Airport from any of the tourist attractions in the city of Doha. You can also use the Metro line and plan a travel itinerary to check out some of the exquisite tourist attractions of Doha. Live updates of the Metro train as well as their schedules are flashed on the station's monitors.
By Taxicab and car rentals
From booking a car rental to hailing a taxi cab, there are many such transport options that you can avail at the airport. You can even opt for airport shuttle service at the hotel you are staying in (provided they have this facility) to reach Hamad International Airport. Further, to upscale your trip, you can book a chauffer-driven limousine service also. The airport has travel booths where you can figure out the ideal transport facility for your budget.
