As the future of aviation remains uncertain in the near future, there has been a big update regarding Qatar Airways’ future plans. Recently the Doha-based carrier announced that they will start flying to Seattle four times a week starting on March 15th 2021. They will be flying their A350-900, which will feature 36 of their world renowned “Q-Suites.” In addition to this, Qatar Airways will expand their partnership with Alaska Airlines given how the Seattle-based airline will be part of the Oneworld Alliance on March 31st, 2021. So what are the long term implications for Alaska as well as Seattle’s emergence as a major Oneworld hub in a post-pandemic world?
Impact on Alaska Airlines
So with this big announcement, what does it mean if you are a frequent flier for Alaska Airlines when it comes to international travel? First off, it signals that Alaska Airlines is ready to take the next step into becoming more of a global airline in order to change with the times by joining the Oneworld alliance. The reason being so is because given how Alaska Airlines already established partnerships with American Airlines, Qantas, British Airways and Japan Airlines, it made the most sense for them to join Oneworld, which also includes Qatar Airways. However with this recent announcement, this also means that other partnerships that Alaska are already in jeopardy.
A potential casualty of this recent development would be Alaska’s partnership with Emirates. Recently Alaska made it much harder for their frequent fliers to get a first class ticket with Emirates carrier, which might foreshadow their departure from their partnership with the Dubai-based airline. Prior to this announcement, here’s how Alaska charged their frequent fliers for a one-way first-class ticket redemptions on Emirates compared to after:
- North America to Middle East/India - 90,000 miles (now 150,0000 miles (67% increase))
- North America to Africa - 100,000 miles (now 200,000 miles (100% increase))
- North America to Asia - 100,000 miles (now 180,000 miles (80% increase))
·- North America to Europe - 100,000 miles (now 180,000 miles (80% increase))
Given these circumstances, it’s more likely that Emirates would see their partnership with Alaska as a bad long term investment post pandemic. This is due in part to the fact that it will be harder for Alaska fliers to get upgrades on Emirates. As a result, less Alaska mileage members would want to book on Emirates. This combined with the fact that some Alaska partners are outside the Oneworld alliance, it’s now more important than ever for Alaska to expand on their alliance with Qatar. But what does it mean for the future of Seattle as a global hub?
The Future of Seattle
So with this recent update regarding Qatar’s expansion into Seattle, what does it mean for the future of traffic the region? In my opinion, I think Seattle is in a great position to thrive and further expand in a post pandemic world. Between Qatar, British Airways, Alaska, American and Japan Airlines, Seattle is shaping up to become an important global hub for Oneworld to compete with SkyTeam in the Pacific Northwest. This could lead to other Oneworld carriers such as Qantas or to start flights to Seattle in the next few years. It also helps that the new international arrivals facility at Seattle Tacoma Airport is nearly completed, which can allow more traffic to come into Seattle. With the emergence of Seattle, it would mean American and Alaska’s competition with Delta will harken back to the old days when Juan Trippe’s Pan Am Airways would compete with Howard Hughes’ TWA in JFK.
But that doesn’t mean that more airlines are guaranteed to fly into Seattle. Emirates might consider stop flying into the Emerald City due in part to the aforementioned changes with Alaska’s mileage program along with Qatar’s expansion into the Pacific Northwest. Another airline that could follow suit is All Nippon Airways given that SeaTac isn’t a strong enough hub for Star Alliance carriers and they could just use Vancouver for their Pacific Northwest traffic. But overall, once the pandemic subsides, Seattle will be in a great position to thrive and expand with all of these changes.
Conclusion
In summary, I believe that the announcement of Qatar Airways flying into Seattle is going to be great for Qatar and the Pacific Northwest as we transition to a new normal and signals Seattle’s importance as an emerging gateway to the world. But what do you guys think? Is Qatar Airways making the right move with flights to Seattle starting in March? Let me know in the comments below and keep looking to the sky!
I think this will be good for them, as an airline increasing the options for their customers should be good for their company, Seattle is an international hub.