While a decision on the Open Skies debate - now more than two years old - between the U.S. big three airlines and their counterparts in the Middle East, the Gulf airlines continue to add new U.S. markets.
The latest route?
A big one.
Qatar Airways has set the date and will commence non-stop service to Las Vegas four times weekly beginning Jan. 8, 2018.
The new route will be the airline's 11th to the United States, connecting McCarran International Airport to Hamad International Airport in Doha, making Qatar Airways the first Gulf carrier to provide regular scheduled service to Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas is a thriving leisure destination and adding the city to our route map has been long overdue. Growing our western United States network is important to the airline as we are seeing exponential growth in passenger demand from the East via our state of the art hub in Doha," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement. "Our passengers appreciate the glamour, style and allure of Las Vegas and beginning in 2018, we are going to give our passengers from around the world direct and convenient access to this unique capital of entertainment."
[READMORE]READ MORE: U.S. Open Skies Advocates Pen Letter To Pence[/READMORE]
American, Delta and United airlines have asked - begged, almost - the U.S. government to freeze new routes being opened by Gulf carriers until the dispute can be resolved.
That hasn't happened, and now Qatar has one of the most coveted international routes.
The new route also provides U.S.-based flyers with an additional point of departure, when travelling abroad to Qatar Airways' global network of over 150 destinations. It will be Qatar Airways' second route from the American west, after the airline launched its Los Angeles to Doha route in January 2016.
"With each new US destination, we are bringing our signature Qatar Airways hospitality to more Americans and raising their expectations for the services and sophistication a global airline can offer," Bakar said.
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