Human rights group calls for a boycott of Qatar Airways

On March 16, Qatar Airways, an airline owned by the State of Qatar, an oil-rich country in the Persian Gulf, begins daily service from Boston's Logan Airport to Doha, Qatar.

The expansion of the State of Qatar's commercial enterprises, including state-owned Qatar Airways, reflects the smoke and mirror tactics used by the Qatari government to hide the inhumane treatment of its most vulnerable workers, according to the Alliance for Workers Against Repression Everywhere (AWARE). “The de facto marketing arm of the state, Qatar Airways, is expanding rapidly across the globe and touts itself as 'luxurious' and 'world-class,' while at the same time masking egregious human rights abuses being committed within the country,” AWARE said in a press release Tuesday.

AWARE will be leading an international campaign using the hashtag, #boycottQatar, as Qatar Airways launches this new service. The group is a nonprofit organization working to bring international attention to policies and business tactics that harm workers' rights.

"Qatar Airways has, itself, abused its employees who work under the careful watch of the Qatari government,” AWARE said. “In Doha, the airline mandates that its employees live in company housing with strict curfews and where their personal lives are monitored, and bans workers from marrying without its permission. Female employees who become pregnant can be terminated. Women also must adhere to strict grooming policies, including weight limits. It is imperative the local Massachusetts government and citizens of Boston are made aware of Qatar and Qatar Airways' litany of abuses against workers.”

Qatar Airways launches non-stop service at Dallas/Fort Worth

Qatar Airways commenced daily non-stop service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and the newly unveiled Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. The new route increases Qatar Airways' extensive global network to seven gateways within the United States and 144 destinations worldwide.

Dallas/Fort Worth becomes Qatar Airways second destination in Texas. Along with Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth will serve as a crucial junction between Qatar Airways' global network, via Doha, and other key destinations across the Southwestern USA, including Austin, San Antonio and Oklahoma City.

Dallas/Fort Worth is a world centre for major American corporations, including Justin Boots, Texas Instruments, Frito Lay and AT&T. The region is also home to major oil and gas companies, including Exxon Mobil.

"DFW is an integral economic driver to the region and this new nonstop service will add approximately $200 million annually to our economy," said Sean Donohue, DFW Airport's chief executive officer.

The new route flies daily between Dallas/Fort Worth and Doha, departing from Doha at 8:10 a.m. and arriving into Dallas/Fort Worth at 3:35 p.m. the same day. Overnight service to Doha departs Dallas/Fort Worth at 8:00 p.m. and lands in Doha at 6:20 p.m. the following day. The route is operated with a Boeing 777-200LR configured with 217 Economy Class seats and 42 Business Class seats.

Outbound passengers to Doha will enjoy fast, convenient connections to key destinations throughout the world, including Delhi, Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok and Perth, via the world's newest international hub, Hamad International Airport.

Officially commencing full operations on May 1, Hamad International Airport is capable of handling over 360,000 flights and 30 million passengers annually, with a fluid capacity of 50 million passengers after full completion.

As one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, Dallas/Fort Worth represents Qatar Airways' tenth new destination of 2014. Now in its 17th year of operations, Qatar Airways has a modern fleet of 134 aircraft flying to 144 key business and leisure destinations across six continents. The airline will be adding the highly anticipated Airbus A380s and A350s in the near future.