Qatar Airways launches Zagreb service
Qatar Airways has today inaugurated flights from Doha to Zagreb, marking an important event for the airport. Qatar Airways will be the only Middle Eastern airline with scheduled all year round flights to the Croatian capital. Flights will operate every day via Budapest. QR947 took off this morning bound for Zagreb. The return flight will depart Croatia's busiest airport in the afternoon. Services will operate with the single aisle Airbus A320. While Qatar won’t be competing with anyone directly, it is bound to take a share of the passengers heading to the Far East and Australia, which have up until now been shared amongst Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.Qatar Airways has been granted full operating rights between Budapest and Zagreb, allowing it to sell tickets on the sector. It will make Zagreb the only capital city in the former Yugoslavia with a direct air link to Budapest. All of the major airports in the EX-YU region were left without flights to the Hungarian capital following Malev’s demise earlier in the year.
The inaugural flight from Doha to Zagreb has not been sold out. There are many seats left in economy class. While the business class section is fully booked on the Doha - Budapest sector, the majority of passengers will leave the jet in Hungary, with the twelve seat business class section mostly empty on the Budapest - Zagreb leg. The situation is similar on the return service. However, like any route, time will be needed for it to attract customers which might not be familiar with the service at the moment. Zagreb is Qatar Airways’ first destination in the former Yugoslavia. The airline will also launch services to Belgrade later in September. Flight details for the Doha - Zagreb flights can be found here.
This is bound to be a total failure, if the inaugural flight that was selling for half a year couldn't been sold out, even with the Budapest-bound load. Surprising that those "Qataris interested in Croatian economy" didn't even bother to come, since the business class to ZAG was left empty, even no representative from QR. Maybe they decided it is more interesting to visit Budapest after all. I guess this is all clear. And think that some fanatics were talking of direct flights... It can't be more straightforward that the countdown to route drop is ticking louder in here than the welcome brass.
ReplyDeleteRound ticket ZAG - BUD in the business restricted class (cheapest business ticket)
Deleteis 798,72 eu.
Not convenient at all ... it's a 55 min flight only.
Dear KBP!
DeleteIn Stratosphere air is very thin...
this is easy to read out from your post!
Your sentence «Qatar Airways will be the only Middle Eastern airline with scheduled flights to the Croatian capital” is not exactly true.
ReplyDeleteEL Al flies from Tel Aviv to Zagreb from 27.3. to 23.10. on flight LY5181 on Tuesdays (ZAG arrival is 10:25)
On that line they have strong competition from Croatia Airlines which fly 4 times per week
-2----- 08:25
--345-- 07:40
Could we see the B787 on this route once it is delivered to Qatar?
ReplyDeleteI hope the loads increase because this is catastrophic. Even flydubai had a better start in Belgrade. If I remember correctly they had an average lf of 47% the first month on an aicraft with much more capacity than Qatar's A320.
ReplyDeleteWhy Qatar airways this time is not offering very special -flight launch- offers ex Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteIt was a Qatar airways practice to do so with new destinations.
Anyone knows?
"I hope the loads increase because this is catastrophic. Even flydubai had a better start in Belgrade. If I remember correctly they had an average lf of 47% the first month"
ReplyDeleteYou know LF of Qatar flight? I am sure it will be more than 47%...
Well it will be for sure more than that with Budapest stop. Zagreb alone, I do not know. Do not forget that in Zagreb they are competing with Aeroflot, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines for Asian destinations.
DeleteFZ's first flights to Belgrade were completely full and they had additional services withing weeks of first service.
ReplyDeleteDidnt they add like three or four additional flights around the Christmass time?
DeleteQatar is the cheapest and most convenient airline on routes from Zagreb to the Far East.
ReplyDeleteCheck their pricing and the pricing of LH, Turkish or Austrian and you will see. Not to mention that for layovers longer than 8 hrs a passenger will get a free visa and a hotel room in downtown Doha, to relax, shop, or do whatever he/she pleases. All of this free of charge, of course. The tour operator in Zagreb were given deals which could not be passed so lets stop guessing about Qatar's success or failure and give it a month before passing judgment.
Free visa, free hotel for forced layovers (no first connecting flight within 8 hours). in Doha it's valid only for business class tickets.
DeleteFOr discounted economy class tickets this service it's not available for free (same not valid for full economy ticket price paid).
Are they making an expension for flights ex Zagreb? I doubt so
To anonymous at 1:07 what are these deals to tour operators in Zagreb?
DeleteCan tour operators in ZAG offer cheaper prices for Qatar Airways flights (flight only no tours or other services ... please) compared to QAirways web-page?
QR gives free STPC to both business and economy pax, check with any travel agent in Croatia. If it's forced, it's free, if it's not forced, then it costs (for both business and economy).
DeleteFYI also, QR already has already become the airline with biggest (booking, not sold) share towards the East ex ZAG...That doesn't mean that flights are sold out, cause they're not, but definitely sets more than an optimistic tone for the route. If all flights were full, and if QR expected that, they wouldn't use A320, and BUD, would they.
Yes but how big is the market from ZAG to the East ;)
DeleteAeroflot probably holds the biggest share of passengers from Belgrade to Siberia. Now just because they hold the biggest % it doesn't mean anything, it could be 10 passengers per week.
I am saying that somebody in QR made analysis of the market, and then for sales ex ZAG it is governed by market share. Nobody will START to fly because QR started to route...first reaaction from the market is very good, as well as current booking situation in upcoming months. Nobody in right mind expected full flights instantly, if that was expected, ZAG would have A330, not A320 via BUD. This is the start and currently the future looks good, especially with rising incoming. It seems that many people posting comments here work in operational departments of the airlines, or do not have any experience in sales etc, or are just making competition between ZAG and BEG....usually in completely wrong way, but luckily there are people actually working for those airlines to make decisions instead of all knowing members of this forum. To summ it up, QR ex ZAG started good, QR is currently pleased, BEG may start in SEP, I hope that it'll be very sucessfull!
DeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteMissing Sukhoi SU95 jet over Indonesia.
http://www.avherald.com/h?article=44f464f7&opt=0
Any Emirates flights soon from Zagreb?
ReplyDeleteAnd 20mins early into ZAG! Dobro vam dosli QR!
ReplyDeleteWell, this could only be described as a 'soft launch' of the route and I wonder whether this is a successful way to do it: where are the billboards, hype on QRs own website, sponsoring a Zagreb tram with all-over livery?? Has there been any push to advertise in the diaspora (thinking esp MEL, PER, JNB markets here) that would likely use the service? Some reasonable deals have been offered through travel agencies, but how many people in Zg have thought of booking a holiday using QRs lead-in fares?
I'm not surprised that the plane has spare seats on its first day in. Bookings have been solid to BUD for some time now (whether the yields match are another discussion), and if on route A-B-C you have 60% of your tickets already sold to A-B then the seats will be empty if a push isn't made to sell B-C as a viable route, and something tells me there hasn't been a serious push for this in Budapest.
Finally some economic rationalisation for those commenters above already predicting the 'doom and gloom' of the route: costs for running the route DOH-BUD and DOH-BUD-ZAG are only a fraction more once aircraft leasing and usage, fuel, staff etc are factored in. Perhaps the margin for profitability of the ZAG tag (until the route warrants direct service) and the lack of competition BUD-ZAG are in itself enough to pay its way? QRs narrowbody fleet shortage is also a moot point...
I predict a slow but steady awareness as people discover a pleasant alternative to the stale LH experience - whether in economy or business class!
Do not forget, ZAG-BUD has competition, cheap trains, decent roads and post-communist mentality and animosity towards air travel. Why fly 55 minutes to Budapest when you can take a train for 10 hours?
DeleteAlso, Zagreb is a relatively small market which is served by other airlines. Qatar is not opening up an unserved market, they merely joining the other few airlines.
Zagreb to Budapest return train ticket cost 232,50 KN (31 €), there are 2 trains daily, and travel duration is 06:15 for one, and 06:30 h for second train...
DeleteLeg from BUD to Zagreb is added to a flight QR 947 that already existed before (DOH-BUD-DOH, QR947/948)so it's kind of obvious why it's not promoted so much in Qatar or somewhere else and flight arrived to Zagreb almost empty.
ReplyDeleteHope it will get more and more popular by the time if QR does something to promote this destination and lower the price between ZAG an BUD.
I still strongly belive QR will have much more success on inaugural flight to BEG in September.
Why?
DeleteBecause it is Serbia.....
DeleteYesterday DOH ZAG flight had 77 pax, some 10-15 BUD ZAG out of that....
DeleteZagreb-Bangkok return flight in Nov 2012 is 566 EUR.
ReplyDeleteThat s good enough....
There was 120 pax on ZAG-BUD-DOH flight what is some 90% of plane!
ReplyDeleteThere are Qatar billboards in Zagreb.
Where is Purger now to back up his propaganda. That guy spoke as Emirates brought A380 to ZAG.
ReplyDeletePost like this one is reason why I don't write so much on this blog. Provocation on Serbian-Croatian level is definitely not something I want to participate in.
DeleteI never mention anything near to ”Emirates brought A380 to ZAG”. Not even near to! And you know it, so that is just a cheap provocation!
LOL call it whatever you want, you were still provoked enough to grace us with your presence. <3
DeleteWhom? Who are those “us”? And why? Because there is other way of seeing things? Because there are official statistics? I thought that this is “ExYU aviation forum”, not just one nation or one city aviation forum? If I don’t agree with you I will do everything that you can write your opinion. But this is matter of mentality.
DeleteThe ex-Yu community sugar, that is the us I am referring to.
DeleteWe are not talking about statistics, we are talking about your usual mumbo-jumbo rhetoric. But come on, do not be angry I gave you a <3.
The tag to ZAG from BUD is a no brainer as the plane sat on the tarmac for 5 hours. The cost of this tag is minimal and it tests the waters. This forum is full of bigoted nationalists who just cant get over past events and move forward. Of course this QR flight has infuriated the Serbs as it flys to ZAG and not BEG (an isolated airport and the only main international airport in the country). If BEG was first to get QR all the zenophobic Croats would start bashing.
ReplyDeleteErm ... you do realize that Qatar is launching flights to Belgrade in September?
DeleteNo need to get jelous on each other,all major airlines like Emirates,qatar etc will have directly services to the main capitals in the Balkans within couple of years!
ReplyDeleteZagreb airport would explode just cause of the engine noise of the A380...it would blow up the terminal and the control tower would take-off before the plane.
ReplyDeleteZagreb airport would explode just cause of the engine noise of the A380...it would blow up the tiny terminal and the control tower would take-off before the plane.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately SFR Yugoslavia did not want to invest in 2nd the biggest airport in Yugoslavia, but instead invest all Yugoslav (and Croatian) air traffic money in oversized Belgrade airport. So now you don't have this problem with tiny terminal.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI love Purger, he is a like a child with a down syndrome. Annoying yet cute at the same time...
ReplyDelete