Air Canada's Surprising New Route To Doha, Qatar

@ Ben -- Let's see, who do I want to fly to Doha? An airline that has a documented track record of stealing refunds, or Qatar Airways? No one should EVER fly Air Canada if they have a choice of airlines.

id rather just connect through boston and fly QR

Doha is the only city I’ve been where the airport is more interesting than the city itself. Qatar Airways and the airport are great, but I prefer connecting onwards to somewhere interesting 😉

Huh. What a plot twist

@Andreas
I found there was more than enough to keep me happy for a long weekend in Doha -- the National Museum is extraordinary (and wonderful architecture), the Museum of Islamic Art has breathtaking exhibits in a delightful building (with a really nice restaurant!), outside the city there are desert safaris that can be more or less fairground-ride to taste, there's even a bit of falconry, plus assorted smaller / more specialist museums and galleries. But I'd concede it's not a place for wandering city streets in the height of summer when the temperatures are wild (except for that extrarodinary new up-market shopping district where they have built air conditioning ducts into the sidewalks, cooling wafts of air breezing up from underneath you in a way that irresistibly reminds you of Marilyn Monroe.

a) Noone is going to choose AC over QR (in Y or J) - you'd be insane. Fact that AC will steal your money just adds to it. But alas, the subsidy AC keeps receiving in the form of protectionism keeps QR out of YYZ.

b) What they do with DXB I suspect will be done with DOH - 99% transit pax to AI/PK/BG/UL - There is enough demand to secondary cities in those countries to connect to the longhaul AC flights. Almost all AC pax at DXB connect to those secondary airlines there.

c) Maybe AC was told, start DOH, and we have to let QR in. That would be enough to poop their pants, because that would take away all their India traffic (direct and via FRA) going back to a) Who would ever choose AC over QR?????

Are women still subject to vaginal inspections in Doha airport whenever a newborn is found in the bathrooms?

It's not a coincidence that QR's recent SFO announcement and now this Air Canada connectivity came in the wake of work visa changes in the US that explicitly require workers to be paid above locals' wages to ensure an import focused on caliber rather than on cost - there will be less passengers flying to and from the subcontinent, while the ones flying will instead be higher value.

Canadian policy will inevitably follow the U.S. and break away from the "efficiency first" model toward balancing all stakeholders, which inevitably means active trade policy, which inevitably means scrutinizing state-sponsored companies like QR.

@ADP
"scrutinizing state-sponsored companies like QR."

And, presumably, state-sponsored companies like Boeing, the US Big 3 airlines, and pretty much every other major US corporation that's just shoved their hands in the tax-payers' pockets to get as much socialist money as they can...?

Or should that scrutiny only apply to damn commie furrin companies?

@ADP... there is probably not an airline that's more state sponsored than AC

*protectionist subsidy not allowing ME3 to destroy them internationally.

*no laws for refunds allowing AC to steal billions $ in camcelled flights

*free handouts in 2008/09

*government worker contracts

@The nice Paul, @Cara - I don't doubt the value of what both of you are saying; I'm just highlighting the reality that people are interested in flying to Canada and North America rather than to Qatar or the Middle East in general - which means that Canada and the U.S. are the ones with the power in this transit relationship.

Now is the time for Boeing and Airbus to leverage the ME airlines' reliance on Open Skies to make them eat on-time plane deliveries en masse. Who will they turn to in response in the future - China's COMAC? Russia's UAC?

Qatar did operate some flights to Vancouver in the early summer. And they were publicly thanked by the Prime Minister for the repatriations.

I avoid AC and only fly them when there are no other options.

From Toronto to Doha one is better off flying to YUL and taking QR from there.

Doha is not too exciting but having spent a few days there with the family some years ago the souk is ok and the dune bashing was great and beach was nice.

Could it be because of the World Cup Football in 2022? Maybe Air Canada is prepping for the North American routes to Doha (besides QA).

Great timing AC!

Great news, always wanted to Travel to Doha n onwards to Pakistan.
Thx Air Canada

News for sure, but completely bad news in my opinion, as there is absolutely no way I would ever fly to Doha with AC, whether connecting, or Doha being my final destination. Air Canada...what an absolutely terrible company and airline.

Unfortunately, for folks with tight budgets, who can't simply position out of YUL for a QR flight, they'll have to put up with god-awful AC.

I pray one day QR gets this YYZ-DOH route.

Considering what recently to several female passengers en route to Sydney, NSW, Australia, I am very sceptical about the security at Doha.
These passengers were subjected to very personal medical exams without consent because a newborn baby was discovered abandoned in the airport restroom.

Welcome Aboard Air Canada to doha, make it daily service from three days a week.

@bingo
it's still significantly cheaper to fly from YYZ-BOS-DOH in economy, and YYZ-YUL-DOH for business-- not sure why this route really exists at this price

Qatar Airways is a government run and subsidized airline much like Emirates. Air Canada is a publicly traded Airline Stoc. I personally feel very safe and in most cases well looked after when I board an Air Canada flight. Human Rights are likely non existent for the employees of Qatar Airlines. Whilst Air Canada Staff are unionized and have rights as human beings. Again I’ll fly Air Canada anytime.

Congratulations Air Canada on the DOH route. Give it a go. Look after your Customers and look toward success with both passengers and cargo. If things don’t pan out, you can always move on to bigger and better things.
Airlines of a Foreign Country should not have cCart Blanche In Canada and vs a versa. Some of those on this web site don’t see that until it affects their jobs or the jobs of their families in Canada . Again selfishness comes into play when I hear cheap cheap fares at the cost of airline staff, or to the The airline that is not protected by the deep pockets of a state owned airline.

@Benjamin Ross,
Unless you have NEVER bought a foreign product because it cost less than a Canadian product, your argument rings hollow!

@Bruce- exactly bad timing to be reading anything about Qatar and it’s actions to all of those female passengers - inexcusable - I hope they form a class action law suit - I love the airline but suddenly it’s soured

Did a few price comparisons in economy and business class:

DOH-YYZ-DOH 18 December to 2 January

Air Canada
Economy: 1732 CAD
Business: 5741 CAD

Qatar Airways
Economy: 3257 CAD
Business: 13184 CAD

DOH-YUL-DOH. 21 June to 23 August

Air Canada
Economy 1585 CAD
Business 5755 CAD

Qatar Airways
Economy 2653
Business 9290

@NL Expat
i guess in peak season AC is cheaper, but from jan-may (when i'm planning to fly) flying QR (YYZ-BOS-DOH-LHE) is $870 round trip vs paying $1100 to fly AC (YYZ-DOH-LHE)

Well much more interesting now with today's codeshare announcement

demon time