Qatar Airways appoints PR Agency in Australia

12 Oct 09 (TravMedia.com): Qatar Airways, the award-winning Five-Star airline, has selected leading independent Australian firm Sefiani Communications Group as its public relations agency in Australia, following a competitive pitch process, ahead of the airline’s much-anticipated start of scheduled flights to Australia later this year.

The appointment comes as Qatar Airways prepares for its 6 December launch of non-stop direct services from Melbourne to the airline’s operational hub in Doha. From here, Australian travellers can connect to key destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

Sefiani will initially be assisting the airline in the inaugural activities surrounding its Melbourne launch. The airline will begin operating three flights per week from Melbourne to Doha, increasing to daily flights on New Year’s Day 2010. Shortly after, Qatar Airways will launch daily non-stop flights between Sydney and Doha, following government approval.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Commercial Marwan Koleilat said that the new routes were to form an important part of the airline’s expanding network. “Entering a new market is always an exciting time, and Qatar Airways has been eyeing the Australian market for a while. It’s now time to let the Australian public know that our livery will soon be a permanent fixture in their country.

“The addition of Sefiani in Australia will allow us to highlight our upcoming services and spread our success story even further.”

Qatar Airways Country Manager Australasia Brett McDougall said: “The Sefiani team impressed us with their in-depth knowledge of the aviation and tourism industries, their expertise in corporate and brand positioning, and the extent and quality of their media contacts network.”

Robyn Sefiani, Managing Director of Sefiani Communications Group, said: “We are thrilled to be working with one of the world’s fastest growing and most admired airlines. Being ranked five-star in every class, Qatar Airways has a great story to tell Australians.”

The Sefiani team includes Robyn Sefiani, Evan Petrelis and Robert Allan, as well as tourism specialist Jill Collins (Barking Owl Communications) and aviation expert Garry Saunders.

Qatar Airways Australian flights will be operated using brand new Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft in a two-class configuration, with 42 Business Class and 217 Economy Class seats. Business Class seats can convert into 180 degree flat beds and Economy Class seats are configured in a comfortable 3-3-3 arrangement.

Qatar Airways has won praise by the industry for its continued commitment to offering the travelling public unrivalled levels of in-flight service. Earlier this year, Qatar Airways scooped several accolades at the annual Skytrax passenger survey awards, including Best Economy Class in the world. In addition, Qatar Airways’ overall global ranking is fourth best in the world - the highest placing of any Middle East carrier.

The airline also announced recently that capacity on its Doha-Athens route, launched in June 2005 and currently being served daily, will rise over a five-month period beginning in October, with an eventual increase to double-daily services from March 2010. With a sizeable Greek community living and working in Australia, the additional Athens flights will help facilitate travel between the two countries, via Qatar.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 69 aircraft to 82 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America. The airline has outstanding orders for more than 220 aircraft worth over US$40 billion.