Qatar Airways picks up American's Philadelphia-Doha route

Qatar Airways is heading back to the city of brotherly love.

The Oneworld alliance carrier will begin daily service to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) from its base at Doha's Hamad International Airport (DOH) base on Aug. 1, Qatar Airways said Wednesday. The airline will fly an Airbus A350-900 featuring 36 lie-flat QSuite business class seats and high-speed Starlink inflight connectivity.

Qatar replaces partner American Airlines on the PHL-DOH route. American recently confirmed that it will not resume flights after suspending them in March following the outbreak of the Iran war.

The route's "return means so much more than just a flight — it restores a vital global connection for our region's businesses, leisure travelers, and families connecting with loved ones worldwide," Kate Sullivan, the chief commercial officer of PHL, wrote on LinkedIn.

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Qatar served PHL from 2013 until 2023 when it dropped flights in favor of ones operated by American, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

PHL is American's fifth-largest hub by flights — sixth by seats — and a key transatlantic gateway for the carrier.

The new route comes at a challenging time for Gulf carriers. The Iran war forced many airlines to suspend flights between the region and the rest of the world. While many flights have resumed, capacity remains restricted into the region.

Seats on Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar to the U.S. are down 8% in June compared to a year ago, Cirium schedules show. The largest drop is at Qatar where seats are down nearly 23% despite the airline having resumed flights to all 11 of its U.S. destinations.

Global airlines trade group IATA estimates passenger traffic through the Middle East will be down roughly 11% this year compared to 2025.

Qatar's return to PHL means members of American's AAdvantage loyalty program, Qatar's Privilege Club and all Oneworld member airline programs will be able to earn and redeem points on the route.

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