If you are attending a Qatar Airways open day or assessment day, you will be expected to know this airline. Recruiters ask. Candidates who cannot answer with any depth do not progress.
This cheat sheet covers everything you need: the key facts, the talking points, the product, and the airline’s loyalty programme, all updated for 2026. Learn the sections relevant to your stage, and go in prepared.
Key Facts
- Full name: Qatar Airways
- Founded: 1997 as an international carrier
- Home base: Hamad International Airport (DOH), Doha, Qatar
- Tagline: Going Places Together
- Logo: Features an Arabian Oryx, which is the national animal of Qatar
- Ownership: Fully owned by the Government of Qatar since 2013
- Parent company: Qatar Airways Group — which also includes Hamad International Airport (operated by MATAR), Qatar Airways Cargo (the world’s largest international cargo carrier), Qatar Executive (private aviation), Qatar Duty Free, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, Qatar Aviation Services, Al Maha Services, Discover Qatar, and Dhiafatina Hotels (six hotels across Edinburgh, London, Doha, Melbourne, and Switzerland)
- CEO: Mr. Hamad Ali Al-Khater (Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer)
- Employees: Over 50,000 across the Qatar Airways Group, representing more than 160 nationalities
- Fleet: 304 aircraft in total, including 10 A380s, 28 A350-1000s, 34 A350-900s, 57 Boeing 777-300ERs, 32 Boeing 787-8s, 27 Boeing 787-9s, 27 A320s, and 30 Boeing 777 freighters
- Destinations: Currently 114 passenger destinations, expanding to more than 150 from 16 June 2026
- Alliance: oneworld (the only Gulf carrier to be a member of a major airline alliance)
- Awards: Named World’s Best Airline for a record ninth time at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Also took World’s Best Business Class, Best Airline in the Middle East, and World’s Best Business Class Lounge.
- Star rating: Skytrax certified 5-Star airline
- Connectivity: Nearly 120 widebody aircraft now Starlink-equipped, offering faster-than-home Wi-Fi. Over 11 million passengers connected since October 2024.
Main Talking Points
These are the themes that define Qatar Airways. If you are asked why you want to work for the airline, or what you know about it, your answer should draw on at least two of these.
1. Consistent, record-breaking quality: Scooping up nine Skytrax ‘World’s Best Airline’ titles is no accident. Qatar Airways has built a reputation for genuinely excellent product and service quality across all cabins, not just at the premium end. Knowing this and being able to say what specifically you admire about the product is what separates a credible answer from a generic one.
2. The oneworld advantage: Qatar Airways is the only major Gulf carrier in a global airline alliance. oneworld membership means seamless connections with British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, and others, along with reciprocal benefits for frequent flyers across all member airlines. As a crew member, you will encounter oneworld passengers daily. Know what it means.
3. A truly global workforce: More than 160 nationalities work across the Qatar Airways Group. Doha operates as one of the world’s great connecting hubs, and crew work with colleagues and passengers from every corner of the world on every single flight. If cultural awareness and adaptability matter to you, this is the right environment.
4. World-leading product: Qsuite has won World’s Best Business Class for twelve consecutive years at Skytrax. The Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge at Hamad International has won World’s Best Business Class Lounge. Qatar’s product leadership is a genuine differentiator and one you should be able to speak to specifically.
5. Rapid, sustained growth: Qatar Airways went from a small regional carrier in 1994 to one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines in under three decades. The network currently stands at 114 destinations and is expanding to more than 150 from June 2026. The fleet of 304 aircraft continues to grow, and the airline continues to invest in its product and people.
Worth knowing: The Qatar Airways Group runs Oryx International School in Doha — exclusively for the children of Qatar Airways employees and approved subsidiaries. For crew members who relocate to Doha with a family, this is a meaningful practical benefit that many candidates are unaware of before joining.
History and Heritage
Qatar Airways began operations in 1993 as a small regional carrier serving a handful of destinations. In 1997, it was relaunched under a new vision to build a world-class international airline that competed at the very top of the industry.
That ambition defined the next three decades. By the early 2000s, Qatar was already expanding rapidly. In 2013, it joined the oneworld alliance, becoming the first and only Gulf carrier to do so. In 2017, it launched Qsuite — a business class product that redefined the market and blurred the distinction between First and Business Class.
The airline celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023 and in 2025 posted a post-tax profit of USD 1.94 billion — its strongest financial result to date.
Fleet
Qatar Airways operates 304 aircraft in total — a mix of widebody long-haul jets and single-aisle aircraft. The passenger fleet is primarily widebody.
- Airbus A350 (62 aircraft): The backbone of the modern Qatar fleet, split between 28 A350-1000s and 34 A350-900s. Qatar was the global launch customer for the A350 in 2014. All A350s carry Qsuite in Business Class.
- Boeing 777-300ER (57 aircraft): The workhorse of the long-haul fleet, operating routes across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner (59 aircraft): 27 Boeing 787-9s and 32 Boeing 787-8s. Used on medium and long-haul routes. Qatar is the first carrier globally to install Starlink on the 787-8.
- Airbus A380 (10 aircraft): Operating high-demand long-haul routes. Features the onboard Business Class lounge on the upper deck.
- Airbus A320 family (27 aircraft): Short and medium-haul flying within the region.
- Airbus A330 (17 aircraft): 11 A330-300s and 6 A330-200s, used on medium-haul routes.
The total fleet of 304 includes cargo freighters (30 Boeing 777Fs) and the Qatar Executive private jet fleet.
Insight: The question “why Qatar Airways specifically?” is one of the most common at open days and assessment days. Candidates who answer with “I want to travel the world” or “Qatar is an amazing airline” do not stand out.
Every candidate in the room will say something similar. What stands out is specificity: the Qsuite product, the oneworld membership, the multicultural crew environment, and the Skytrax record. Connect it to something genuine about what you want from the role, and you will be remembered.
Cabin Classes
Economy Class: Available on all aircraft. Passengers receive Qatar’s OryxOne in-flight entertainment system with thousands of channels, complimentary meals and bar service, and amenity kits on long-haul routes. The Economy product is consistently rated among the better offerings in its class, particularly for long-haul.
Business Class: Why Qatar Airways is known for offering a varied mix of Business Class products, Qsuite is the star of the fleet. Qsuite features fully enclosed private suites with sliding doors, lie-flat beds, large personal screens, and dine-on-demand service. On aircraft with the middle section configured as four adjoining suites, passengers travelling together can create a shared private space — a feature unique to Qatar.
First Class: Marketed on short-haul flights and available on long-haul flights on the Airbus A380.. Private suites, dedicated First Class lounge access at Hamad International, and the highest level of personalised service. Qatar has signalled it is reviewing its First Class offering as Qsuite continues to raise the bar for Business Class globally.
Privilege Club — What You Need to Know
Qatar’s frequent flyer programme is called Privilege Club. It uses Avios as its points currency, which is the same currency shared with British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, and Aer Lingus under the oneworld umbrella. Members can transfer Avios freely between all five programmes.
There are four membership tiers:
- Burgundy: Entry level. Priority standby, seat selection discount, family Avios pooling.
- Silver: Business Class check-in regardless of cabin, 25% tier bonus on flights, extra baggage allowance, lounge access in Doha.
- Gold: All Silver benefits plus priority boarding, additional baggage, lounge access at select airports worldwide.
- Platinum: Top tier. All Gold benefits plus two guest lounge access, confirmed seat guarantee on full flights, 60 Qcredits for upgrades and extras, Avios that never expire at this tier.
As cabin crew, you will be talking to Privilege Club members on every flight. Know the tier colours, know what each level entitles passengers to, and understand that Avios can be earned and spent across the whole oneworld family, not just on Qatar flights.
Charity and Community
Qatar Airways supports the Educate a Child programme, established by Qatar’s royal family, which works to reduce the number of children globally denied access to education. The airline promotes the programme through its in-flight magazines and entertainment system and has contributed millions of dollars to the initiative since partnering in 2013.
What Recruiters Are Looking For
The same principle applies here as with any airline cheat sheet: the goal is not to recite facts. It is to be able to speak about Qatar Airways naturally, specifically, and with genuine engagement.
At the open day and assessment day, you are being assessed on composure, communication, teamwork, and cultural awareness — but underpinning all of that is whether you actually know and care about the airline you are applying to join. Candidates who have done the research speak differently to those who have not.
Know the Qsuite. Know the Skytrax record. Know what oneworld means for passengers. Know that Privilege Club uses Avios. And have your own genuine answer to why Qatar, specifically, is where you want to build a career.
For everything you need on the open day and assessment day process itself, read our full guide: The Qatar Airways Cabin Crew Open Day and Assessment Day: What Really Happens in 2026
For CV preparation and recruitment resources:
