Qatar Airways

Qatar, Russia Chosen To Host Future World Cup Events

Prince William and David Beckham weren't enough to persuade the FIFA executive committee to select England as the host of the World Cup. That honor will go to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. The choice of Qatar surprised many. The tiny nation is smaller than most U.S. states and often has temperatures that jump over 100 degrees. But as we first reported back in 2008, the nation has already been hard at work on open-air, air-conditioned stadium plans. Qatar's presentation focused on how the tournament would be a unifying force in the region. "Thank you for believing in change, thank you for believing in expanding the game, thank you for giving Qatar a chance," said Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar's bid chairman. "We will not let you down. You will be proud of us, you will be proud of the Middle East and I promise you this." The picture above shows FIFA President Joseph Blatter with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Russia was announced as host of the 2018 tournament over England and joint bids by Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium. It was a big blow for England's fierce soccer fans whose country has not hosted the World Cup since winning it for the only time in 1966. Former President Bill Clinton was on hand to plead the case for choosing the U.S. as a destination. Brazil will be the host of the 2014 World Cup. The World Cup was played in the United States for the first time in 1994 but will have to wait until at least 2026. By choosing Qatar, FIFA also excluded a 2026 bid from China because the same continent cannot host consecutive World Cups. Earlier this year it was reported that the World Cup in South Africa helped FIFA's revenues pass the billion dollar mark for the first time.

Tags: fitness, Qatar Airways, russian red, worldofwarcraft

The Best First Class Meals for When You Fly

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wings

There are many people in the world who fly frequently and as such are often subject to airline food, despite it's nasty reputation of being nothing but reheated cardboard. Some airlines, however, are seeking to change that in a major way for their first class passengers -- even to the extent for some of having a chef on board (Gulf Airlines) and serving exotic gourmet dishes.

Among others Singapore Airlines offers a choice of Dom Perignon or Krug champagne, several airlines serve caviar as appetizer, and Malaysia Airlines serves their meals on fine china. Would you (or do you) choose your airline based on the first class meal options?

Source

Tags: airline, airlines, cathay pacific, CathayPacific, caviar, chef, chefs, dining, dom perignon, DomPerignon, first class, FirstClass, food, gourmet, gulf air, GulfAir, jet airways, JetAirways, Korean Air, KoreanAir, krug, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, MalaysiaAirlines, Qantas Airlines, QantasAirlines, Qatar Airways, QatarAirways, singapore airlines, SingaporeAirlines, Swiss

Qatar Airways Opens Luxury Terminal

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

At the end of November, Qatar Airways opened its brand new luxury air terminal at the Doha International Airport in Qatar. The terminal, which serves only first and business class passengers, is over 10,000 sq. meters and will handle as many as 800 passengers per hour, passengers who will have to opportunity to enjoy spa treatments, Jacuzzis and saunas, as well as "exclusive check-in areas, duty free [shops], conference rooms, a nursery [and] a clinic." The terminal is only scheduled to be in operation until 2009, when a large portion of the Doha Airport will be reopened after extensive remodeling. "In the new international airport, we will have first-class facilities, so this structure will not be necessary anymore," said a spokesman. Until then, however, it will definitely be a big selling point for the airline.