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Qatar Tribune
20-05-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
QNB unveils exclusive credit card in partnership with Harrods and Visa
Tribubne News Network Doha QNB Group, alongside Harrods,announced the official launch of the exclusive QNB Harrods Visa credit card. This collaboration is set to offer customers an unparalleled blend of luxury, convenience, and security, redefining the premium payment experience. The launch event, held at the Harrods Tea Room in Msheireb, Doha, brought together esteemed guests, including key influencers, media, and senior executives from QNB, Harrods, and Visa. The event featured speeches from Adel Ali Al-Malki, Senior Executive Vice President of QNB Group Retail Banking, Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Group Country Manager, GCC at Visa, and Mr. Alex Unitt, Partnerships Director at Harrods, highlighting the unique benefits and sophisticated features of the new co-branded Visa credit card. The QNB Harrods Visa credit card will be available to customers starting from early June, with the exact date to be announced closer to the time. The Visa Platinum and Visa Infinite QNB Harrods cobranded credit cards offer exceptional value, allowing cardholders to earn Harrods Points on every purchase. Additional exclusive benefits include access to luxury lifestyle privileges and comprehensive travel benefits, and primary cardholders receiving an automatic upgrade to Harrods Gold Tier membership with the Visa Platinum card, and Harrods Black Tier membership with the Visa Infinite card. The QNB Harrods Visa credit card also features advanced security measures and seamless digital management through the QNB Mobile App, ensuring a premium and secure payment experience. Adel Ali Al-Malki, Senior Executive Vice President of QNB Group Retail Banking remarked, 'The strategic alliance between QNB, Harrods, and Visa is a powerful testament to our commitment to providing our esteemed customers with the finest payment solutions. This collaboration underscores our dedication to enhancing the shopping and travel experiences for our valued cardholders, combining unparalleled luxury with the highest levels of security to ensure a safe, seamless, and rewarding payment experience.' Shashank Singh, Visa's VP and General Manager for Qatar and Kuwait, commented: 'Visa is excited to see the QNB Harrods Visa credit card officially live in Qatar. This premium card offers unmatched luxury and convenience, backed by Visa's advanced security and global acceptance at more than 150 million merchant partners. Cardholders will enjoy exclusive benefits and travel perks for a more rewarding payment experience. This partnership also supports the government's digital commerce agenda, and we're delighted to join QNB and Harrods in launching this exciting new product for consumers in Qatar.' Alex Unitt, Partnerships Director at Harrods said 'We are delighted to introduce the QNB Harrods Visa credit card – a key milestone in in our international engagement strategy, bringing the Harrods experience closer to our valued customers in Qatar. We are proud to collaborate with QNB on this exclusive partnership, an institution that so closely mirrors our commitment to excellence and personalized service. We look forward to offering our discerning clientele in this region a new, elevated way to engage with the world of Harrods.' The new credit card is set to become an essential lifestyle companion, offering unique privileges, exclusive rewards, and unparalleled convenience. Cardholders can look forward to an array of benefits, including access to exclusive events, luxury-shopping experiences, and premium travel perks. The card's advanced security features ensure that every transaction is safe and seamless, providing peace of mind for cardholders. This landmark collaboration promises to deliver an exceptional payment experience, combining the strengths of QNB's financial expertise, Harrods' luxury retail heritage, and Visa's cutting-edge payment technology. The QNB Harrods Visa credit card is more than just a payment product; it is a symbol of elegance, luxury, and unparalleled customer service.
Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Luxury at LAX? How Delta is going after the high-end market
Tucked away from heavy foot traffic and noisy crowds, the Delta One Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport offers a different kind of travel experience. Customers can enjoy hot towels, zero-gravity massage chairs and caviar-topped ice cream while waiting to board their flights. They also have access to private security lanes and baggage check, eliminating the need to wait in lines. The lounge opened in October and is part of Delta Airline's most premium offering, an airport and in-flight experience known as Delta One. Available on several international routes and from Los Angeles to New York and Boston, a Delta One ticket comes with exclusive lounge access, and while in flight, memory foam lay-flat seats and privacy doors (food and drinks in the lounge are included, except for a few premium beverages). 'Customers in general are moving towards premium in booking,' said Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Delta's managing director of onboard strategy and experience. 'The investment in Delta One attracts loyalty. We want to make sure that we are the brand that customers see as the premium airline.' As airlines look to capitalize on the return to travel after the pandemic emergency, Delta and other carriers are leaning into high-end amenities such as luxury lounges that offer fine dining and wellness areas. The goal is to give people more incentive to fly — and to boost profit margins that have been squeezed by higher fuel and labor costs. Luxury lounges such as Delta One are popping up at airports around the world, including at LAX, which is attempting to rebuild its image as a desirable travel hub. The British carrier Virgin Atlantic is opening a new clubhouse at LAX this month, available to customers who purchase a premium ticket or are part of the airline's Gold Tier loyalty program, according to a spokesperson. 'There's a lot of data crunching behind the scenes to make sure that this works,' said Alan Fyall, associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management. 'These offers are really important for their bottom line.' Delta reported a record operating profit of $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter, but, like other airlines, has faced economic headswinds more recently. Last week, Delta shares fell after the Atlanta-based airline cut its first-quarter profit estimates by half, citing uncertainty in the U.S. economy and the effect on travel. Delta's stock rose 4% on Wednesday to $47.75 a share, but has fallen 19% this year. Since 2017, Delta has invested $2.3 billion to redevelop Terminal 3 at LAX, including the construction of the 10,000-square-foot Delta One Lounge and 30,000-square-foot Delta Sky Club. Company executives did not disclose how much they spent developing the Delta One product, but said they plan to reinvest $5 billion in 2025 toward technology and facilities that support Delta One and other products worldwide. For Delta, the luxury offerings are a high-margin business, catering to wealthy individuals including athletes, celebrities and executives who might otherwise take a privately charted flight. A one-way Delta One ticket from LAX to JFK on March 21 costs between $2,500 and $3,000. Delta has offered four tiers of seating since 2015: Main Cabin, Delta Comfort Plus, First Class and Delta One. 'It may mystify some people, but there is such demand for these sorts of things,' Fyall said. 'People want the ease, they want the comfort and the luxury.' International airlines such as Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines have been offering luxury experiences for much longer, said Savanthi Syth, managing director of global airlines and advanced air mobility at financial services company Raymond James. Virgin Atlantic offers an 'upper class' product that includes an in-flight bar area, and Emirates' highest class boasts showers on board. Delta One and United's premium offering Polaris are signs that U.S. airlines are catching up with their own premium products, Syth said, which also reflects a growing demand. 'The trend that you've seen is people wanting to pay up for a better experience,' Syth said. 'You saw that pre-COVID in 2019, and it really strengthened post-COVID.' Like Delta One, United Polaris comes with an exclusive lounge and lay-flat seats, but does not include private security screening. A Polaris ticket includes priority boarding and baggage check, onboard amenities from Therabody and Saks Fifth Avenue and in-lounge shower suites, said United spokesperson Anoushah Rasta. At LAX in 2024, Delta was the No. 1 carrier in terms of passengers and revenue related operations. Delta's renovated Terminal 3 handles 161 daily flights to over 60 destinations, said Scott Santoro, vice president of Delta for Los Angeles and the airline's Sales-West operation. 'The premium Delta One experience and the guest hospitality that we offer drives people to travel,' Santoro said. Even budget airlines are attempting to cater to high-end preferences, including Spirit, which unveiled an in-flight first class option in August. But airlines across the spectrum of luxury can't forget about budget travelers, Fyall said. 'Part of the challenge is that you don't want to alienate everybody else in the cheaper seats,' he said. 'You want to offer the premium end but you don't want to rub it in people's faces.'
