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Doha airport creates no-queue solutionPremium class passengers to get special treatmentBy Julie Clothier for CNN  One in six business travelers won't fly because of the queues associated with airports. QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Few would disagree that airports and queuing now go hand in hand, with passengers facing long lines for security checks even if they are flying in business class. Qatar Airways has come up with a way of reducing these lines, by creating a terminal just for business and first class passengers at Doha International Airport, which will open at the end of June. Airline CEO Akbar Al Baker said: "The new terminal for premium passengers will be a big boost for Qatar Airways. It is the first of its kind, not only in the Middle East, but anywhere in the world." Al Baker said the idea was to process passengers through immigration and security as quick as possible and to provide relaxing pre-boarding facilities and services, including separate duty free shops, showers and a spa area. "For business travelers, we will have a conference room and meeting rooms together with secretarial services, as well as free access to Internet stations within the terminal," he said. According to a survey of business travelers by marketing agency YPBR, four in 10 (or 37 percent) said new airport security measures make business travel a big hassle. One in six said they flew less for work because of this. And more and more business travelers are opting for low-cost airlines, most of which have only economy class seats. According to the Barclaycard Business Travel Survey, 30 percent of work-related flights taken by British business people are now with budget carriers. Qatar Airways is hoping to lure some of those back to business class by giving passengers special treatment and cutting out the hassles of long lines. A new Doha International Airport is due to open at the beginning of 2009. The new premium class terminal is part of a $200 million upgrade to the existing airport, where the arrival and departure halls are being expanded to cope with the increasing number of passengers. Doha is also host to the Asian Games in December, which is expected to attract an influx of visitors. Qatar Airlines spokesman Nawaf Al-Tamimi told CNN the carrier decided to build the new terminal to reduce congestion for higher-paying passengers, which would also ease the pressure on facilities used by economy class passengers. "We are expecting a lot of VIPs during the Asian Games," he said. "The idea was to invest in a space for business and first class passengers to give them special treatment and help save them time, to make checking in easier." Other services at the new terminal included extra car parking facilities and more drop-off bays to reduce traffic congestion. He said if the idea was a success, the airline would look to creating something similar in the new Doha airport. Malcolm Ginsberg, frequent traveler and editor of Air & Business Travel News, welcomed the new terminal. He said airlines were aware of the extra time and patience needed for security checks, but because most airports were built before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, they had little room to accommodate the checks. He said queuing in cramped spaces was unpleasant, and he had been in "fast track" queues for business class passengers at some airports that were longer than those used by economy class passengers. "The main thing for a business traveler is to make life as easy as possible," he said. "The problem is that airports that were designed more than five years ago, they just don't have the space for their security operations." He said other measures airlines could take to make the life of business travelers easier were improved on-the-ground services. Indian carrier Jet Airways and Bahrain-based Gulf Air both offered good transfer services for passengers once they landed, Ginsberg said. 
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