Qatar Air Business Class Review

[davidge]

Qatar Air CWL-BKK-LHR

I chose seats when booking but when I checked a week before my flight the second plane on the outward leg had been changed so I chose a new seat - though there were not many available. You can pre-select meals on flights from Doha (but not Cardiff) but I didn’t bother as the choice was no larger than when on the plane.

The drop-off area at Cardiff is in front of the Terminal about 50 yards away. The Qatar desks are just to the right as you enter. One person ahead of me in the Biz check in. Took about 10 minutes. You then go up one floor to Departures, either stairs or lifts.

There’s a public lounge and then Security is to the left. I was told I could use fast track at check in but couldn’t see any signs and it wasn’t very busy anyway. About 10 minutes again to get through.

You walk through some shops to get to the Departure lounge. The Executive lounge is to the far left of this. There’s a general Biz lounge which was quite busy and then a dedicated lounge for Qatar Biz passengers through glass doors at the back.

(View from lounge)

There’s a help yourself area with snacks, soft drinks, hot drinks, wine & spirits. Pretty basic really. The main lounge has a manned bar for beer etc and had soup as well as the snacks etc. There are 2 unisex toilets just off the Qatar lounge.

(Snacks/drinks area)

There are Boarding Calls in the lounge. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the lounge to the gate. There are steps. There is, obviously, a lift for wheelchairs etc but it wasn’t clear how to get to it - or even if it’s for public use.

Boarding was delayed slightly and we took off ten minutes late. Qatar use B787-8 on the CWL route so it’s 1-2-1 seating. I had a window seat which is angled slightly towards the side of the plane . No central luggage compartments so the cabin feels large and airy. We arrived on time in Doha.

Seat controls easy to use and a large clear IFE screen. I had trouble using the IFE but that could just be me. Both the main screen and handset are touch screens and you have to scroll down to see the choices. I couldn’t get the main screen to scroll much at all and the handset simply selected the first movie/music when I tried to scroll. I ended up watching 2 movies that began with ‘A’.

Seat was comfortable enough and there was some privacy. Ample leg room. They offer ‘dine on demand’ so you can choose anything from the menu at any time during the flight. They brought menus around before take off and then asked what you’d prefer once in the air. I decided to have the main meal an hour after take off and left any later choices (in the end I just had a cup of tea before landing). The food was well presented and very good. The service was excellent throughout - the cabin crew are obviously told to really try to look after their passengers. Toilets less cramped than on some planes. There was a help yourself area towards the back of the cabin with snacks, fruit & champagne. There was a reasonable wine list as well as beers and spirits.

(amuse bouche)

(tabouleh)

(pasta)

When we got to Doha we had to go down steps from the plane and were bussed to the Terminal. The advantage of this is we were dropped off right next to security (though I don’t like being bussed). Fast track security was empty and I was straight through. There are lifts just after security to take you up to the Business class lounge. This is very large with lots of open space, and even a large water feature. Trouble is there was nowhere to sit down. They seem to have gone for an ‘open concept’ with a lot of the area unused but forgot that the main purpose of a lounge is for passengers to relax! Lots of people were walking round and round in the vain hope of finding a seat. Another issue is they seem to have decided that signage would ruin the look of the lounge so finding where anything is (toilets etc) is a bit hit and miss. There are a few food stations scattered around the main lounge but I didn’t look to see what was available. There is a restaurant in the upstairs of the lounge and I finally managed to get a seat at a small table there. I didn’t really want to eat but at least I was sitting down. The restaurant is a buffet. Several different dishes in various places. There’s also a manned bar. 

There were lots of staff both in the Terminal to direct you where to go and in the lounge area. Far more than I’ve seen helping passengers in other airports.

I decided to go to the gate early, as I had no comfortable seat, and it was quite a trek to the gate. There are moving walkways some of the way but it is a very large terminal so expect to do a lot of walking. The gate was open early and there were plenty of seats there.

Boarding was late but we still landed on time as the flight was only 5 hours 30 minutes. It was a B777-300 on this leg. ‘Old fashioned’ 2-2-2 seating but very spacious. I couldn’t reach the screen in the back of the seat in front of me without getting up. I’d chosen a middle aisle seat and though there was someone sat next to me at least I didn’t have to clamber over him to get out. The seat was roomy and comfortable - though I found the edge of the footrest dug into my calves when I reclined. 

Again there was dine on demand. I had a salad and a glass of wine just after take off and a light breakfast an hour before landing. Everything fine again. Cabin crew went out their way to look after passengers.

On both flights toothbrushes/toothpaste and shaving kits were available in the toilets.

Overall, I was very impressed with Qatar’s business class product. Easily up with the best I’ve experienced in most aspects. One of my flights back is meant to be in Q-Suites so I’ll see what that’s like in 3 weeks. The only negative for me was the lack of seating in the lounge in Doha.

I’ll try to add something about the return legs when I get home as one is meant to be in Q Suites.

[nunchuck]

Looks great. ,  will be in cattle class. In a few hours.  Manchester -doha

wont do a review 

[Kandinski]

Excellent review and look forward to experience Qatar's BC coming Monday. Q-suites on 3 legs, unfortunately the old 2-2-2 config on the (red-eye) DOH-BKK leg.

BTW, did the pasta taste as good as it looks?

[davidge]

1 minute ago, Kandinski said:

Excellent review and look forward to experience Qatar's BC coming Monday. Q-suites on 3 legs, unfortunately the old 2-2-2 config on the (red-eye) DOH-BKK leg.

BTW, did the pasta taste as good as it looks?

The pasta was absolutely excellent.

[mercmanrob]

Love these reviews, very helpful, I’ll try and do a Eva review when I go soon. Can I ask how much? PM me if you’d rather not.

[davidge]

21 minutes ago, mercmanrob said:

Love these reviews, very helpful, I’ll try and do a Eva review when I go soon. Can I ask how much? PM me if you’d rather not.

This time was bloody expensive. Around £2400. I was absolutely fixed with dates, wanted to fly out of Cardiff but back into Heathrow, and booked in July - which is a bit late for decent Xmas fares.

Qatar are showing at about £1850 for June/July from/to CWL and about £2000 from/to LHR. I still can’t quite book my flights for then so I’m not sure yet who I’ll fly with.

[socrates]

@davidge

I must have gone to a different Business Lounge - there were literally a hundred empty seats and even seats on an Upper Level - and I found the toilets very easily ....

[cheetzie]

Qatar are up there with best for Business Class. 

[Queef_Sniffer]

1 hour ago, nunchuck said:

Looks great. ,  will be in cattle class. In a few hours.  Manchester -doha

wont do a review 

Pity, I was really looking forward to pictures of you sitting 10 to a row in a Boeing 777, with 29 inches of pitch, while eating frozen beef stew. 

 

All jokes aside, safe travels brother.  

[davidge]

13 minutes ago, socrates said:

@davidge

I must have gone to a different Business Lounge - there were literally a hundred empty seats and even seats on an Upper Level - and I found the toilets very easily ....

Same one. Must have been a very busy time when I was there. There were groups of people sending people out in pairs to try and find seats and grab them. Literally, not a single empty seat in the bottom level and I only got one upstairs as someone left and they cleared the table.

Edit: Doha time, I landed 0005 and my next flight was 0225.

[Pheat]

2 hours ago, nunchuck said:

Looks great. ,  will be in cattle class. In a few hours.  Manchester -doha

wont do a review 

Dress smarter and you will more than likely get upgraded to BC  555

[Somchai1]

@davidge nice review, will probably never fly out of Cardiff but great info nonetheless

[javasumatra]

3 hours ago, davidge said:

Same one. Must have been a very busy time when I was there. There were groups of people sending people out in pairs to try and find seats and grab them. Literally, not a single empty seat in the bottom level and I only got one upstairs as someone left and they cleared the table.

Edit: Doha time, I landed 0005 and my next flight was 0225.

I love Al Mourjan and like to sit at the bar upstairs.

I've flown biz on BA, Cathay, JAL, Qantas, AA, United, Etihad, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, China Southern and Qatar. Qatar absolutely blows them all away, They are simply fantastic and I haven't even flown QSuites. I would like to try biz on EVA, Singpore Airlines and ANA.

[davidge]

12 minutes ago, javasumatra said:

I love Al Mourjan and like to sit at the bar upstairs.

I've flown biz on BA, Cathay, JAL, Qantas, AA, United, Etihad, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, China Southern and Qatar. Qatar absolutely blows them all away, They are simply fantastic and I haven't even flown QSuites. I would like to try biz on EVA, Singpore Airlines and ANA.

I would prefer to fly Eva because they are direct but they’re always expensive on my dates now.

They are very good but Qatar beat them in terms of service etc.

[jimboh]

15 hours ago, davidge said:

They offer ‘dine on demand’ so you can choose anything from the menu at any time during the flight.

That's the way it should be, Turkish so piss me off, they always serve you meal straight after take off. And if you tell them to delay it, you get half arsed service.

[neilri2001]

The big three Middle Eastern airports are very busy around midnight as there are lots of planes taking off and landing. I struggled to get a seat when transiting with Emirates a couple of years back in a truly enormous lounge. The showers and toilets were well signposted but the queues were long and the hygiene standards questionable. I found the Gulf lounge in Bahrain far more civilized although it had to be said that the duty free shopping wasn't up to much

[REAR_ENTRY]

Got a free upgrade to business class about 3 years ago with Qatar on the Airbus A380. Was absolutely amazing as I've flown in cattle class all my life. Lie flat beds, big screens, comfortable blankets and unlimited drinks at the on board bar in the cabin. Was great to stretch the legs and walk up to the bar to order a cocktail. 

The only thing I didnt like about it was the food. Way too posh for me. Caviar, asparagus etc. I would just prefer a fry up or a normal stew and dumplings meal from back in cattle class 555

[davidge]

The Return Journey

(This is probably a little long. Apologies)

Check-in desks at BKK were in Row P but didn’t open until 3 hours before the flight. I was there early so had to hang around a while. Fast track security was very quick and I made my way down to the fairly new Qatar Premium Lounge which is next to gate D8. Greeted warmly at the entrance by 2 staff, one of whom checked me into the lounge then the second one took me in and showed me around. He then asked if I wanted a drink and served me at my seat. There are, I think, 3 sections of comfortable seating, 1 of more upright chairs and then a separate dining area at the end.

The various staff checked if I wanted drinks from time to time and brought them to me. The food on offer was a selection of cold starters, 2 soups, quiche, wedges, chicken sate and mini-burgers. There were a number of desserts and cheese & biscuits and a full bar service. It’s self-service from the buffet though the staff brought drinks to the tables. I think the intention is for people to eat in the dining area and then move to the comfortable seating but a couple of people chose to eat in the comfy area and the food was brought out to them. The toilets are through behind the dining area with 2 individual rooms in the gents. There was someone stationed permanently outside the toilets to greet people and to clean each cubicle after every use. I’d say this is as good as any other lounge I’ve been in in Suvarnabhumi. I believe access is restricted to First & Biz passengers and not FF Members. I had read there is a dress code and that people have been turned away wearing shorts but at least one bloke was wearing shorts when I was there. The flight left from gate D2 so at the far end of D Jetty. About a 15 minute walk from the lounge.

It was the same type of plane and seating as on the flight into BKK. It wasn’t full so I had no-one sitting next to me. Cabin crew were excellent again. Most people didn’t eat, they just slept (lucky them!) as departure was 0145. 

Warm nuts are served on each flight.

I had soup after taking off, tried and failed to get some sleep, and had just tea before landing.

We were half an hour late taking off and it was a longish flight time so we were late into Doha. We landed at a B gate and it was a trek to security. Moving walkways part of the way. Security was quite busy but it was only about 10 minutes to get through. It was another trek to the lounge. Down a level, across to the other side of the terminal and then back up. The lounge wasn’t as busy this time so there were seats. As I’d not really eaten on the plane I went up to the restaurant. There was a hot breakfast on the buffet - omelette, sausage, waffles, beans - but it was very poor. I ate little of it. I then went down to have a shower but the queues were so long that I gave up. I then sat in the restaurant at the end of the lower floor of the lounge and had a cup of tea. It was quiet and peaceful with waiter service. It may be a better option the next time I’m in Doha. A selection of sandwiches made to order and some salads. There is also a Quiet Area next to the showers so that’s another option. I’m still not a big fan of this lounge though. (It’s probably only fair to say that as I was in quite considerable pain by the time I got to the lounge so my opinion may have been affected somewhat)

The LHR flight left from Gate A2 which was 10 minutes or so from the lounge. Boarding was a little late and rather chaotic. Some views of Qatar after take off:

First impression of the Q-Suite on the A350-1000 was it was all a little cramped and not much storage. There’s a small padded ‘seat’ or large armrest next to the main seat that lifts up. I had to squash my shoes to fit in. It can also be raised during flight to act as an armrest. The storage in the middle seats looked a little bigger.

I also hadn’t realised I’d be facing backwards - I was in a window seat (3A). It was certainly private though. All the controls for seat, IFE, lights, air etc were within easy reach. The odd numbered window seats face backwards, the even numbered forwards. 

I found the seat to be comfortable. Even managed a little sleep. I don’t put the seat fully-flat but in recline my feet were touching the end of the leg space. The tray table sticks out from under the screen so I couldn’t raise my knees when in recline. I also had to be careful getting up as the overhead luggage compartments are low.

By closing the door you have a very private space and are unaware of other passengers. There’s definitely more room in the middle two seats than in the window ones. You have someone next to you but there’s a privacy screen. 

(the view with my door open and the one across the aisle closed)

(and with my door closed)

There are 2 toilets at each end of the cabin which is probably the minimum needed.

I managed to operate the IFE properly this time and there really is a very large selection of movies and a huge selection of music. It is a bit difficult scrolling through all the choices as there are so many and, especially in the case of the music, it really isn’t categorised very well.

Service was excellent once again as was the food.

I had the cold cuts after take off (including a teaspoonful of caviar) and the chicken ‘light dish’ before landing. 

Flight time was short so we ended up circling London for half an hour but still landed 20 minutes early. Qatar use Terminal 4. A bit of a walk to Immigration (as always at LHR) with no moving walkways. No queues at all at Immigration. Straight through an automatic gate. A little bit of a wait for the bags but I was in the taxi half an hour after landing.

I tried the WiFi on the 2 return flights. You get an hour free or it’s USD10 for the entire flight. I managed to send a couple of iMessages and do some basic browsing but wasn’t able to send a photo. After a short time I couldn’t even get a message through.

So overall I was very impressed by Qatar. The service and food is probably the best I’ve experienced on board with anyone. The seating varies greatly between flights so you need to check what equipment is likely to be used.

[james 71]

Davidge,have to congratulate you on a excellent review 

[socrates]

A mixture of pics  from my recent trip from LHR via Doha to BKK

BA First Class Lounge and Doha First Class Lounge (I asked if I could use it - as I hadn't tried it before) they allowed me in no problems - took a long shower and had a private treatment room to relax in

 

[Shaksey]

Great review and pics, thanks! 

I'll add that from my experience you can get in the BKK Q Lounge through your 1W FF membership, at least I can with BA GGL although they have every time taken my boarding pass to Xerox and taken pic's of my BA GGL card which is very unusual so probably YMMV. I'm always dressed like a tramp as well, lol. 

However....I believe that the entrance policy should indeed be the same as at the LHR T4 Q Lounge and the Hamad airport lounges so it might just be a case of Thai staff not wanting to cause someone to lose face or any sort of scene etc.

It's definitely imo the best lounge in BKK as of now, the only previous better one being the old BA First lounge which is now the rather poor Cathay Lounge.

The cakes and patisseries at BKK were bloody lovely.

I don't rate the Q-Suite either, the new BA Club Suite is better...and it will fit and is being fitted in every equipment type, which Qatar can't do with theirs.