Rambuster
Jul 28, 06, 3:21 pm
Trip report Qatar Airways
FRA-DOH, QR026 Business Class
This is the first time I have tried Qatar Airways and I have decided to write a little trip report about the experience.
1.) Check-in
Check-in in FRA is located in Hall B. QR has 2 business class counters for check-in. The process was smooth with no waiting time. I checked my bags which were labeled with a business class tag and I also received a cabin baggage tag.
I credited the miles for this flight to my BMI account after thinking about where to credit the miles for quite some time. I basically had three options: LH Miles & More, BMI or the QR Privilege Club.
With LH I would have received 200% award miles for the J class ticket with no executive bonus nor status miles, with BMI 200% destination miles plus 25% bonus considering my Gold status with BMI or alternatively 200% with QR.
I had previously joined the QR program as two return trips from FRA-DOH-HKG would have given me Gold status with QR, but I was not sure if I would be using them regularly. I therefore went with BMI.
2.) Lounge
QR used the LH Business Class lounge in FRA (opposite B47). Due to my LH SEN status I went to the LH SEN lounge instead. QR and LH code share on the flights to DOH.
3.) Boarding
Boarding was from gate B47. Unfortunately the plane was on a remote position so we had to "bus" it. We boarded the plane through the middle door and the flight attendant welcomed me and told me that she could unfortunately not show me to my seat personally due to being very busy. I settled down and a FA hanged my jacket for me and later offered me a selection of juice, water or champagne.
4.) The J seat experience
The business class seat on the A330-200 is configured in 2x2x2 with a total of 4 rows. The
seat reclines 160 degrees, which was better than I expected. I would compare the seat to Dragon Air’s J seat. It is in my opinion better than the CX J or LX J seat, but not as good as SQ’s Spacebed. LH new J is probably also better. My favorite is still the BA flat bed in J.
The QR seat does have a lack of personal storage space. There was no room for my glasses anywhere when I wanted to sleep. This is a design flaw other airlines have solved.
Overall rating: Not a bad product. I was reasonably happy. I managed to sleep for a couple of hours after the main meal (and drinks). The recline was sufficient to find a manageable sleeping position. The seat is also equipped with in-seat power which uses standard plugs.(no empower, etc required)
5.) AVOD ^
The AVOD system is great. Loads of movies and TV programs available on a large screen. I watched a couple of sitcoms with my own noise canceling headset. The headset provided was not noise canceling and quite uncomfortable.
6.) Food and service ^
We were served a 4 course meal complemented by a nice wine selection. Food and service were in line with my (high) expectations, although not as good as SQ or CX. No water bottles were provided but after I request more water I was given a 1,5 liter bottle.... ^
7.) Arrival and Transfer
We arrived at a remote position in DOH and were whisked away in a dedicated Business Class bus. All in all very speedy.
One lady was picked up at the airplane in a 7 series BMW. Don't know how to get this service, as there was no F class on our flight?
The transfer through security for my connecting HKG flight was very quick. No line whatsoever.
Made my way to the business class lounge.
8.) Business Class lounge in DOH :td:
This is however not that nice. Rather small with only one shower in the bathroom. Drinks selection is ok. The overall lounge impression is lackluster. The carpets are rather worn and some of the seat cushions need replacing. I guess this will all be addressed once the new First and Business terminal is operational.
Overall verdict: This is an excellent product, especially if you take the price into consideration: FRA-DOH-HKG return in J was “only “ EURO 2.190 ! :D
LH wanted EUR 3.600 for nonstop FRA-HKG , CX wanted EUR 3.100 nonstop (with an upgrade to F included) , BA € 3.100 via LHR.
Now I am waiting for my connection to HKG – which is delayed by 1 hour… :(
ADDED after my DOH-HKG flight: QR817
On the DOH-HKG segment QR used a different configuration of the A330 (-330 series ?). The seats had a better recline, in line with CX and new LH business class and close to the SQ seat. The AVOD screen was also much larger than on the FRA-DOH segment. I would even say that the screen was bigger than in SQ First class. :D
On this flight they handed out bottled water. (always helps after excessive wine consumption... :D )
Additionally they handed out a sleeping sweater which was quite comfortable and they also had very nice blankets. I managed to get about 7 hours sleep on the 8 hour segment.
The flight in business class was quite full and rather noisy. Most of the pax were Philipino (is that how you spell it?) women fleeing from Lebanon due to the war between Israel and Lebanon. I am not sure if they were upgraded or had to pay for the J class flight. They certainly weren't typical "business class" passengers - not meaning to sound arrogant. I hope they got upgraded and weren't forced into paying for J class just to get home and safe !!
The lady next to me didn't even have her passport, but only provision travel docs. The passport was destroyed when her building got blown up. Obviously luckally she was out of the house at that time !
All in all, QR can be highly recommended, especially considering the great price. I hope they expand their route network to Australia soon and join Star Alliance soon.
*A could do with another quality airline (and perhaps kick out one or two of the sub-standard airlines). US and UA spring to mind immediately... ;)
FRA-DOH, QR026 Business Class
This is the first time I have tried Qatar Airways and I have decided to write a little trip report about the experience.
1.) Check-in
Check-in in FRA is located in Hall B. QR has 2 business class counters for check-in. The process was smooth with no waiting time. I checked my bags which were labeled with a business class tag and I also received a cabin baggage tag.
I credited the miles for this flight to my BMI account after thinking about where to credit the miles for quite some time. I basically had three options: LH Miles & More, BMI or the QR Privilege Club.
With LH I would have received 200% award miles for the J class ticket with no executive bonus nor status miles, with BMI 200% destination miles plus 25% bonus considering my Gold status with BMI or alternatively 200% with QR.
I had previously joined the QR program as two return trips from FRA-DOH-HKG would have given me Gold status with QR, but I was not sure if I would be using them regularly. I therefore went with BMI.
2.) Lounge
QR used the LH Business Class lounge in FRA (opposite B47). Due to my LH SEN status I went to the LH SEN lounge instead. QR and LH code share on the flights to DOH.
3.) Boarding
Boarding was from gate B47. Unfortunately the plane was on a remote position so we had to "bus" it. We boarded the plane through the middle door and the flight attendant welcomed me and told me that she could unfortunately not show me to my seat personally due to being very busy. I settled down and a FA hanged my jacket for me and later offered me a selection of juice, water or champagne.
4.) The J seat experience
The business class seat on the A330-200 is configured in 2x2x2 with a total of 4 rows. The
seat reclines 160 degrees, which was better than I expected. I would compare the seat to Dragon Air’s J seat. It is in my opinion better than the CX J or LX J seat, but not as good as SQ’s Spacebed. LH new J is probably also better. My favorite is still the BA flat bed in J.
The QR seat does have a lack of personal storage space. There was no room for my glasses anywhere when I wanted to sleep. This is a design flaw other airlines have solved.
Overall rating: Not a bad product. I was reasonably happy. I managed to sleep for a couple of hours after the main meal (and drinks). The recline was sufficient to find a manageable sleeping position. The seat is also equipped with in-seat power which uses standard plugs.(no empower, etc required)
5.) AVOD ^
The AVOD system is great. Loads of movies and TV programs available on a large screen. I watched a couple of sitcoms with my own noise canceling headset. The headset provided was not noise canceling and quite uncomfortable.
6.) Food and service ^
We were served a 4 course meal complemented by a nice wine selection. Food and service were in line with my (high) expectations, although not as good as SQ or CX. No water bottles were provided but after I request more water I was given a 1,5 liter bottle.... ^
7.) Arrival and Transfer
We arrived at a remote position in DOH and were whisked away in a dedicated Business Class bus. All in all very speedy.
One lady was picked up at the airplane in a 7 series BMW. Don't know how to get this service, as there was no F class on our flight?
The transfer through security for my connecting HKG flight was very quick. No line whatsoever.
Made my way to the business class lounge.
8.) Business Class lounge in DOH :td:
This is however not that nice. Rather small with only one shower in the bathroom. Drinks selection is ok. The overall lounge impression is lackluster. The carpets are rather worn and some of the seat cushions need replacing. I guess this will all be addressed once the new First and Business terminal is operational.
Overall verdict: This is an excellent product, especially if you take the price into consideration: FRA-DOH-HKG return in J was “only “ EURO 2.190 ! :D
LH wanted EUR 3.600 for nonstop FRA-HKG , CX wanted EUR 3.100 nonstop (with an upgrade to F included) , BA € 3.100 via LHR.
Now I am waiting for my connection to HKG – which is delayed by 1 hour… :(
ADDED after my DOH-HKG flight: QR817
On the DOH-HKG segment QR used a different configuration of the A330 (-330 series ?). The seats had a better recline, in line with CX and new LH business class and close to the SQ seat. The AVOD screen was also much larger than on the FRA-DOH segment. I would even say that the screen was bigger than in SQ First class. :D
On this flight they handed out bottled water. (always helps after excessive wine consumption... :D )
Additionally they handed out a sleeping sweater which was quite comfortable and they also had very nice blankets. I managed to get about 7 hours sleep on the 8 hour segment.
The flight in business class was quite full and rather noisy. Most of the pax were Philipino (is that how you spell it?) women fleeing from Lebanon due to the war between Israel and Lebanon. I am not sure if they were upgraded or had to pay for the J class flight. They certainly weren't typical "business class" passengers - not meaning to sound arrogant. I hope they got upgraded and weren't forced into paying for J class just to get home and safe !!
The lady next to me didn't even have her passport, but only provision travel docs. The passport was destroyed when her building got blown up. Obviously luckally she was out of the house at that time !
All in all, QR can be highly recommended, especially considering the great price. I hope they expand their route network to Australia soon and join Star Alliance soon.
*A could do with another quality airline (and perhaps kick out one or two of the sub-standard airlines). US and UA spring to mind immediately... ;)