fly747first

Hey guys, I don't know if my QR expectations have been too high, but quite frankly, QR has disappointed me every single time and I just don't see its 5-star status anywhere. I will provide several examples from different classes-of-service below:

CDG-DOH, A340-600
FIRST

No F pajamas and I was given one from J class without any apology. Average quality of meals. Extremely forgetful F cabin crew characterized by perfunctory service. QR F hard product is nothing impressive, and how Skytrax consistently ranks it higher than EK F (a true Suite product) is questionable to say the least.

MAD-DOH-MAD, B777-300
BUSINESS

Mediocre crews both ways, not a single one was particularly friendly or willing to go the extra mile to maximize passengers' comfort throughout the flight. In both directions, they disappeared after the main meal service and didn't bother to check on passengers in-between meals. The outbound crew was quite loud making jokes in the galley by doors 2L/2R.

CMB-DOH, A321-200
ECONOMY

For this five-hour flight, QR assigned 7 cabin crew members. Despite the unusually high number of cabin crews available on such narrowbody flight, they took nearly two hours to serve a simple breakfast. One of the FAs was on her very first flight after training and she was the only one who seemed sincere and eager to help. After the meal service, the crew disappeared and no secondary beverage or snack service was provided. I asked for a Coke near the middle of the flight and half an hour later, I was given a small cup containing very hot Coke and when I politely asked the FA who had delivered it for ice, she gave me a rather unpleasant response: "Well, I can't know sir, you didn't ask for ice before and you will have to wait until I go back to the galley." I was speechless that such words had been spoken by a front-line employee of a carrier that calls itself the world's 5-star airline (right, maybe in a world without Asiana, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysia, and Singapore).

DOH-DXB, B777-300
ECONOMY

I give credit to QR for trying to serve a snack on such a short flight, but the empanada-like pastry I was given contained some horrid meat inside and the cookies were as hard as rocks. The flight was extremely empty and I was seated in an exit row right in front of an FA. When I attempted to engage in conversation, the FA at first gave me an odd look as if she were doing me a favor, but she later warmed up and complained that she was very stressed because some of her fellow FAs were very confrontational and had engaged in a fight before passengers boarded. Again, I was shocked and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Verdict
Overall, based on my experiences to date with QR in its three classes-of-service, I feel that QR's real slogan is World's 5-star Lie, as I am yet to see evidence of a true 5-star airline.

Have I set my expectations too high or have my fellow flyers experienced similar things? Please share.

impeymac

It sounds like you've received a below par experience & I'm sure that you'll find others who will agree with you, probably with good cause.

However, I'm equally sure that a large majority of QR passengers have a great experience a large majority of the time. This isn't based just on this forum but from sources all over t'interweb. QR have a first class reputation & it isn't because they treat the majority of their passengers like rubbish. QR ground services on the other hand... Let's be neutral & say they're no worse than the other Middle East carriers (i.e. not very good). However, on the one occasion I've had cause to ask for help they were superb, I guess I'm one of the few satisfied customers for QR ground handling!

Personally (you asked to share other's experiences), after flying QR for 8 years in both Business & Economy, I've always found them to be excellent. The Business class 777 flights I've taken are something else, always a pleasure & never a grind. I find the Premium Terminal to be variable; excellent when passenger loads are light but can be a pain at peak times (The QR lounge at LHR is a cut above, a more elegant experience than something like the VS Clubhouse IMO - different styles for different people).

Even the best airline isn't perfect & I'm sure even the much vaunted Singapore Airlines have their unhappy passengers. You have my sympathies for your sub standard experience but the evidence shows QR to be a very good airline. Branding them the "world's 5-star lie" does you no favours.

fly747first

Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you have had significantly better experiences than me. To be honest, I don't plan on flying QR again unless it is on a route where I can't choose EK, EY, or SQ and it would come down to either choosing QR or a terrible airline like KU or MS (though the latter is trying hard to improve). I'm a huge fan of the EK A380 F product and the EY F Suites which provide unparalleled levels of privacy and comfort, even more than the SQ A380 Suites, though of course SQ wins in service almost every time.