QR 2017 Global Sale Adventure
May 22, 2017, 8:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: EXPLT
Posts: 142
QR 2017 Global Sale Adventure
QR 2017 Global Sale Adventure
I wanted to pass along my business class experiences (first time) resulting from the JAN 2017 Global Sales event. These flights, taken in April and May, were also a huge boost to my AA account.
A big time thank you to QR moderator msm2000uk..I really appreciate all of your time and effort you put into all of the information you so unselfishly post in such a timely manner. The heads-up about the January sale was most valuable. remdk—my thanks to you as well for your time and efforts. The information contained on the QR flyertalk forum has something for everyone. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post everything…past, present, and future.
Flights and preferred seats
CDG-AKL-CDG
BKK-LAX-BKK
CDG-BKK-DFW
A380, B777-300, B777LR
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the flights. Every flight was on time—remarkable really. The cabin crew, the ambiance, the food and beverage choice, just all memorable experiences. The only issues were wth the headsets..there were some flights where the F/A had to find 5 headsets until we found one that worked. On some, the battery died for the noise cancelling, others, the plug was so loose it wudnt stay connected. And I guess a side effect of so many long flights in close proximity was the movie selection didn’t change much over the course of the 6 weeks of these flights.
As many others have mentioned, I too prefer the current B777 J seats..some flights I was with my spouse, others just solo. The A380 experience of course is one of a kind…, upper deck seating and lounge on board, single window seating…but I found the A380 (and A350 fm last year) seats to be a bit tight. I am 6’5”, and while I also cannot lay straight even on the B777 seat in sleep mode, the B777 seating offer just so much space and room..plus I really enjoy the more distant TV screens. For the B777, I always prefer the last row of J (window seats if two of us, last row middle seats if solo).
At times, the cabin did get excessively warm, ala Japan Airlines…but a quick work with the staff, and it was fixed.
I generally dress very comfortably, so I did not opt for the pajamas offered, nor found much personal use to the amenities kit, except for the eye shades. But all of those are a great touch, as is the bedding offered on the longer flights. The F/A’s offered immediately to make the B777 beds for all who needed it..which of course is great to see.
The flight attendant crews—all good experiences. In reading some of the posts about “male vs female F/A’s”..I can see some of the points raised. As always, some work harder than others, as there were some instances other pax rang and rang the call chime until a F/A appeared. But the “dine on demand” Qatar Air has --- second to none!! You can eat anything anytime..I truly find that to be a big time positive. I enjoy meeting the F/A’s of such diverse backgrounds, and of course, each F/A and supervisor greets you by name. The soups are really really good. There were some pretty long flights, and most were pretty full (except DOH-AKL) so hats off to all crews on these marathon flights. In general, I am not very demanding, outside of my main meals. I don’t mind to get up and take a walk to request a tea/coffee, etc. So service that is rite there at all times is not generally a huge priority for me.
Feedback from the DOH-AKL-DOH is here:
DOH – LAX took a wonderful route to the northeast, over NE Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, central Kazakhstan, then central Russia, flying over Salekhard, before exiting Russia at waypoint ABERIi..then coming south over Yellowknife and Edmonton Canada, over SLC and Vega$. Air time was 15:15.I wish I had the window seat, as the far northern parts of Russia are a rare and unique sight.
LAX – DOH, DOH – AKL, and BKK – DOH were all remote parking, taking a bus to/from the aircraft. As two of these flights are among the longest in the network, I was a little surprised. But I love airplanes, as my career is with airline flight operations network control.
Airport Lounges and Airport Experiences
I prefer not to drink before or during flights, and I also prefer to eat my heart out on board, so I really do not eat or drink much on any lounge, in general. I always try to take advantage of a shower for any transits. But I always enjoy to experience especially new lounges.
CDG
By far, I enjoyed the new CDG lounge the most. It’s bright, not too big, has excellent showers with plenty of ventilation and a variety of places to sit and relax, and the food and beverage selection was top notch. I read previously some comments on the fact that the main food dishes are not self service, but with the attendant right there, I didn’t mind a bit. While it is outside of security/x-ray, the priority lane pass made getting to the gate a breeze.
DOH
Well, I am not adding anything new that has not already been said, the Al Mourjan Business Lounge is big, but I have found my place to sit. The only time I had to wait (about an hour) for a shower was btwn 4AM-8AM). I too much prefer the showers adjacent to the “quiet room” area behind the cafeteria. But I think the secret its now out as it seemed quite crowded. For BKK-LAX, I arrived DOH at 2300, and LAX flight left at 0730. I explored the makeshift “bed seating” in the areas behind the business center, and also in the area to the right of the entrance..but I much preferred the couches and more private cubicle areas in the quiet room (adjacent to the showers). The Airport Hotel was asking for $350, so staying there for the longer layover did not seem worth that cost. I am glad to find that quiet area, and was glad there was a cubicle available!!
I got many a laugh at the “lounge dragon” comments from past posts..so so true!!
The lack of ventilation in the showers has to be addressed. In 6 transits/showers, I perspired quite a bit after each shower. I am by no means an architect, but not having any sort of ventilation seems odd. Obviously, physical modifications would be needed to add any sort of vents and fans, and all of the walls in the showers have no holes or spaces. I don’t mind the smaller space of the shower, and the toilet is a good place to put any sort of bag or small roller, or to sit to put shoes / socks on, etc. But it can be a little rough, expecting to be dry and clean after the shower, only to perspire more than you would expect.
When transiting btwn flights at DOH, the rescreening security process can be rough, and disorganized at best when it’s busy. Although there is a dedicated J class lane, there really lacked any oversight and organization. On one flight, we actually exited rite into the terminal, so that was a nice change.
Checking in for the LAX and DFW flights at DOH were time consuming. And I am not talking about wrapping up the laptops, etc..Obviously the extra security and processes for the US flights explains it all, but it didn’t matter which class you were in…again, no organization and everyone just got into every line. I was “SSSS” for one flight, and the total disorganization for that was amazing. You basically stand on the side and wait, as you watch countless other passengers go thru the security. There is no rhyme or reason why you are waiting, and upon asking the agent, the reply is “I am waiting to be told you can go through and go thru the extra SSSS screening process”. The SSSS is just a part of flying and security, and no problems there..but you are told nothing as you just stand there and watch everyone else pass by. But nothing is said to you as you watch and wait…and when you do go, you go thru the xray the same as all others. On the other side, you are screened on the side, but why u need to wait was what I didn’t get. The wait was also after the SSSS in front is us had already left and the SSSS screening agents were just sitting around and laughing. I chatted with one of the security managers afterwards and simply requested that the SSSS passengers be told up front to be expected to wait, rather than just stand there. I carried on board a phone, IPod, and Bose noise cancelling QC 20I ear buds---all were inspected, but not a problem bring them on board
LAX
The OW lounge in the TBIT used by CX/BA (located on floor up) was pretty good, but was very busy when I visited. But a very good selection of food and a pretty cool looking bar. But with the LA – DOH marathon flight ahead, I really just poked inside. The wait at security was a breeze, as there is a dedicated business class lane.
BKK
As I read in previous posts, the TG lounges in BKK have their ups and downs..I found them too warm, furniture too old, and somewhat cramped. The food selections were OK, but again, I opt to eat the good food choices on board. The JAL or CX lounges may have been available for use, but I opted for the TG lounge.
In BKK – whether arriving or departing, and you are given the “PRIORITY LANE” card, be sure to go to the proper PRIORITY LANE entrances. I did not find the entrances very well labeled, although there is a map on the back of the card. Especially arriving BKK, the tricky location of that can be missed..be sure to make good use of it, as queues in my experiences in BKK at anytime in the normal immigration lanes can be brutally long. I read some posts where some have “held on” to their PRIORITY LANE cards to use at another time if the lines at the standard lanes were not long. All of my PRIORITY LANE cards given to me were dated for that day, so at least mine could only be used that day.
I am sure there were some fellow FT'ers on at least one of these flights. Again, thanks to everyone for making the info on this forum so valuable and fun to read.
I wanted to pass along my business class experiences (first time) resulting from the JAN 2017 Global Sales event. These flights, taken in April and May, were also a huge boost to my AA account.
A big time thank you to QR moderator msm2000uk..I really appreciate all of your time and effort you put into all of the information you so unselfishly post in such a timely manner. The heads-up about the January sale was most valuable. remdk—my thanks to you as well for your time and efforts. The information contained on the QR flyertalk forum has something for everyone. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post everything…past, present, and future.
Flights and preferred seats
CDG-AKL-CDG
BKK-LAX-BKK
CDG-BKK-DFW
A380, B777-300, B777LR
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the flights. Every flight was on time—remarkable really. The cabin crew, the ambiance, the food and beverage choice, just all memorable experiences. The only issues were wth the headsets..there were some flights where the F/A had to find 5 headsets until we found one that worked. On some, the battery died for the noise cancelling, others, the plug was so loose it wudnt stay connected. And I guess a side effect of so many long flights in close proximity was the movie selection didn’t change much over the course of the 6 weeks of these flights.
As many others have mentioned, I too prefer the current B777 J seats..some flights I was with my spouse, others just solo. The A380 experience of course is one of a kind…, upper deck seating and lounge on board, single window seating…but I found the A380 (and A350 fm last year) seats to be a bit tight. I am 6’5”, and while I also cannot lay straight even on the B777 seat in sleep mode, the B777 seating offer just so much space and room..plus I really enjoy the more distant TV screens. For the B777, I always prefer the last row of J (window seats if two of us, last row middle seats if solo).
At times, the cabin did get excessively warm, ala Japan Airlines…but a quick work with the staff, and it was fixed.
I generally dress very comfortably, so I did not opt for the pajamas offered, nor found much personal use to the amenities kit, except for the eye shades. But all of those are a great touch, as is the bedding offered on the longer flights. The F/A’s offered immediately to make the B777 beds for all who needed it..which of course is great to see.
The flight attendant crews—all good experiences. In reading some of the posts about “male vs female F/A’s”..I can see some of the points raised. As always, some work harder than others, as there were some instances other pax rang and rang the call chime until a F/A appeared. But the “dine on demand” Qatar Air has --- second to none!! You can eat anything anytime..I truly find that to be a big time positive. I enjoy meeting the F/A’s of such diverse backgrounds, and of course, each F/A and supervisor greets you by name. The soups are really really good. There were some pretty long flights, and most were pretty full (except DOH-AKL) so hats off to all crews on these marathon flights. In general, I am not very demanding, outside of my main meals. I don’t mind to get up and take a walk to request a tea/coffee, etc. So service that is rite there at all times is not generally a huge priority for me.
Feedback from the DOH-AKL-DOH is here:
DOH – LAX took a wonderful route to the northeast, over NE Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, central Kazakhstan, then central Russia, flying over Salekhard, before exiting Russia at waypoint ABERIi..then coming south over Yellowknife and Edmonton Canada, over SLC and Vega$. Air time was 15:15.I wish I had the window seat, as the far northern parts of Russia are a rare and unique sight.
LAX – DOH, DOH – AKL, and BKK – DOH were all remote parking, taking a bus to/from the aircraft. As two of these flights are among the longest in the network, I was a little surprised. But I love airplanes, as my career is with airline flight operations network control.
Airport Lounges and Airport Experiences
I prefer not to drink before or during flights, and I also prefer to eat my heart out on board, so I really do not eat or drink much on any lounge, in general. I always try to take advantage of a shower for any transits. But I always enjoy to experience especially new lounges.
CDG
By far, I enjoyed the new CDG lounge the most. It’s bright, not too big, has excellent showers with plenty of ventilation and a variety of places to sit and relax, and the food and beverage selection was top notch. I read previously some comments on the fact that the main food dishes are not self service, but with the attendant right there, I didn’t mind a bit. While it is outside of security/x-ray, the priority lane pass made getting to the gate a breeze.
DOH
Well, I am not adding anything new that has not already been said, the Al Mourjan Business Lounge is big, but I have found my place to sit. The only time I had to wait (about an hour) for a shower was btwn 4AM-8AM). I too much prefer the showers adjacent to the “quiet room” area behind the cafeteria. But I think the secret its now out as it seemed quite crowded. For BKK-LAX, I arrived DOH at 2300, and LAX flight left at 0730. I explored the makeshift “bed seating” in the areas behind the business center, and also in the area to the right of the entrance..but I much preferred the couches and more private cubicle areas in the quiet room (adjacent to the showers). The Airport Hotel was asking for $350, so staying there for the longer layover did not seem worth that cost. I am glad to find that quiet area, and was glad there was a cubicle available!!
I got many a laugh at the “lounge dragon” comments from past posts..so so true!!
The lack of ventilation in the showers has to be addressed. In 6 transits/showers, I perspired quite a bit after each shower. I am by no means an architect, but not having any sort of ventilation seems odd. Obviously, physical modifications would be needed to add any sort of vents and fans, and all of the walls in the showers have no holes or spaces. I don’t mind the smaller space of the shower, and the toilet is a good place to put any sort of bag or small roller, or to sit to put shoes / socks on, etc. But it can be a little rough, expecting to be dry and clean after the shower, only to perspire more than you would expect.
When transiting btwn flights at DOH, the rescreening security process can be rough, and disorganized at best when it’s busy. Although there is a dedicated J class lane, there really lacked any oversight and organization. On one flight, we actually exited rite into the terminal, so that was a nice change.
Checking in for the LAX and DFW flights at DOH were time consuming. And I am not talking about wrapping up the laptops, etc..Obviously the extra security and processes for the US flights explains it all, but it didn’t matter which class you were in…again, no organization and everyone just got into every line. I was “SSSS” for one flight, and the total disorganization for that was amazing. You basically stand on the side and wait, as you watch countless other passengers go thru the security. There is no rhyme or reason why you are waiting, and upon asking the agent, the reply is “I am waiting to be told you can go through and go thru the extra SSSS screening process”. The SSSS is just a part of flying and security, and no problems there..but you are told nothing as you just stand there and watch everyone else pass by. But nothing is said to you as you watch and wait…and when you do go, you go thru the xray the same as all others. On the other side, you are screened on the side, but why u need to wait was what I didn’t get. The wait was also after the SSSS in front is us had already left and the SSSS screening agents were just sitting around and laughing. I chatted with one of the security managers afterwards and simply requested that the SSSS passengers be told up front to be expected to wait, rather than just stand there. I carried on board a phone, IPod, and Bose noise cancelling QC 20I ear buds---all were inspected, but not a problem bring them on board
LAX
The OW lounge in the TBIT used by CX/BA (located on floor up) was pretty good, but was very busy when I visited. But a very good selection of food and a pretty cool looking bar. But with the LA – DOH marathon flight ahead, I really just poked inside. The wait at security was a breeze, as there is a dedicated business class lane.
BKK
As I read in previous posts, the TG lounges in BKK have their ups and downs..I found them too warm, furniture too old, and somewhat cramped. The food selections were OK, but again, I opt to eat the good food choices on board. The JAL or CX lounges may have been available for use, but I opted for the TG lounge.
In BKK – whether arriving or departing, and you are given the “PRIORITY LANE” card, be sure to go to the proper PRIORITY LANE entrances. I did not find the entrances very well labeled, although there is a map on the back of the card. Especially arriving BKK, the tricky location of that can be missed..be sure to make good use of it, as queues in my experiences in BKK at anytime in the normal immigration lanes can be brutally long. I read some posts where some have “held on” to their PRIORITY LANE cards to use at another time if the lines at the standard lanes were not long. All of my PRIORITY LANE cards given to me were dated for that day, so at least mine could only be used that day.
I am sure there were some fellow FT'ers on at least one of these flights. Again, thanks to everyone for making the info on this forum so valuable and fun to read.
May 23, 2017, 4:22 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Silver, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Melia Gold, Shangri-La Jade, BA Amex PP, Iberia+, Nandos Card
Posts: 1,523
Thank you for sharing your experiences and glad it was enjoyable, there are indeed a number of saints on this forum who live to give!
May 23, 2017, 4:49 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tampa, FL
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Delta Platinum
Posts: 1,732
Thanks for the review. I'll be taking my wife on our adventure in July...IAH-DOH-SIN and back again. Can't believe the price we paid for J...basically the price of a coach ticket. Will see how our experience compares and will leave a review when we get back.
May 23, 2017, 8:20 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Udon Thani, Thailand
Programs: TK E,*G, A-Club G
Posts: 869
Balanced review, Thanks.
Will have to spend 4h at Al Mourjan this coming Saturday, I will try the showers behind the sandwich bar.
I will have 2 cabin bags, where exactly can I drop them? Locker room where are you? Somewhere near the entrance on top of the stairway?
(my 6 year young wanted a Kipling backpack and BRU customs will need to see it to get VAT back, it is an expensive backpack for a 6 year young girl....)
Flew BKK-BRU last month and had to go through transfer security (first time this happened ex BKK or BRU), not a nice experience.
Btw, I am always disoriented near the expensive yellow dog trying to find the stairway up to Al Mourjan, it is somewhere around there, turning turning...
Will have to spend 4h at Al Mourjan this coming Saturday, I will try the showers behind the sandwich bar.
I will have 2 cabin bags, where exactly can I drop them? Locker room where are you? Somewhere near the entrance on top of the stairway?
(my 6 year young wanted a Kipling backpack and BRU customs will need to see it to get VAT back, it is an expensive backpack for a 6 year young girl....)
Flew BKK-BRU last month and had to go through transfer security (first time this happened ex BKK or BRU), not a nice experience.
Btw, I am always disoriented near the expensive yellow dog trying to find the stairway up to Al Mourjan, it is somewhere around there, turning turning...
May 23, 2017, 10:05 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,916
If you go through transit security don't follow the signs for the exit after scanning. In front of you as you exit the security screen area (before you get directed downstairs) there are two lifts. Just go up one floor from 2nd to 3rd and you are in front of the reception desk to the lounge.
May 23, 2017, 10:36 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,944
Please remember that there are two transit security areas at HIA. There is one below Al Mourjan serving A, D and even numbered C gates and one under Al Safwa serving B, E and odd numbered C gates. In between these two transit security is the airports main departure security area.
So If you arrive at the Western side of the airport your security area is under Al Mourjan and for the Eastern side of the airport transit security is under Al Safwa.
When the fabled North node opens things will change! But until that Nirvana opens!
So If you arrive at the Western side of the airport your security area is under Al Mourjan and for the Eastern side of the airport transit security is under Al Safwa.
When the fabled North node opens things will change! But until that Nirvana opens!
May 24, 2017, 12:36 am
#11
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Frankfurt
Programs: QR Platinum
Posts: 256
Balanced review, Thanks.
Flew BKK-BRU last month and had to go through transfer security (first time this happened ex BKK or BRU), not a nice experience.
Btw, I am always disoriented near the expensive yellow dog trying to find the stairway up to Al Mourjan, it is somewhere around there, turning turning...
Flew BKK-BRU last month and had to go through transfer security (first time this happened ex BKK or BRU), not a nice experience.
Btw, I am always disoriented near the expensive yellow dog trying to find the stairway up to Al Mourjan, it is somewhere around there, turning turning...
By the way: the yellow "dog" is actually meant to be a bear
