oneworld82

Traveling is always fun. Always. No matter if it's for a 48 hours business trip to London, or for a month-long adventure in Eastern Africa. I am a traveler at heart, and no matter what, I enjoy traveling more than anything else.

This summer has been a crazy-long summer here in Texas, but thankfully my job took me to Europe quite a few times - and around ten times to New York City. Not bad - especially because all my international flying has been in Premium.

Furthermore, at the beginning of the summer my girlfriend and I got engaged, bought a house, and then got married when we received the wonderful news that we are expecting a baby girl! Quite an eventful summer, right?

In this trip report I will recount my wanderings throughout the past few months, in chronological order, as follows:

Trip to London #1 (May 2015):

DFW-LHR on British Airways Club World (BA J, 77W)
LHR-DFW on American Airlines Business Class (AA J, 77W)

Trip to Madrid (June 2015):

JFK-MAD on Iberia Business Class (IB J, A346)
MAD-ORY on Iberia Business Class (IB J, A320)
CDG-DOH on Qatar Airways First Class (QR F, A380)
DOH-PHL on Qatar Airways Business Class (QR J, 77L)

Engagement weekend in Half Moon Bay (July 2015):

JFK-SFO on American Airlines First Class (AA F, A32T)
Proposing to my girlfriend: Half Moon Bay and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Half Moon Bay
July 4th in San Francisco!

Trip to Europe after getting married (July 2015):

DFW-LHR on American Airlines First Class (AA F, 777)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...l#post25737530
NCE-MAD-JFK on Iberia Business Class (IB J, E75 and A346)

Honeymooning (and Babymooning) in the Caribbean: A Southern Caribbean cruise with Carnival (August 2015):

JFK-SJU on American Airlines Business Class (AA J, 738)
San Juan
Carnival Liberty
Saint Thomas, USVI
Barbados
Saint Lucia - Heaven on Earth!
Saint Kitts
Sint Maarten
Ritz-Carlton San Juan

More trips to London and Madrid will follow, and I will likely add them to this post. I hope that, like always, you will enjoy my trip report.

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My previous trip reports:

Four Days in Hawai’i – Kona 2014 featuring AA 763ER in F HNL-DFW
To Taiwan! How to burn USDM on CX and JL (new) First Class
LH New F (DFW-FRA) vs BA F (LHR-LAX) + French Riviera, Brussels, Luxembourg, and NYE
A seat (LH F), a Porsche, a bed (LH F/EY F), Southern OZ+AKL, a tasting menu (QF F)
A lion here, a rhino there... a safari in South Africa & Swaziland feat. AA J class
Hanami in Tokyo for the weekend: DFW-NRT (AA F) vs NRT-JFK-DFW (NH F Square, UA F)
A weekend in Santiago de Chile: DFW-SCL-DFW on AA Business Class (763ER)
A weekend in Dubai: DFW-LHR-DXB in 72 hrs. Lots of pics, feat. BA Club World
oneworld! Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Australia trip reports + CX F/J, QF J and AA F
Cathay Pacific NYC - HKG - SIN in First/Business class: unforgettable!
MNL-SYD in Qantas business class + Qantas Club in MNL
Coming back from Down Under - Qantas A380 Biz Class CNS-MEL-LAX and AA F to SJC
Tales from Israel & the West Bank - IB/LY in Y
Kangaroos are so cute! Let's eat them! 12 days in Australia from Sydney to Cairns
Europe Double Dip: Amsterdam (AA new J), Dubai (EY J/ EY F), and Paris (AA J/F)
A Kenyan Safari (Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli + EK F/EY J/F)

All my posts can be found on my website, Airways and Travels. Enjoy!

oneworld82

Traveling for work can either be tedious or fun. It depends on a lot of factors, including (but not limited to) destination, hotels, airlines, and attitude. I personally love traveling for work, even now that I am on a forced consulting-like schedule that brings me to New York every week and to Europe rather often.

As you can imagine, being in Midtown for the week with all meals expensed isn’t that bad. Drop in a few business class flights on different carriers to Europe here and there, and we have a winner.

So, the madness started a few weeks ago, with a two-days work trip to London, right after Memorial Day. My outbound flight was booked on British Airways, on its nonstop DFW-LHR flight, in Club World, which I had flown before around three years ago. My experience had been pretty positive then, and I was looking forward to fly this product again.

After my quick two days near the airport and a quick jaunt to Covent Garden, I flew back to Dallas on American Airlines 77W Business Class – a flight that reinforced my idea that AA has lined up a very strong product in this segment.

Then, only a few weeks after, I would have to fly to Madrid for some more meetings. This time I would leave from JFK, since I was in New York for work. I would fly Iberia Business Class on its A340-600, spend a couple of days in this hellishly-hot city, and then flew back home. Only that I would not fly back home directly, but I would fly to Paris on IB business class before burning some miles on Qatar Airways to try its new First Class product on the A380; from there, a short two hour connection and back we’d go to PHL on Qatar Airways Business Class.

Some people think I am crazy for flying so much, so often. And perhaps they are right. But to me, flying long-haul business and first class is actually rather relaxing. Of course, in late July I and my wife will be relaxing on a (honeymoon) cruise in the Southern Caribbean. But that’s entirely another story.

Flight BA 192, DFW-LHR
Monday, May 25th, 2015
Business Class, Seat 13G
18:00 – 09:15a+1

After a relaxing and uneventful Memorial Day weekend (mostly due to heavy rain in Dallas), I was ready to go to London for a few business meetings. As I mentioned earlier, I was rather excited to fly Club World again and to compare it with American Airlines’ new Business Class. My flight was delayed about 1h30m today, mostly due to bad weather. I spent most of the waiting time on the phone in the British Airways lounge at LHR – the same lounge that Emirates and Qantas use before their flights. The lounge was fairly packed, but finding a seat was not an issue. On offering today were a selection of sandwiches, sweets, and soups. Nothing fancy, but definitely nothing too bad while waiting for an hour or two for a flight. Also, (rather cheap) wines, beers, spirits, soft drinks, and hot beverages were offered.



As the lounge staff was already switching to Qantas’ for the later QF departure to Sydney, boarding was called for our flight and so I proceeded to the gate (D16).

Upon boarding the aircraft the polite and neatly-dressed BA crew welcomed me onboard and directed me to my seat. While many people don’t like British Airways’ Club World configuration of front- and back-facing seats, I must say that I like it, even though at eight seats abreast it means that seat width is somewhat more limited than on other carriers (it did not bother me, though).







Club World seats are fairly private and comfortable. I like the small drawer built into the pod by the feet, as it’s always useful to have somewhere where to store small items; and I like the lighting (and light details) of the seat. Also, the TV screen rotates vertically, improving video quality if you are trying to watch TV in bed mode.







After settling down (and after most of the customers had boarded the plane), the FA came around offering pre-boarding drinks. I couldn’t, of course, refuse a glass of Taittinger.



We took off about 1h35m late, but the captain said we’d make up most of the lost time and that we’d land in London about on time. Ascent to cruising altitude was a bit choppy, which slowed down dinner service a bit. Once turbulence disappeared, hot towels were brought to customers and a first round of drinks was offered (more Taittinger for me) with some packaged Kenya nuts. I do not know why BA doesn’t offer mixed nuts warm and in a nice ramekin like AA does – presentation is just better that way. About 15 minutes afterwards, dinner started.









Appetizer was chilled smoked salmon – good but not great. The main problem I have with cold appetizers is that, too often, they are served too cold, which detracts from the overall flavor of the dish. This dish was no exception, as it should have been taken out of the fridge a good 15 minutes earlier than it had. In any case, it wasn’t bad – the salmon was very fresh. A choice of bread was also offered with the appetizer, and the tray came with a side salad and butter.







As main course I had decided to try the fillet. Now, I know this was stretching it, especially because beef is usually not great in first class – let alone in business class. As it could have easily been expected, this dish was a mild disaster, as the sauce/juice was too runny/hot and the meat was overcooked. The accompanying mashed potatoes and broccolis were better, but not enough to (alone) save the dish. One good thing: BA offers mustard to go with the steak – a nice thing indeed. I wish I had opted for the vegetarian option though… I accompanied this dish with a glass of Rioja red, which was neither bad nor good.





The dessert was a partial redeemer, as I had a cheese platter featuring some good cheddar and stilton, served with oatcrackers and date “jelly”. Of course, you as you might already know by now, I love cheese – so any dish like this one is a winner in my eyes!



During dinner I tried watching a movie, but the IFE selection wasn’t great so I switched to a few Season 8th episodes of the Big Bang Theory. After dinner though I just put my seat in bed position and I dozed off for about 4 hours. In fact, I woke up right when the crew was turning the lights on for breakfast. I had a decent rest, but not spectacular. I know I will sound spoiled to many here, but business class isn’t first class for a reason!





About one hour before landing breakfast was served. It consisted of some strawberry preserve, a choice of bread, and then a bacon roll (one of my favorite breakfast airlines food ever). I had some coffee and some orange juice with it, and overall it was an alright breakfast – I certainly like American Airlines’ omelettes better!





We landed ~15 minutes beyond schedule, and I was soon on my way to the office.

So, how was my second experience on British Airways Club World? It was good. Was it as good as I remembered it? Well, no. Since then I have flown many first class products and some top notch business class products, so perhaps that helped me put everything into perspective. But this remains a solid business class product. The seat is private and comfortable, the service is great, and the drinks selection is above par. But food could be better and the lack of all aisle-access is somewhat a drawback.

Overall, I would not hesitate to fly Club World again, but if I had to chose between CW and AA’s new business class I’d probably go for AA. When it comes to First Class, though, BA has still the edge.

My two days in London went by quickly. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Heathrow – not a bad property if you have meetings near the airport, with a good buffet breakfast and a good size room.

I did make it to Covent Garden my second night there – it’s always nice visiting that part of the city. We had a work dinner at Brasserie Blanc that – despite a great rooftop location – offered a poor, overpriced meal.

AvidFlyer1990

Congratulations on your engagement and your wedding, oneworld82. Looking forward to the next parts of your TR. Looks like a promising one!

I'm surprised, with that much flying in international premium cabins, you have not already hit AA EXP (OW Emerald); or probably your FT profile isn't updated ?!

stu1985

Ah great - another oneworld82 trip report! Looking forward to the rest. I made the same mistake in Club World a few weeks ago on the way back from LA. The steak was so overcooked. Yuk!

oneworld82

Thank you, AvidFlyer1990! You are right, the profile isn't updated. Flying oneworld so much as its pros!

stu1985, the steak was pretty bad, but service on CW is hard to beat! I love their attentiveness and genuine concern.

oneworld82

Full post @ Airwaysandtravels.com

Flight AA51, LHR-DFW
Business Class, Seat 14J
B777-300, June 2015

Time to fly back home. I was scheduled to leave at 9.30am, but my flight was delayed 3 hours for, you guessed it right!, bad weather in Dallas. The scale of the flooding hitting the Lone Star State this spring is hard to describe – but flight disruptions help to give an idea.

I went to the airport at around 8am, and I just waited it out in the Admirals Club. By upgrade to business class cleared a couple of hours before departure, to my utmost relief.

The Admirals Club at LHR T3 is, by far, the best AA lounge I have seen anywhere. It’s not spectacular (food offerings are VERY limited for a premium class lounge), but it’s better than anything else you would find in the US (and comparable to the Flagship Lounge in LAX, for instance). The lounge is big and usually crowded; while I did not use them this time, the showers are large and clean and well-kept (definitely better than BA’s).







I dozed off for a hour or so, as I did not catch much sleep the night before. Around 11.30a I walked to the gate, and after a short wait we started boarding the plane.

AA’s business class in the 77W is really a winner – think Cathay Pacific-level hard product-wise. The seat is very private, with a decent amount of storage space on the side. I like the mirror in he side compartment, as well as the variety of power ports offered. Also, I like how AA is trying to be refreshing when it comes to amenity kits in its business class cabin – a clear winner there.















After settling down, pre-departure beverages were offered. I got some of the sparkling wine, probably a Prosecco or a Cava. Once we took off, I turned on my computer and – to my utmost surprise – the $19 I paid for the wifi were totally worth it, as the connection was fast and reliable to the vast majority of the flight. International connectivity is fast becoming one of those things that will be “must-have” soon. Does anyone know if AA will equip its retrofitted planes with international wifi as well? That would be a huge selling point in my opinion.

About 20 minutes after departure a hot towel was brought to customers and lunch orders were taken. I decided to stay away from the beef and opted for the vegetarian korma instead. I ordered a glass of champagne with my warm nuts, and I am sad to say that the bubbly stuff was cheap and worse than the sparkling wine offered pre-departure.



The menu for the flight read as follows:

LUNCH

STARTER

Hummus and Pita

SALAD

Fresh Seasonal Greens with Feta Cheese and Roasted Almonds

ENTREES

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Jalapeno Chicken with Cream Sauce

Tomato and Olive Crusted Tilapia

Vegetable Korma

DESSERT

Traditional Ice Cream Sundae

Gourmet Cheese Plate

Pecan Tart

LIGHT MEAL

ENTREES

Grilled Vegetable Flatbread

Charcuterie Plate

DESSERT

Border’s Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

In any case, a cold appetizer of salad, hummus, pita, dolmio, and cous-cous was offered, together with bread. I had this dish a few months back in first class coming back from LHR, and I liked it. I just think it’s offered too cold. The salad was good – you can hardly go wrong with salads on AA.







Then the main dish was served, which was pretty good. Indian vegetarian dishes out of London are always a winner – so remember that on your next flight ex-LHR J The dish was vegetarian korma – rice and curry with veggies.



After the main was taken away, dessert was offered. Happily for me, Westbound flights still feature Sundaes in business and first class. I had one with butterscotch, nuts, and whipped cream – just like I prefer it. After finishing the always-excellent sweet, I put my bed in bed mode and fell asleep for a sound 4 hours. The seat in lie-flat mode is very comfortable, and the cabin temperature was just fine. I rested pretty well, and when I woke up I started playing with the IFE. AA’s new entertainment system is excellent, but since I was not in the mode for movies I just watched a couple of shows.





As I was a bit hungry, about three hours before landing I went to check out the self-service bar area in the galley. There I found a nice selection of fruit, desserts, cookies, and little snacks, including sharp cheddar cheese. I, of course, got myself some cheese, which was very good.

About 1h15m prior to landing the snack was served. Choice was between flatbread and a charcuterie platter. I went for the flatbread, which was a fancier version of the old pizza. Not bad, especially because it was served with a refreshing salad.



We ended up landing about 3 hours late in Dallas, but thankfully immigration and customs were a breeze thanks to the new kiosks.

Overall, this was a very good flight. How do Club World and AA new business class compare? Well, they both are good products – 4 stars overall I would say. AA wins in hard product and in food. BA wins in service and beverages. International wifi gives AA a slight edge overall.

Next on: Iberia business class, Qatar Airways First Class (A380) and Qatar Airways Business Class.

roadwarrier

Looks like a great couple of trips!! Cannot wait to read the rest.

Oh, and congratulations are in order.

oneworld82

Thanks roadwarrier!

Bretteee

Good to know about Business in AA / BA.

In economy it is the "reverse."

AA food ghastly; BA food good.

British Airways Concorde

nice job, where's the rest?

oneworld82

LINK TO POST ON MY BLOG

I arrived at JFK about 2 hours before my flight, so to have some time to shower at the BA Galleries Lounge. Check in was smooth and quick (I forgot to use the business class desks for checking in, but the line at the economy class ones was short nonetheless), and within minutes I went through security and then on to the BA lounge.







British Airways’ lounges are always consistent. I like this one because it has an Elemis spa, self-service bar, and pre-departure supper service for BA confirmed business class ticket holders. I helped myself with a snack and a drink, before heading for a shower.









I had time for a final glass of prosecco, before having to board.



IB Flight 6252, JFK-MAD
08:55p-10:15a+1
Business Class, Seat 1L
Airbus A340-600

Thank God for priority boarding! The number of people waiting to board at the gate was just incredible. After all, this was an A340-600 – a pretty big plane! My seat today was 1L – right in front of the plane! Great for boarding and for leaving the plane first.

I must say I was impressed by the cabin design: it was big (likely too big for this route, with 40+ seats), and it felt very new. The new IB product offers a staggered configuration, which ensures a great level of privacy if you’re traveling alone and have a single seat like I had. The TV screen was of a very good size, the seat a bit narrow by North American standards but comfortable. I did not see much storage space, and in fact I put my laptop bag on the side of the seat.







In any case, after setting down a pre-departure beverage was offered – I got some cava – and amenity kits were distributed. While the bag wasn’t anything memorable, it did come with a little pouch of L’Occitaine products – definitely a nice touch.







We pushed back right on time and the captain announced a short 6h45m flight time. This is the biggest issue I have with flights from the eastern coast of North America to Western Europe – they are way too short to have a nice dinner and get some decent rest. Knowing that I had not scheduled any meeting for the day after – planning instead to work from the hotel – and that proved to be a wise choice as I felt quite tired and jet-lagged all day.











Shortly after the plane reached cruising altitude dinner service began – no pre-dinner drink was offered, which I thought was a good thing in this case. The menu for the night read as follows:

STARTERS

Warm bread and extra-virgin olive oil

Veal consommé

Marinated salmon, fresh leaves salad with palm hearts

Balsamic vinegar Pedro Ximenez vinaigrette

Cheeses plate with grapes

MAIN COURSES

Duck with raspberries and Porto wine sauce, glaced onion, zucchini and carrot, baby pear

King prawns ragout in American sauce, steamed baby potatoes wth parsley

Dried tomato tortellini with tomato sauce

DESSERTS

Chocolate and fudge cake

Vanilla ice cream

Coffee, herbal teas and spirits

WAKE UP!

ON BOARD

Orange juice

Seasonal fresh fruit

Yogurt

Croissant, butter and jam

Toasts and extra-virgin olive oil

Coffee and herbal teas

To start, an appetizer plate was served, consisting of Manchego cheese, hearts of palm salad, veal consommé, and… ; it was quite good.



Then my choice of main was brought out (I ordered the duck) – and this was absolutely delicious. At first I had doubts, because the dish looked too saucy and because my first bite was too hot. But after a couple of minutes, the full flavor of the duck came out, and that was perfectly complemented by the sauce and by the accompanying vegetables. A real winner in my books.



I had my first two dishes with some red wine – overall good but nothing too memorable (better than BA’s and AA’s though).

To finish off a good meal was a superb chocolate cake, served with a simply amazing Sherry wine. I honestly believe that was the best dessert wine I had ever had (Cardenal Cisneros Pedro Ximenez Sherry) – hands down. It was dense, sweet, with very strong notes of smoked wood: absolutely excellent.





After this very good meal I reclined my seat in bed mode and fell asleep. The IFE offered a decent selection, but since it was already 11p I simply passed out… IB gives out a little “do not disturb” card in case you don’t wish to be woken up for breakfast, and in this case I definitely made use of it. I woke up 3h30m afterwards with only one hour left before landing in Madrid. Like I said, all too short.







Landing happened smoothly and 15 minutes ahead of schedule (we landed at T4S, which requires to take a train to the main terminal). After clearing immigration I was able to easily spot the Hilton Madrid Airport shuttle, and within 20 minutes I was at my hotel.

The Hilton is a nice hotel, but in the middle of nowhere. Next time I will definitely stay closer to the city center. As Hilton Gold I was upgraded to a spacious and well-appointed Deluxe room, and granted access to the Executive Lounge. After napping for a couple of hours I spent my afternoon working and then I had a very nice dinner at Reserva Grill, the main hotel’s restaurant. It was a rather upscale eatery, with very attentive service and very well-prepared food. The pumpkin soup I ordered was excellent, but the creamy truffled chicken were very unremarkable.










Executive lounge











After that I went to sleep, and the morning after I headed downtown for a day full of meetings before heading to the Tribunal area with a friend for some beers and a nice Spanish dinner of Jamon Iberico and patatas bravas.







After having breakfast the morning after at the excellent hotel’s buffet, I headed to the airport for my long journey back home.



IB 3436, MAD-ORY
08:50a – 10:50a
Business Class, Seat 2F
Airbus A320

I took the 7am Hilton shuttle to the airport (T4), and by 7:20 I was checking in for my flight. Security was quick thanks to the priority lane, and within minutes I was walking to the Salvator Dali lounge, mainly used for short-haul flights.



















The lounge was moderately crowded and not particularly big, but it was very nicely designed and decorated. It did offer a self-service bar, as well some breakfast offerings (chocolate mini-croissants, yogurts, cookies, juices…): in all, nothing impressive, but again this lounge mainly caters to short haul passengers anyways.

After around 45 minutes in the lounge I started walking towards my gate – it took about 10 minutes to get there. Boarding had just started, and instead of standing in line I just took a seat waiting for everyone else to board. After all, I was a business class passenger, right? Wrong.

It turned out that the last few passengers to board had to gate-check their carry on, myself included. No big deal. I took my seat on the plane – standard European configuration business class seat – nothing to tell home about.

I dozed off right after taking off, only to wake up about 45 minutes later when breakfast was being served. We had a not-so-nicely-looking omelette which turned out to be perfectly tasty (God bless cheese!), even though the service was rather rushed and overall rather impersonal.











After landing in ORY I proceeded to the baggage belt, and I waited for my suitcase to come. I waited… and waited… and waited… Until it was obvious that my bag had not come.

I proceeded to the baggage service center, and I found there all the same people that in Madrid were made gate check their hand luggage. It was clear that they had forgotten to load our bags… After filling up a form I was told that my bag would be delivered to my home in DFW within five days. That meant that I would only have my laptop bag for the next two legs of my long journey.

Resigned, I looked for the ORY ŕ CDG Air France bus, that for EUR 21 took me to Charles de Gaulle in about 50 minutes.

oneworld82

After reaching Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1, I made my way to the Qatar Airways check in desk, where some people were already lining up to check in for the economy class cabin. A first class passenger was already checking in as well, but I was very quickly checked in as well and within minutes I was past security on my way to the lounge.



Qatar Airways uses Air France’s “La Premiere” lounge here. Don’t be fooled: this is not AF’s flagship lounge, and for that matter this isn’t a good lounge AT ALL. Honestly, if I hadn’t had a forced layover in CDG I would never have come to this lounge just to enjoy it.

The problem with it is that it’s rather small, with no comfortable chairs, with limited food and drinks offerings. It’s quite appalling that the second biggest terminal of France’s main airport doesn’t have a half-decent lounge…!





In any case, around 1 hour before departure I headed to the gate, but I had to go through security before getting there. Boarding was ordered, and I walked the long jetway all the way up to the upper level of today’s A380.

As soon as I arrived at the door I was acknowledged as a First Class customer, and I was escorted to my seat.

Qatar Airways First Class cabin looked very nice. As known, it is an open-seat concept, with no walls. Yet, just like Lufthansa’s First Class seats, Qatar’s are very spacious and private. The amount of storage space – in terms of cabinets and closets – was the biggest I have found on any airplane so far, and the seat was nothing short of huge – as well as the TV screen which dwarfed Etihad’s!

























As soon as I sat down, my designated flight attendant came by introducing herself and offering me a drink – as well as explaining me all the functionalities of my seat and of the cabin. I asked for some champagne, but I was informed that – as per French laws – they could not open the champagne prior to departure. I then just went for a glass of water.

Take off happened about 30 hours late, on an almost full First Class cabin (only one seat went empty). There were no females in the cabin – middle aged men.

It always impresses me how quiet A380s are! They really are gracious giants of the sky. It took a while to take off – in fact we left 15 minutes late – but the captain announced an on-time arrival in DOH. As I had a 1h45m connection there, I started to relax a bit and I ordered a glass of Dom Perignon once beverage service started.

oneworld82

The flight attendants had taken meal orders before taking off, from a menu that read as follows:









To begin my meal, I went for the caviar. This delicious treat is enhanced on Qatar Airways, as Ossetra caviar is served on board. Sure, this is not Beluga or not even Petrossian, but it’s likely the best caviar you can find out there on a plane.

The fish eggs were served in the original tin box, with all the traditional garnishes (eggs, onions, sour cream, blinies) and a mother of pearl caviar spoon. I asked for some vodka as well, which was delivered together with the caviar.

What can I say: this caviar service was spotless – great product, great presentation, just as it should be.









To follow the caviar,I had the excellent lobster, fennel and potato salad. As good as a salad could be!









The ingredients mixed together very nicely, creating a salad that was decidedly a step up from the ones offered across the Atlantic by most European and North American carriers.

It was then time for my main course. I went for the Keralan fish goujons – it was nicely presented and it tasted quite good (curry-based dishes are always flavorful – also at 33k feet above the ground!).





Even though at this point I was stuffed, I still had some room for cheese (of course!).





At this point I was so stuffed that I felt like a duck ready to be killed for its fat liver. I ordered an espresso, and then I went to the restroom to change.

The washroom was very spacious and elegantly appointed – it reminded me of Emirates First Class bathroom but without the shower.







When I got back to my seat, my coffee was ready, and after enjoying it I asked for the bed to be made and I took a nap.





I was very disappointed to find out that QR doesn’t provide neither pjs nor slippers on this flight as it’s a day flight; I honestly felt that it was cheap on their side, especially because this is still a 6+ hours flight; yet, it didn’t take long to fall asleep, and to wake up about 120 minutes out of Doha.

I got up, and I went to check the famed bar at the back of the upper deck. This was spacious and sleek – better looking than Emirates’, but overall less functional and, perhaps due to the length of this flight, less crowded. I had a quick glass of orange juice, and left after five minutes.













Again, the bar was very sleek, yet it didn’t have the positive vibe of Emirates’.

Before getting to the end of the flight, I will mention seat features and IFE here.

The seat was very wide, comfortable – a real treat. It had good lighting features, and was comfortable in every position I tried.





QR uses Bose headsets (although they are not branded so), and provide what was probably the nicest amenity kit I have seen so far – a full Armani kit with Acqua di Gio 75ml lotions! First Class customers also get free in-flight wifi, which was, in all honesty, only barely working.



Before landing, I was in the mood for some dessert, and so I went for some macarons, knowing that Laduree caters desserts for Qatar Airways First Class.



We landed around 20 minutes behind schedule, but that was more than enough to continue on time my adventure back home.

So, how was my first experience on Qatar Airways First Class? A treat, indeed. The cabin is aesthetically pleasing, service was great, drink selection was excellent. Yet, I did not get that wow factor I got from Etihad or Cathay Pacific the first time I flew them. Perhaps it’s that I am so used to fly premium cabins these days, that I have developed very high standards; but from QR I would have expected nothing short of excellence. Which they delivered, but not entirely.

Don’t get me wrong – this is a solid 5 stars product, and since I was not paying for it, I was really happy to fly it. But should I take my own money or miles out of pocket, I would probably go for Etihad or Emirates to the Middle East.

Next on: DOH-PHL on QR J!

iluvdoco

Congrats oneworld82! I was just thinking that I hadn't seen any TRs from you in awhile.

And looking forward to your DOH-PHL review which I'll be flying soon.

oneworld82

Thank you, iluvdoco!