thepinkponce

So, after learning so much from all of you good folk at FT, I thought it only right to provide a trip report for a trip that would never have happened had it not been for this place.

Some background - I'm a OWE via BAEC gold, and have been for 3 years or so now, albeit flying with BA since 2009 after the takeover of BMI. My flying patterns are predominantly Domestic UK into LHR (around 100 sectors a year) with one or two CE and one or two paid LH trips per year, and only in J when using Avios.

The executive club changes 18 months ago meant that that flying pattern would no longer guarantee me BA Gold, as my weekly tier accrual dropped from 20 to 30 TP's down to 10 or 15 TP's regularly, and with my membership year coming to an end on November 8th, I'm around 400 TP's short of reaching gold.

So whilst this trip was one that was planned anyway, I took advantage of the learning from this place, and in particularly the information from the BA forum on Premium F & J deals thread to book a trip with QR in J on their new route from Helsinki which started on Monday this week.

Now down to business:

Today: AY840 - LHR to HEL - Y - 16:10 - A320 - (positioning flight, PNR1)
15/10/16 - QR304 - HEL to DOH - J - 10:55 - A320 (PNR2)
16/10/16 - QR840 - DOH to HKT - J - 07:05 - 787-800 (PNR2)
24/10/16 - MH787 - HKT to KUL - Y - 10:25 - 737-800 (PNR3)
27/10/16 - QR853 - KUL to DOH - J - 02:00 A340-600 (PNR2)
27/10/16 - QR301 - DOH to HEL - J - 08:15 A320 (PNR2)
28/10/16 - BA0795 - HEL to LHR - Y - 07:45 - TBC (PNR1)

PNR1 - Avios booking - £84.41 - 0 Tier Points
PNR2 - Cash booking £1,162.13 - 560 Tier Points
PNR3 - Cash booking £43.00 - 0 Tier Points

For comparison purposes, equivilant QR flights from LHR in economy were £1,022. So it's cost around £220 extra to fly J from HEL.

Hotel tonight in HEL is around £46p/p but as there isn't a connection from DOH within 8 hours I qualify for the QR stop over programme. I am booked into the Oryx Rotana hotel tomorrow (circa £110, FOC), and they also arrange my visa (circa £20) and airport transfers in both directions (circa £30). Meal vouchers for the hotel for dinner and breakfast are also included. In essence, if you have the time to spend a night in HEL this trip is actually costing no more than a Y trip from LHR.

I arrived at LHR Terminal 3 around 1pm, and despite the number of flights I've taken, it's my first flight from T3.

Check in was seamless with the Finnair desks located in Zone E, with no queue for priority passengers.

Fast track security was very quiet, which surprised me given my experience in T5 at a similar time on a Friday afternoon.

As I had some time on my side I decided to try a few of the available lounges out.

First point of call was the BA Galleries First Lounge. Very similar in decoration to the T5 Flounge, with the same food and drinks choices. The lounge itself wasn't too busy with plenty of seating available. I didn't eat as I wanted to check out the other lounges.

After around half an hour and a glass of champagne I moved on the the AA Flagship lounge.

Whilst the food choices in the Flounge are better, I have to say that the quality for me seemed better in the Flagship lounge. Some good quality sandwiches - typical of what you'd get in the BA lounge at JFK from experience - but with some excellent little bites available if you weren't looking for something too heavy.

The service in the lounge was fantastic, with one of the young ladies bringing us champagne (Moet) to our seats at the back of the lounge.

Once the AA flight to NYC boarded at around 2:45 the lounge was pretty much to ourselves which was refreshing considering how busy the BA lounges get.

After a couple of drinks and a nibble we moved on to the No.1 lounge. Now most of the reviews I read across this forum suggested that AA flagship was better for food, and BA Flounge was better for drink. I have to say however I was really impressed with the No.1 lounge.

After entering the lounge the girl on the desk radio'D for a host to come and take us into the lounge. We were taken to a reserved seating area which was very private and provided food and drink menus.

We had a very short time in the lounge before heading to gate 11 for the Finnair flight which was boarded promptly and by status / cabin which was refreshing given the scrum that I'm used to on my normal Friday afternoon domestic flight.

Flight AY840, LHR to HEL to follow in next post.

*Note, I will add photos to this post shortly.

DreamTrip

Looking forward to this. ^

darkside1957

Flying ARN-DOH-HKT-DOH-HEL in J next March with similar timings on the DOH-HKT and DOH-HEL sectors so will be interesting to hear your experiences

thepinkponce

AY840: LHR to HEL
Aircraft: Airbus A320-215
Reg: OH-LXH
ETD: 16:10
Push Back: 16:17
ETA: 21:00
ATA: 21:02
Seat: 11A, emergency exit row.

I was seated in one of the emergency exit rows on AY840 in row 11a. I was sat next to a Finnish couple, and the cabin crew came by and - as you normally find in these situations - had a remarkable sense for knowing that I was British and they were Finnish before delivering the safety speech about being seated in an exit row seat.

The flight departed pretty much on schedule and was reasonably comfortable. I got a few photos before the inevitable nap that follows being suitably fed and watered in the lounge(s), including an impressive in flight entertainment screen that had a live video of the aircraft taking off.




As I've already mentioned, the majority of my flights are on domestic uk fares into and out of LHR. The leg room on row 11a was excellent and the seat was fairly comfortable. I'm not a frequent euro traveler therefore I'm not sure how comparable this seat is to BA but it was certainly more spacious and comfortable than BA's domestic cabin.



Rows 1-6 were curtained off for business tickets. What I did notice was that the people behind the curtain actually did use the rear bathrooms and not those at the front of the cabin which is not what I've seen when in CE on BA.

Given BA's recent announcement regarding short haul buy on board F&B I was interested to see how it worked with AY. The BA changes, whilst disappointing for many, do not really affect me too much as I tend to not take the current complimentary breakfast but still it was good to see and judge a similar offering in practice.

The menu appeared to be a little less than what BA are proposing to offer, and whilst priced in euros also appeared to be slightly cheaper from what I've read (although I may be wrong and happy to be corrected)




The service was delivered efficiently and quickly by the crew. They had 2 crew serving the front of the Y cabin (I didn't notice if there was also one working from the back). Complimentary and paid drinks / snacks were served quicker than I imagined, and the crew were very good.

I took a simple glass of complimentary blueberry juice, which was very nice. Tea, Coffee and water was also available complimentary to all passengers.

The flight landed at 21:02 local time which was pretty much bang on schedule. And following a short taxi we were disembarked by 21:15 at gate 37.

Passport control was very quiet and I headed for exit 2B with checked bags reclaimed by 21:40

I'm now sat in the bar at the Holiday Inn Vantaa airport hotel. Check in was quick as a spire elite despite a very busy foyer due to cancellation of a Finnair flight to Xi'an which went tech. The coaches of people keep turning up!

Transfer from the free shuttle bus stop outside was around 30 minutes from baggage reclaim. Now for a couple of drinks before tomorrow mornings flight with QR.

thepinkponce

Currently sat in the Finnair Premium Lounge in terminal 2 at HEL. Arrived at the airport around 7:45, and check in was just commencing from desks 264 to 270.



The red carpet is rolled out for business passengers



We were told that the QR lounge is the Aspire lounge and were given a voucher for access.



Security was fairly quiet, and within a few minutes we'd found the lounge - which wasn't particularly well sign posted. As you come out of security search you need to turn right towards the signs for arrivals, and the aspire lounge is up the stairs.

The lounge itself is pretty nice. It's actually located before passport control, so if you're using it it's worth noting that you need to allow time to get through to gates.





Continental breakfast was on offer with a selection of free soft and alcoholic drinks. Anything fizzy was paid. We only had a coffee because we wanted to make our way through to the Finnair premium lounge as OWE's.

Passport control was empty, so no issues there, and we were quickly in the Finnair lounge which is next to gates 36 & 37.

The lounge itself is beautiful. Very quiet at the moment, but the decor really is right up my street. Plenty of seating for solo travellers wanting privacy or those travelling together.





A variety of soft and alcoholic drinks choices available, served by a friendly waitress. As it's 1pm where I'm heading, it's only right that I start on the champagne now with breakfast.

Food choices were mixed between continental breakfast with some hot choices such as egg and sausage. Adequate more than anything, albeit tasty. I think I judge it against the Flounge offering in LHR T5, which is catered pretty well, regardless of opinion on quality.




The DOH flight will board from gate 32 at around 9:55 local time, so time to make the most of the fuzzy stuff

darkside1957

Seems like you have A7-AHX which is one of the A320's with flatbeds in J. Enjoy

thepinkponce

Thanks darkside1957. We did assume that was the case as it was operating the QR303 last night from DOH. I was slightly nervous about the A320 leading up to the trip as expertflyer and the QR forum suggested it would be a SH version, but since the route opened on Monday its been either an A350 or the LH A320.

I'm in seat 2F today, and I believe there could be wifi onboard so I'll update further soon.

Thanks again

thepinkponce

QR304: HEL to DOH
Aircraft: Airbus A320-232
Reg: A7-AHX
ETD: 10:55
Push Back: 10:50
ETA: 17:15
ATA: 16:41
Seat: 2F (J Cabin 3 rows in 2-2 format)

We got a notification via the QR app that the flight was boarding, so proceeded to gate 32 which was very close to the Finnair lounge (which is located by gate 36). Just a note at this point to say that mobile boarding passes were not available for the HEL to DOH leg.




We were welcomed on board by the two crew members serving the J cabin which has 12 seats on the A320.

The seat was a new QR J fully flat 180° seat, but the layout of the cabin on the A320 does not really offer any privacy if you're a solo traveller. The seats are 3 rows in a 2-2 format, however there's no privacy divider between the window and aisle seats which may be a problem to some. The AC seats are angled slightly away from the DF seats.

J was completely full with all 12 seats taken. Y looked very busy - I'd imagine 90-95% full.

I was initially a little nervous (although that's probably the wrong word) about the A320, as expert flyer and the QR forum had suggested that the route from HEL to DOH would be served by the short haul A320 which had recliner beds rather than 180° flat beds. This week however has seen the Flint operated by LH A320's or A350's on occasion. Not that recliners would have been the end of the world, I was just hoping for a LH aircraft.

The A350 would have been wonderful, but I'm happy with A7-AHX which is a LH A320 with a new J cabin.






Once we had stowed our bags and settled in to the seat we were approached by our crew member who provided menu's and asked if we'd like a drink on the ground. We took the champagne which was a choice between white and Rose but there were various other soft and alcoholic options.



Hot towels were provided, and then following the drinks we were brought the Armarni amenity kit which contained aftershave and a very generous tube of after shave balm. Razors and toothbrushes were available in the J toilet.



At the initial time of posting this message I was I'm on board and cruising at 34,993 feet but I've edited it on arrival in DOH. Apologies if this post therefore seems a little disjointed (and forgive me as it's my first TR )

We pushed back 5 minutes early and after a short taxi we were in the air by 11:05 local time (09:05 GMT).



We had also been given menu's and a newspaper earlier, and the crew member came around a took meal and drinks orders, explaining it was dine on demand. She asked whether we would let her know when we wanted to eat, or if she should wake us if we were sleeping.





The cabin manager also then came over to introduce himself and have a conversation with us about our trip. As I was eating later I was given nuts and a further top up and told to just let the crew know when I was ready to eat.

Onto the F&B. I ordered the Arabic Mezze and the Lamb Loin, which was excellent. I ate around halfway into the flight and was served pretty quickly from asking for my meals. I took a glass of the French Bordeaux with the main. For dessert I chose the lemon tart.





The meal was excellent. Really tasty. Myself and my friend both actually chose the same meals, so unfortunately I can't supply photos of all of the choices, however we did choose different deserts with him opting for the ice cream, along with a baileys.

I have to say that the service on the flight was fantastic from start to finish. I could not fault it at all. Proactive, polite. I didn't have to ask for a thing, they were just on the ball, but when I did you didn't get the feel that you were a hindrance.

More champagne was offered, along with another hot towel and some chocolates before I had a quick 30 minutes sleep to gear myself up for another glass.




In flight entertainment had a large choice. Headphones are good, and have a noise cancelling feature.

What I would say is that - as the majority of my travel has been with BA - the actual system appears to be slightly less responsive. I was trying to rewind a film back to the start, as I had been ordering food etc. It took me an age to actually get the remote to do what I wanted it to do.

But, aside from that, as I say lots of choice of films and the music selection was great. One comment on the screen, was that when I lowered the bed for some sleep, the screen is actually fixed in position and doesn't have any angle for tilting. The brightness of the cabin meant that in the flat position there was some reflection on the screen.




We touched down into DOH at 16:41 and were disembarked by 16:48 at gate B2.



I'll follow this post with a review of transiting in DOH to the QR stopover package hotels.

miamiflyer8

Thanks for sharing!

Will look forward to reading this.

harri

Since you are OWE, Finnair would have given you a free drink from the Y menu (including champagne) and a newspaper if you asked.

Schwann

Looking forward to the rest of the report! Will be taking this flight in March.

By the way, the A350 was only on the inaugural flight which began this week. It's scheduled for only the A320.

Thanks for the tip! Do you get a free snack too?

teme

Great saturday entertainment. Thank you for posting it.

I have two trips booked ex-Hel - victim of "QR business class sales". Good to see what are your thoughts of the new Helsinki-Doha route.

thepinkponce

Post edited as all information now provided into post No.8.

thepinkponce

Harri thanks for sharing that information. I wasn't too sure if that was the case or not, and I admit I was sleeping as the service commenced. I asked for a juice and was proactively offered 'anything else on the house' by the crew member.

Schwann yes it has always been planned for the A320 aside from the inaugural flight, however the A350 has actually operated the HEL to DOH route (I think) twice this week due to availability of the LH A320.

DALtoAAL

This is great, thanks for all the updates! I was on the inaugural flight from HEL to DOH on A350 and it was simply fantastic flight. The return few days later on A320 was still pretty awesome, but not as phenomenal as the A350, mainly due to the different seat (though I didn't have any seatmate) but mostly because I had really bad luck with my meals; none of first choices were available when I placed the order for breakfast and when it was time for lunch, they were out of both desserts and cheese plates.....? The CSD was very apologetic about that and said that as it is new flight, the provisioning is not quite there yet..

You said that J is full 12/12 on your flight, how is the Y load? When I returned, the flight was almost empty at J7/Y33 pax.