milesaddict

Flying for the sake of flying it's how I would describe my journey that made me fly 8 long hauls in less than 10 days. I booked 2 RT from Tunis to KL at around 900€ each.

I'm often asked, why. It's quite simple : Miles and points, plain and simple. Before my journey I had 3050 Tier points with BA and my membership will be renewed in February 2018.

My goal : Gold Guest List with British Airways with the Concorde Card Room. I should hit GGL by the end of August or September depending on my work and spouse.

My wife is a down to earth person and did not see why all the "hustle" to be GGL and CCR. When I told her I can give her the Gold card thanks to it, she pushed me to do so !

Good to have a wife who can understand your goal ;-)

The full review can be found here:
http://www.youtripreport.com/Report/...-qatar-airways

After a short night (ibis hotel) I arrived at the airport at 1pm. It was packed.

QR ticketing office:


Check-in was not crowded:


After collecting my BP I went to Tunis Air Lounge with my expectations close to 0. The lounge can be busy since it’s used by most airlines.


“The buffet”




The entrance


The main seating area. One guy talked so loudly that even far from him I could hear all. If only it was interesting…


My boarding pass. Yes, I’m gonna spend 8 hours in the lounge..

Our plane for the next 5h30 minutes.


The flight was delayed for 45 min. Eventually Business class pax were called to board.


I like the cabin. It feels brand-new.


With no one in the first row I decided to move to have a bigger foot rest.


The menu for today:


Hello dear FT readers:


QR signature drink: Lemon and mint. The perfect combo.


Well deserved!


Banking right:


Mixed nuts with sparkling:


Quinoa Salad, I only ate the quinoa after removing the ham:


Right after, my fillet of beef arrived. Was it good?


Absolutely !



Instead of taking the boring fruit, I picked the dacquoise biscuit. Fine but my stomach gave up halfway.


I arrived in Tunis at 3am. I need to rest:


Because of the Ban, the route is much longer, check the map:


Bottom line:
In the past few years I had the chance to fly Qatar airways a lot. I rarely complain of QR crew. On my flight I got very lucky to have been served by Randa. She is from Egypt and the connection with her was quick.

She is an amazing lady. I sent the tweet to QR that will be followed by a mail to make sure her supervisor is aware of the outstanding job she delivers.

The cabin was 40% full an it's comfy for a day flight.

The catering was good. The highlight came from the main course.

All in all, It was a fantastic experience !

I wish to see Randa again !

Thanks for reading !

Coming up : QR B787 to KL.

JALlover

Nice report!!

And that's cheap for a RT in J class!

Transpacificflyer

40% load- No wonder the service was decent. Try it with a full load on the popular London route. If you think the chap in the lounge was loud, you have not seen anything until you experience London.

900 Euro is impressive - You can thank the KSA, UAE and Egypt for making that deal happen. As the restrictions continue, Qatar Airlines will lose market share and will be obliged to cut its fares even more and then when it stops, Qatar will have a fabulous seat sale to try and win back the business lost to Etihad and Emirates.

IAN-UK

GGL is a modest goal for a week of your life and the costs involved.
Still, different strokes and all that!

RTW4

Excellent trip report and great goal!! Thank you...

TheRealBabushka

TP runs on QR are always good! I remembered my first GGL/CCR TP run transitioning from Aadvantage EXP. Did NAS/HNL return, twice, back to back in 4 days, in between work trips in the states. Back then MIA/LAX First class on the 737 was a good 210 TP, but only recliners. Felt like death warmed up on the last leg!

jmj9905

Thanks for tr. Flying QR j for first time in about 7 weeks.

TonyBurr

I flew QATAR recently for the first time in J, PHL-DOH-BKK. I could not have been more pleased with the entire experience. Fantastic experience.

milesaddict

Thank you JAL Lover, it was indeed a great fare.

Thanks for your comment Transpacificflyer.
1- The service is most of the time great no matter the load.
2- I experienced LHR in T5 with BA countless, it's indeed the same.
3- QR in known to have great deals numerous times a year. Just check the MR forum on FT and you'll find many of them.

I have the chance to work remotely, I'm not tied to an office. I did not waste a week of my life. I love being in the air ;-)

RTW4, many thanks for your kind comment, it's indeed a good goal.

TheRealBabushka, thansks for your comment, I feel the pain for you. I did some HNL-SJU.. It's just terrible if you don't really rest.

Thanks jmj9905. I'm sure you'll have a great flight. Looking forward to reading your report.

TonyBurr, thanks for your comment. Once you try QR, you are hooked. I'm glad you enjoyed your flight.

milesaddict

I arrived from Tunis at 12 am, while I could catch the 2:25am flight I went for the morning one.
The reason I picked that flight boils down to one word : B787

Qatar Airways serves Kuala Lumpur 3 times a day all operated by different planes and configurations:
- Airbus A340-600(already taken on the same route)
- Boeing B777-300ER(already taken on the same route)
- Boeing B787-8 it's today's flight

The less tiring option would have been to fly the A340 taking off in the middle of the night with a landing at 3pm, I would have had more time to rest in KL. Alas I'm still in good shape I can make it.

With roughly 8 hours to spare before boarding again from my previous flight I had plenty of time to enjoy the lounge.

You can check the full review:
http://www.youtripreport.com/report/...-qatar-airways

We arrived at a remote stand and deplaned by bus and my way to the lounge and the restaurant for a quick meal. I’m always stunned by the overall design. Along with the First Class lounge, it’s just a masterpiece. Would you agree?






My meal:


View from my seat, FYI, if you need a plug, it seems there is none, but when you get inside from the elevator, you can find one behind the bar on the left, you need to take the last table.


The bar:


I remained at my seat until 5am where I went to the business center to print my Qatari Visa and the confirmation of my stay at the Ritz Carlton in Doha. I bought the ticket with the promotion of a free visa and a 5* hotel for free.


In case you want to play:


But it’s time to feed me and not play.. Even If my monitor my weight daily since I try to remain medium..
Let’s check out the breakfast buffet:












30 minutes before boarding I left the lounge to the boarding gate and wandered a bit


When I arrived on-board I was happy to be back to a 1-2-1 layout. When I think some airlines are still offering a 2-3-2 layout, it’s just a no-go.


My seat




Too narrow


Lemon and mint as always


I’m a bit tired…


The menu


Take off


Soon after, the cabin crew was released and so were the pax shortly after.


I was so beat that as soon my order was taken, I put the seat into a bed and slept for more than 3 hours.


Let's eat !
Salmon gravlax. Tasty!


Actually I had 2… Remember the report about My Quest for Balik? I was not joking. I love Salmon!

I then had the beef and omelette. The beef was once again well done…


I can’t get enough of that view


Both deserts were great and tasty


We landed at 10pm. Flight time was 7:45 minutes. 45 minutes longer than my previous flight to KUL from DOH in May.


Bottom line:
It's always a pleasure to have a 1-2-1 layout in Business Class. The breakfast was fantastic despite the meat. But since it's usual, I won't impact the overall experience.

Crew : Much less impressive (rather cold) than my previous flight but they did the job well.

Next report : MH First Class lounge + QR B787 to Doha

milesaddict

Dear FT readers,

On my previous report, I shared why I picked the B787, the other side of the coin for the flight back is the departure time: 2:30 am landing at 5am. It’s the worst possible flight for a tourist. I mean, you have to either book one more night in the hotel, wander in the city or go the lounge.
I choose the latter from both the Hilton Club lounge in Sentral where I remained until 4pm. I took the KLIA express and arrived in the lounge at 5pm.

For the full review:
http://www.youtripreport.com/report/...-qatar-airways

After a very short walk (crossing the street) I arrived t Sentral station. The round trip cost is 20€ for KLIA express.


The journey does not take long, roughly 30 minutes. At 4:45 pm I passed by the check in counter. As much as I love lounges and airports, I was weak, beat and I began feeling sick.
With my boarding pass in hand, I cleared the security and immigration very quickly thanks to the fast track.


I made my way to the First Class lounge and straight to the restaurant. I would say, we are very far from the real First Class experience. I would say Business plus more than first.




While I sat, I enjoyed to view with TK arriving from Istanbul.


Let’s check the menu:


My salad arrived… Boring choice. Come’on MH you can do better!


For the main, I picked the Miso Beef. Tasty, tender, a great meal. The presentation could have been better.


The bread basket arrived after my main… No comment.


I was still hungry and decided to go with the Caesar salad.


Again, I was still hungry… I picked few things from the buffet:


I decided to remain in the restaurant until 11pm since it closes at that time. With my laptop plugged, there is no need to move


After a long shower, I just sat close to the buffet where I could “kill” the watermelon. It was then time to board.
There is one thing I hate the most in KL is the false “boarding or last call”. It defeats the purpose. You have another security check.


I was happy to see the B787 again:


Eric the great FA took my jacket and welcomed me.


My seat for the next 7h30


Shenzhen Airlnes, an old pal back in the days I lived in China, flying twice a week from PVG to SZX.



Menus were handed out and I told Eric that I would be eating 1h prior to arrival.


Safety video (it needs to be changed since Neymar just left Barcelona -;(


As soon as we took off, I changed to my pyjama and put my seat into a bed.






Being so sick, I felt very cold and required 1 more blanket. Eric gave me 2 more. I passed out within a minute and I had a good rest thanks to the flat bed.
I woke up 1 hour away from Doha and ordered just the meat wrap.. Not the best, not the worst.


Sunrise (sort of) as we were close to land.

I then took a cab to the Ritz Carlton paid by QR!

Bottom line :

Another good flight with Qatar even if it's harder to give a notation since I spent most of my time lost in my dream... and healing.

Eric was professional and smiling to all my requests.

The lounge : The menu needs to be changed more often.

Even if I like the B787, I would try to avoid that flight to enjoy a full experience.

Thanks for reading.

I'll be taking few flights in august, send me a mail if you need a lounge access. I'll be happy to invite you. For the list:
http://www.youtripreport.com/News/De...free-follow-me

Thomas

NA-Flyer

Was it bumpy when your plane crossed the Bay of Bengal on your way to and back from KUL?

milesaddict

Hi NA-Flyer

As far as I remember, no for my last 4 trips to KUL.