Qatar Airways
Business Class (J)
QR971: PNH - SGN (Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City)
21 January 2018
Airbus A330-300
A7-AEJ
Seat 2A
Departure: 05:06PM
Arrival: 06:10PM
I booked this flight because it was the shortest option with an OW carrier and it gave me the opportunity to try out QR for the first time. The timing also worked very well and I knew it would be a very light load. There's also just something about fifth freedom flights that I really like.
The flight was a short one at only 133 miles; the shortest flight I've flown to date, in fact. The descent began as soon as we were at altitude.
Since I was flying in J, I had access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at PNH. It's a nice, spacious and modern lounge with a decent variety of food options. Better than the CI lounge in TPE, but not particularly noteworthy in any way.
A7-AEJ
Seat 2A
1A was not occupied, but QR routinely blocks row 1 on all their flights. So I was unable to select 1A when doing the online seat change, but I was too lazy to ask the airport staff to switch it for me.
Empty Cabin
The cabin was nearly empty on this leg. There were only 4-5 other pax in the J cabin. The Y cabin was similarly occupied. I'd be surprised if the plane were even half full overall.
IFE System & Hard Product
The plane had QR's excellent IFE system, which was packed full of good content. The flight was too short to finish anything, but it was all available for watching.
The seat was very comfortable, despite aisle access for window seats. I'd imagine this would be a very comfortable plane for a long haul flight, especially if traveling as a couple.
Service
The service was attentive and courteous. I received no special greeting, despite the fact that I'm OWE. The FAs came by several times to offer drinks. I had three espressos, but there was no food on offer. That was a bit disappointing. The flight wasn't long enough for a full-blown meal service, but I did expect at least a small snack at a minimum. Even a bag of peanuts would have been appreciated.
Goodbye Cambodia
