Nov 5, 2015, 11:11 am
Last edit by: CPH-Flyer
READ BEFORE COMMENTING IF YOU ARE NEW,
Hamad International Airport (HIA) offers passengers a number of different lounges.
This thread, is specifically for the Al Safwa First Class Lounge. Information on the other Lounge options at HIA, can be found here.
Does Al Safwa have a web page?
Yes: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/e...-al-safwa.page
Dining Menu
https://www.qatarairways.com/content...-dining-en.pdf
Where can I find Al Safwa Lounge?
The Lounge is located on Level 3 of the airport.
Can I use the Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge?
Access is based on your underlying fare bucket. This means that upgraded tickets, maybe except upgrades with QPoints (see post 2735), are not granted access.
Access is thus restricted to Qatar Airways First Class, and OneWorld First Class passengers :
- either holding a First Class boarding pass* for their next flight
- or holding a First Class boarding pass from their previous flight.
Additionally, Privilege Club platinum club travelling on any business-class fare are welcomed into the lounge. This is a facility introduced recently and one that could just as easily disappear.
- Guests are not permitted.
* Operational Upgrades to First do not give access. Upgrades with Qpoints may do give acces (see post 2735 - Sept 2022)
Arrival access on mid and long haul? (eg. coming from LHR in F)
YES
Ex. CAI-DOH-HEL
Arrival access regional F? (eg. coming from CAI in F)
Yes.
Caveat, if your underlying J fare is P, then the no lounge access for business light kicks in. And there is no access.
Privilege Club Platinum members are currently allowed in the lounge when travelling on any QR business-class fare: that could change. Other Oneworld Emerald members are directed to the Platinum lounge(s) when travelling in any class, and the Al Mourjan lounge when travelling on relevant business-class fares. Yup, it gets complicated.
What does the lounge look like?
Reports on the Lounge, can be found here and here. Photographs of the lounge, can be found here.
Is there a Spa?
Yes, there is a full Spa, but you will have to pay for treatments. A full list of treatments available can be found here
What about the sleeping rooms?
Stargold in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28199729-post1177.html suggests that access to sleeping rooms is as follows:
'* No reservations allowed - always first-come first-served
* Only available if the remaining time until the flight departure is more than 4 hours
* Passengers are allowed maximum six hours' usage - for any further usage, a fee of QAR 450 is payable for a second block of six hours.
* No F&B of any kind except bottled water in the sleeping rooms.'
What changes can I expect during Ramadan?
Ramadan affects QR and you in many ways so please look at ramadan to see how you are affected.
Updated: 19/11/2023
Hamad International Airport (HIA) offers passengers a number of different lounges.
This thread, is specifically for the Al Safwa First Class Lounge. Information on the other Lounge options at HIA, can be found here.
Does Al Safwa have a web page?
Yes: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/e...-al-safwa.page
Dining Menu
https://www.qatarairways.com/content...-dining-en.pdf
Where can I find Al Safwa Lounge?
The Lounge is located on Level 3 of the airport.
Can I use the Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge?
Access is based on your underlying fare bucket. This means that upgraded tickets, maybe except upgrades with QPoints (see post 2735), are not granted access.
Access is thus restricted to Qatar Airways First Class, and OneWorld First Class passengers :
- either holding a First Class boarding pass* for their next flight
- or holding a First Class boarding pass from their previous flight.
Additionally, Privilege Club platinum club travelling on any business-class fare are welcomed into the lounge. This is a facility introduced recently and one that could just as easily disappear.
- Guests are not permitted.
* Operational Upgrades to First do not give access. Upgrades with Qpoints may do give acces (see post 2735 - Sept 2022)
Arrival access on mid and long haul? (eg. coming from LHR in F)
YES
Ex. CAI-DOH-HEL
Arrival access regional F? (eg. coming from CAI in F)
Yes.
Caveat, if your underlying J fare is P, then the no lounge access for business light kicks in. And there is no access.
Privilege Club Platinum members are currently allowed in the lounge when travelling on any QR business-class fare: that could change. Other Oneworld Emerald members are directed to the Platinum lounge(s) when travelling in any class, and the Al Mourjan lounge when travelling on relevant business-class fares. Yup, it gets complicated.
What does the lounge look like?
Reports on the Lounge, can be found here and here. Photographs of the lounge, can be found here.
Is there a Spa?
Yes, there is a full Spa, but you will have to pay for treatments. A full list of treatments available can be found here
What about the sleeping rooms?
Stargold in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28199729-post1177.html suggests that access to sleeping rooms is as follows:
'* No reservations allowed - always first-come first-served
* Only available if the remaining time until the flight departure is more than 4 hours
* Passengers are allowed maximum six hours' usage - for any further usage, a fee of QAR 450 is payable for a second block of six hours.
* No F&B of any kind except bottled water in the sleeping rooms.'
What changes can I expect during Ramadan?
Ramadan affects QR and you in many ways so please look at ramadan to see how you are affected.
Updated: 19/11/2023
QR Al Safwa First Class Lounge
May 3, 2022, 11:02 pm
#2566
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Vienna, Austria
Posts: 710
The airline was initially rigorous in maintaining the lounge solely for those paying considerably more for tickets than business-class fares. I guess the fading away of long-haul F, and shrinking regional network frequencies, opened the opportunity to milk the facility as a revenue stream.
I'm not sure how sustainable that model will be long-term, but unless F-travel recovers, I reckon something will have to give: either the facility and its services will be downgraded towards al Mourjan standards, or entry costs will increase significantly. Either way, maybe you'd best make the most of the current situation while it lasts
I'm not sure how sustainable that model will be long-term, but unless F-travel recovers, I reckon something will have to give: either the facility and its services will be downgraded towards al Mourjan standards, or entry costs will increase significantly. Either way, maybe you'd best make the most of the current situation while it lasts
May 4, 2022, 1:13 pm
#2567
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP 50k, UA Silver, MB Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 248
Dumb question but thought I'd ask as I wasn't sure when I'd go through DOH again (with outbound F at that), Is the F lounge worth changing my outbound flight to increase my layover to 8 hours?
Currently have 2h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 21:50. I'd have like 90 mins to enjoy the lounge after passport control.
Other option was 8h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 03:50.
Ideally would like ~3-4h layover but can't win everything.
I'd also have to play the charade on QRPC and cancel + rebook, and hope that my YUL-DOH leg is available again when I rebook (time waiting on Avios to come back is another risk).
Currently have 2h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 21:50. I'd have like 90 mins to enjoy the lounge after passport control.
Other option was 8h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 03:50.
Ideally would like ~3-4h layover but can't win everything.
I'd also have to play the charade on QRPC and cancel + rebook, and hope that my YUL-DOH leg is available again when I rebook (time waiting on Avios to come back is another risk).
May 4, 2022, 4:31 pm
#2568
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
Dumb question but thought I'd ask as I wasn't sure when I'd go through DOH again (with outbound F at that), Is the F lounge worth changing my outbound flight to increase my layover to 8 hours?
Currently have 2h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 21:50. I'd have like 90 mins to enjoy the lounge after passport control.
Other option was 8h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 03:50.
Ideally would like ~3-4h layover but can't win everything.
I'd also have to play the charade on QRPC and cancel + rebook, and hope that my YUL-DOH leg is available again when I rebook (time waiting on Avios to come back is another risk).
Currently have 2h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 21:50. I'd have like 90 mins to enjoy the lounge after passport control.
Other option was 8h 15min layover with arriving in DXB at 03:50.
Ideally would like ~3-4h layover but can't win everything.
I'd also have to play the charade on QRPC and cancel + rebook, and hope that my YUL-DOH leg is available again when I rebook (time waiting on Avios to come back is another risk).
The lounge is an interesting space, but one that doesn't take eight hours to appreciate. There's free food and drink, though I'm not sure you'd want to spend eight hours consuming it: it's upmarket canteen fodder. There's the possibility of a bed, but only you know if you want to give up eight hours in your destination for that.
i reckon 90 minutes is quite long enough for a waiting-room, even a gilded one; particularly as your stay there will be book-marked by flights where you are fed and watered. If you fall in love with the place, you could schedule a longer stop on your way back.
May 5, 2022, 2:59 am
#2569
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: DUB / DXB
Programs: EK Gold, BA Gold
Posts: 2,471
Overall, i would not choose a long layover as i feel like i experienced everything it had to offer in the first 1 - 2 hours.
May 5, 2022, 6:21 am
#2570
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,722
I can answer this from a very recent perspective, having done just that last night. I chose an extended layover as i hadnt been in AS lounge since reopening. I can tell you, 90 mins is plenty. I really dont get the appeal. Its lovely and quiet, but the food is very average, drinks are excellent, and the quiet room with bed was very much appreciated, but they enforce the 6 hour limit so someone came knocking to ask me to leave at exactly 6 hours.
Overall, i would not choose a long layover as i feel like i experienced everything it had to offer in the first 1 - 2 hours.
Overall, i would not choose a long layover as i feel like i experienced everything it had to offer in the first 1 - 2 hours.
Having been through AS four times in the past three or four weeks, I would agree that food used to be better and nowadays is very average, service is great at the bar though.
I concur that 90 mins is more than enough - do not bother with more.
May 5, 2022, 10:10 am
#2571
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,265
Completely agree - I did a 6:40hr layover the other day out of necessity and I was so bored out of my mind after the first two that I asked for a sleeping room just to kill time by sleeping it away.
Having been through AS four times in the past three or four weeks, I would agree that food used to be better and nowadays is very average, service is great at the bar though.
I concur that 90 mins is more than enough - do not bother with more.
Having been through AS four times in the past three or four weeks, I would agree that food used to be better and nowadays is very average, service is great at the bar though.
I concur that 90 mins is more than enough - do not bother with more.
May 5, 2022, 10:14 am
#2572
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,722
The food was always very average to me - breakfast is a bit better than rest of the day menu. The other depressing thing is the menu is essentially still 80% the same as it was 4 year ago. It's a beautiful lounge to look at but just fundamentally not somewhere I want to spend any more time than I absolutely have to, really. At least the WiFi is functional now (finally after 5 years..), that helps to pass time a bit.
May 5, 2022, 10:18 am
#2573
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: YYZ
Programs: AP 50k, UA Silver, MB Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 248
Thanks y'all for the responses. I'll keep my booking as is.
On side note, is the call centre for Canada/USA usually this bad? Sound quality is absolutely terrible! Not audible what so ever with the static and distortion.
On side note, is the call centre for Canada/USA usually this bad? Sound quality is absolutely terrible! Not audible what so ever with the static and distortion.
May 7, 2022, 4:04 am
#2574
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,619
May 8, 2022, 2:32 am
#2577
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: QF Plat, VA Plat, BA Gold
Posts: 528
So a Platinum member who booked a paid Y ticket, and upgraded to J with QCredits is NOT allowed access to AS or AM Lounge?
I can't seem to find this rule about upgrades not being allowed into the lounge (of the upgraded class) on the website ...
I can't seem to find this rule about upgrades not being allowed into the lounge (of the upgraded class) on the website ...
May 8, 2022, 2:44 am
#2578
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
In normal cases, that QR Platinum member would be directed to the Gold Lounge ( as in the case he was traveling in Y ) but it's currently closed thus until the goodwill gesture ends, that passenger could access Al Mourjan without any extra fee.
Once the Gold Lounge re-opens, that Platinum member could pay the entry fee to enter Al Mourjan if he would like a more premium lounge experience.
May 8, 2022, 5:16 am
#2579
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: QR Platinum, IHG Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 215
I managed to access AS twice in March as a QR Platinum on a paid Y ticket. Once with a Qcredit upgraded flight, and the other with a cash upgraded flight. Asked the AS counter agent on my 1st visit and was told Qcredit/miles upgraded flights are allowed AS access but paid upgrades are not. Seems like every agent interprets the rules differently, so I find no harm in trying, worst case scenario you'll be directed to AM (for now).
May 8, 2022, 5:21 am
#2580
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 2,155