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
Oct 20, 2015, 6:35 am
#31
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 18
Oct 20, 2015, 8:00 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,724
Oct 20, 2015, 1:15 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Paramaribo, Suriname
Programs: Mileage Plus (PLATINUM); Qatar Privilege Club (PLATINUM)
Posts: 384
it's happening...
Oct 21, 2015, 5:51 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Club, SIA KrisFlyer, Qantas FF, Emirates Skywards
Posts: 1,850
Rumoured being the operative word here.
I half expect a big announcement by QR announcing the lounge. Although I'm fairly certain Al Mourjan opened "quietly"; therefore I wouldn't be overly surprised if Al Safwa opened in a similar vein.
I half expect a big announcement by QR announcing the lounge. Although I'm fairly certain Al Mourjan opened "quietly"; therefore I wouldn't be overly surprised if Al Safwa opened in a similar vein.
Oct 21, 2015, 7:55 am
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Here
Programs: HHonors Diamond, AA EXP
Posts: 1,496
As my commitment to the OW alliance I will get to use this lounge once opened on about half of my flights but I still dont understand where is QRs commitment to the alliance and its frequent fliers and why other airlines not bar QR gold or whatever they have ( equivalent of Emerald) from entering the respective f lounges? where does it stop? There needs to be a ONE WORLD lounge across all the hubs which is a standard.
Oct 21, 2015, 8:32 am
#40
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,944
ashkale please read stargolds excellent summary of Al Safwa access Post 19 of the "Lounge access Doha F to C transit" thread. This thread is about one small corner of the access problem whereas "Lounge access Doha F to C transit" surprisingly covers most of access to Al Safwa.
Oct 21, 2015, 8:58 am
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,685
edit: and even if I could somehow trick them into allowing me to upgrade to F, I wouldn't really want to waste the miles for 20 minutes in the new lounge
Oct 21, 2015, 9:19 am
#42
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: QR Gold, BAEC, Marriott Rewards Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,142
As my commitment to the OW alliance I will get to use this lounge once opened on about half of my flights but I still dont understand where is QRs commitment to the alliance and its frequent fliers and why other airlines not bar QR gold or whatever they have ( equivalent of Emerald) from entering the respective f lounges? where does it stop? There needs to be a ONE WORLD lounge across all the hubs which is a standard.
Putting aside comments wrt the quality of the F lounge at HIA (& there have been plenty!), it's the same principal? Aren't QR just following BA's lead?
Oct 21, 2015, 10:07 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: 32.7758° N, 96.7967° W
Programs: AA EXP,SPG 75
Posts: 318
It is absolutely fair to say QR is following BA's lead. However you cannot put quality aside. What OWE/S have access to at SYD/JFK/LHR/HKG/LAX/MEL is really far far ahead of the same respective lounges at DOH that OWE/S have access to. That being said I think the criticism is fair that QR receives for the treatment of OWE/S flyers in DOH.
Oct 21, 2015, 11:48 am
#44
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: QR Gold, BAEC, Marriott Rewards Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,142
It is absolutely fair to say QR is following BA's lead. However you cannot put quality aside. What OWE/S have access to at SYD/JFK/LHR/HKG/LAX/MEL is really far far ahead of the same respective lounges at DOH that OWE/S have access to. That being said I think the criticism is fair that QR receives for the treatment of OWE/S flyers in DOH.
Oct 21, 2015, 1:03 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: 32.7758° N, 96.7967° W
Programs: AA EXP,SPG 75
Posts: 318
That is a myth that OWE in Y are accessing F lounges in huge numbers. Most Oneworld programs require too much premium cabin flying to attain OWE for that myth to be true.
QR needed Al Safwa to be so large because they have all of these fake F flyers on these intra middle east flights. I'd expect Al Mourjan to become a ghost town after the fake Fs go to Al Safwa.
What QR is saying is that we care more about intra middle east F flyers than long haul J flyers (which most routes do not have F). Makes little sense to thumb your nose at OWE dropping $5-6K on long haul flights. CX/BA/QF understand this.
QR needed Al Safwa to be so large because they have all of these fake F flyers on these intra middle east flights. I'd expect Al Mourjan to become a ghost town after the fake Fs go to Al Safwa.
What QR is saying is that we care more about intra middle east F flyers than long haul J flyers (which most routes do not have F). Makes little sense to thumb your nose at OWE dropping $5-6K on long haul flights. CX/BA/QF understand this.