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
Mar 22, 2016, 12:53 am
#661
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 234
Mar 22, 2016, 2:56 am
#662
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
Do the same rules apply here? I have seen it suggested that OW J and F pax can access this (ie if you are on an MH ticket - I think MH are the only OW airline in LHR T4) but given recent unannouncements is this still the case? Or has the LHR lounge reverted to QR only as well?
Last edited by srbrenna; Mar 22, 2016 at 4:06 am
Mar 22, 2016, 3:00 am
#663
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
I'll just add a bit - The J and F lounges are really poor compared to the Al Mourjan and Al Safwa. If you are connecting to BA at LHR on a QR F ticket you can access the Concorde Room. If you have OWE then it's the First Lounge which is still excellent, far removed from the dump at HIA.
Mar 22, 2016, 3:44 am
#664
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
I'll just add a bit - The J and F lounges are really poor compared to the Al Mourjan and Al Safwa. If you are connecting to BA at LHR on a QR F ticket you can access the Concorde Room. If you have OWE then it's the First Lounge which is still excellent, far removed from the dump at HIA.
Otherwise, I agree with you.
Mar 22, 2016, 4:10 am
#665
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
In any case the Galleries First lounge is far better than the QR F lounge which is basically a room (albeit less crowded than the J lounge) in which to sit. I'm struggling to say it is better than the "lounge" at BOD which at least has views onto the tarmac.
Mar 22, 2016, 7:24 am
#666
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 973
Do the same rules apply here? I have seen it suggested that OW J and F pax can access this (ie if you are on an MH ticket - I think MH are the only OW airline in LHR T4) but given recent unannouncements is this still the case? Or has the LHR lounge reverted to QR only as well?
Mar 22, 2016, 12:12 pm
#667
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,665
I'm going to beg to differ. With one caveat - I might be wrong! I'm in the CCR on Friday so will ask there. Watch this space!
In any case the Galleries First lounge is far better than the QR F lounge which is basically a room (albeit less crowded than the J lounge) in which to sit. I'm struggling to say it is better than the "lounge" at BOD which at least has views onto the tarmac.
In any case the Galleries First lounge is far better than the QR F lounge which is basically a room (albeit less crowded than the J lounge) in which to sit. I'm struggling to say it is better than the "lounge" at BOD which at least has views onto the tarmac.
Mar 22, 2016, 12:18 pm
#668
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,834
Edit: this ISTR is from an official internal BA manual...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...l#post20414950
Last edited by Howard Long; Mar 22, 2016 at 12:26 pm
Mar 22, 2016, 7:05 pm
#669
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,764
Mar 23, 2016, 2:15 am
#670
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,834
Maybe, but it made me chuckle. You must've witnessed people being turned away at the £10m door? That happens a lot!
Mar 25, 2016, 7:52 am
#671
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, several other less interesting cards...
Posts: 3,712
The First lounge is still excellent though!
Mar 26, 2016, 4:06 pm
#672
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,834
First time in here, glad I have a 9 hour layover, got a room, went for a night cap and now on my fourth, after being coerced into a well done steak, which is the local custom. Despite my Western prejudices, it was pretty much as good if not better than any steak I've ever had in any airline lounge. No, not awesome, but pretty reasonable.
Krug is on tap, but I think you may need to ask for it or you'll get the Billecart. I was on autopilot at the bar from my previous experiences in the biz lounge, so specifically stated Krug.
I'm not into architecture or the arts, but to my uninitiated eye the sheer scale is mindblowing. There are criticisms of sterility and I can see where that comes from, but overall WOW is all I can say.
As important as the hard product is, what about the soft? I am pretty impressed, it's a bit like a top-tier chain hotel, the people skills of those working here. It reminds me of my pleasant surprise when I first used the LHR lounge a few short years ago, the staff actualiy seem to give a real damn about where they are working and how it reflects, and it is very much to their credit.
All too often lounge operations are outsourced, and sometimes it works (cf HKG with Cathay's Wing and Pier) and sometimes it's lowest common denominator medocrity (cf BA LHR).
Al Safwa is a serious step up, and it's not just incremental.
Krug is on tap, but I think you may need to ask for it or you'll get the Billecart. I was on autopilot at the bar from my previous experiences in the biz lounge, so specifically stated Krug.
I'm not into architecture or the arts, but to my uninitiated eye the sheer scale is mindblowing. There are criticisms of sterility and I can see where that comes from, but overall WOW is all I can say.
As important as the hard product is, what about the soft? I am pretty impressed, it's a bit like a top-tier chain hotel, the people skills of those working here. It reminds me of my pleasant surprise when I first used the LHR lounge a few short years ago, the staff actualiy seem to give a real damn about where they are working and how it reflects, and it is very much to their credit.
All too often lounge operations are outsourced, and sometimes it works (cf HKG with Cathay's Wing and Pier) and sometimes it's lowest common denominator medocrity (cf BA LHR).
Al Safwa is a serious step up, and it's not just incremental.
Last edited by Howard Long; Mar 26, 2016 at 4:07 pm Reason: Typo
Mar 26, 2016, 10:20 pm
#673
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,834
A weird missing item from the bedroom was water, or more particularly a means to drink it. There wasn't a glass or any bottled water that I could find. I am sure if I'd asked it would have been provided, but it would mean going back to the room reception as there's no phone provided either.
As a place to take a rest it was very good. The temperature was about right and apart from once when there was something faintly beeping outside it was extremely quiet.
Because they take your outgoing boarding pass at the room reception, make sure you have a note of your ticket PNR or eticket number: you'll need it for the WiFi which was reasonably good at 4.8Mbps, enough for Youtube video. I couldn't get into my VPN at home though, so I suspect that's blocked.
As a place to take a rest it was very good. The temperature was about right and apart from once when there was something faintly beeping outside it was extremely quiet.
Because they take your outgoing boarding pass at the room reception, make sure you have a note of your ticket PNR or eticket number: you'll need it for the WiFi which was reasonably good at 4.8Mbps, enough for Youtube video. I couldn't get into my VPN at home though, so I suspect that's blocked.
Mar 27, 2016, 1:24 am
#675
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,238
HIA have changed the system, and it now requires a confirmation via SMS to mobile phone (did not work for me) or a QR PNR.
The server used for this authentication process had connectivity issues both on Wed and today (with the airport being almost deserted at 10:00 - nobody at transfer security).
The server used for this authentication process had connectivity issues both on Wed and today (with the airport being almost deserted at 10:00 - nobody at transfer security).