DominicB

Thanks / apologies to those bemused folk who responded to a post of mine 48 hours ago asking about what I should expect on a string of flights to DPS. I am - of course - flying on Qatar, not Emirates! I posted when I was about to go to bed, and brain was not in gear. I'm flying LHR-DOH-DPS-DOH-LHR as a pleasant (I hope) way of getting some tier points towards getting GGL, using QR's business class. Will I be blown away by it or not??

rossmacd

tomparskate

ratechaser

Prospero

Please continue this discussion as it moves to the Qatar Airways forum.

Prospero
Moderator: BA forum

tomparskate

jmj9905

I have only flown it once iad/doh/cpt. Hard product(old777 & 787-8) very good. Food iad/doh not good, doh/cpt inedible. Service iad/doh very good doh/cpt not so good.
YMMV

capin

I've flown biz on -

AA
UA
BA
QR
EK
EY
AY
RJ
QF

QR's business class is awesome, I've only flown on the A321, A340, A380 and 777 and all were much better than EK/EY and laughably better than CW.

Al Mourjan is really nice but used to be nicer.

sweetsleep

Not nearly as experienced world flyer as many on this board but QR business was wonderful from/to the US with my aging mother(at age 88). They were wonderful to her and me on the a350 and the 777. Far better than ANY AA,BA,Asiana F. LH and EK F are better in my personal opinion but you will not be disappointed at all in QR. Will be on EY in F next March so the verdict is still out on that for me.
Hope you enjoy the flights.

07L 25R

First time I flew QR J I was reasonably impressed, but you kind of get used to it very soon. And while it is still much better than BA CW, it soon becomes "just another flight in J", if you get what I mean. And it doesn't help that every time you fly QR, you will essentially be getting four great flights.

DO's:
1) Visit QR LHR T4 premium lounge: Depending on the timing of your flights. I usually try to leave time for a light meal (thus usually on QR 4, QR 2 or QR16). Eat enough, but don't overdo it, or you won't be able to eat on the flight!

2) Eat in-flight: QR in-flight catering is also great, for in-flight food anyway. Also try the Arabic mezze at least once on the four flights (it's always offered as one of the choices for appetizer).

3) DOH Al Mourjan lounge: once you get past the "oh wow, this is very large and grand (without being full of EK bling), it becomes quite lackluster. I think it kind of lacks in atmosphere. It's more like a pretty nice sitting area, when other 'premium' lounges a la CX, QF have become so much more. That said, the lounge does have some pretty good desserts. Also try to get a quiet room at the end of the lounge.

My usual pattern: eat on the plane --> pass through the Al Mourjan restaurant area and grab a few desserts and a coffee --> move to a quiet room and maybe queue for a shower; head back out to the cafe area to get more drinks for the quiet room --> grab a few more desserts --> board connecting flight.

4) Sleep in the seat: I find the old QR 777, despite the dated seat and lack of privacy, offers the best bed, but that's just me.


DON'T's:
1) eat too much in the lounges (except desserts)

2) watch censored movies on the flight and neglect sleeping (bring your own entertainment)

3) forget to use your own noise-cancelling headphones, so you can sleep through the annoying, useless, yet plentiful pre-arrival announcements telling you how great Doha and its airport are

4) worry about tight connections --> they're great with them. Your destinations have a few flights per day, so should be ok. With the flights embargo between Qatar and so many ME states, it could be problematic otherwise as they can't really reroute passengers.

5) set your expectations too high: they are flights, after all.

minz56

I agree with this comment and in general what 07L 25R said.

I had 4 sectors on QR recently in J (my first time on QR) and while they were good in comparison to other airlines, I didn't quite get the WOW factor that others get. Crew were decidedly mixed and on one flight really quite poor. Food was average, with a lamb dish very poor. AM was not great when crowded, but better when quiet.

To be honest I had a much better experience on EY in J, where crew, food and IFE (they were showing World Cup matches live) were all better than QR. Only downside is the seat layout which puts most aisle seats VERY close to the aisle and the aisle itself is very narrow - though in fact this wasn't a big issue and I was able to put the seat in a very comfortable chaise-longue like position which was great for watching the IFE.

Set your expectations reasonably and you will have a great time on QR.

kt74

Concur with 07L 25R. My builds to avoid disappointment would be:

Don't worry about overindulging in the LHR T4 lounge (and don't forget to ask the barman for your favourite cocktail, even if it's not on the menu!) - food on board is dine on demand: reserve your food when you take off (they run out of choices otherwise) and specify exactly when you want it served (e.g. 2hrs before landing)

The quality of the food on board is mixed, so don't expect OS/AF/SQ quality - stick to cuisines like Indian, which travel well. You can pre-reserve one main course 2 weeks before departure (similar to BA)

Others may disagree, but avoid the champagne... ask for lime and mint juice pre-departure, and the sweet wine is a treat with dessert

If you want a shower at DOH, go straight there to put your name down - the far showers past the deli by the rest area are a better bet. For food, I much prefer the deli (made-to-order toasted sandwiches, light snacks/pastries etc) to the main buffet restaurant

In general, service-wise, if you want something, *ask for it*, and they'll be happy to get it for you. This isn't SQ where they anticipate every need, but nothing is any trouble on QR

Aircraft configurations vary, so set your expectations accordingly. None of them are bad per se, and all have flat beds, but the A350/787/A380 reverse herringbone (all aisle access, with your feet under the TV table) is a very different experience to 777 non-Q-Suite (open plan, spacious and airy), and different again to Q-Suite (enclosed and private). If you're on the A380, go hang out at the bar - now that IS special, and much more stylish and exclusive than the awful EK bling bar

celtic_warrior

I would also make full use of the LHR T4 lounge. Really nice lounge with great food and superb champers and wine selection. It's also nice to dine in their restaurant, the portions are small. As othersd hvae said you dine on demand on board. If your flight is on an A380 make use of the bar. It's a truly wow experience imo.

I have always had great service and really good food on my QR flights.

lost_in_translation

Enjoying QR J is all about setting realistic expectations. If you go in expecting this to be the best flight you've ever had then unless you've never flown a proper F product (i.e. not on BA / an American / Chinese carrier) then there's a decent chance you'll come out of it a bit underwhelmed. If you go in with realistic expectations (i.e. this is a business class product) then you should love QR J. This is a product which is possibly the best J class in the world but is typically priced well below markedly inferior products.

To echo some of what others have said:

- Make the most of the QR lounge at LHR - along with the QR CDG lounge I would say this is probably the world's best J class lounge and even gives all but the best F class lounges in the world a decent run for their money
- Don't worry about eating too much in the lounge and not being ready to eat onboard, as dine on demand means you can eat what you like, when you like; if there's something on the menu you really like the look of then ask to reserve it at the start of the flight otherwise it might be gone later
- Unless you're transiting at quiet times (i.e. not late evening or early morning), put your name down early for a shower in Al Mourjan to avoid disappointment
- The best non-alcoholic drink on the menu is the karak chai (cardomom or saffron) - you shouldn't fly QR without trying it and it is also a great hangover cure if you've over-indulged, I find!

mikeyfly

I love this thread... got my first QR experience in Sept and I am excited . As a budget J traveller I am used to BA and AA - I have MAN-AKL and get the 787 and 777

I think I'll minimise the experience on MAN-DOH and then maximise on the DOH-AKL!

Any tips for that ultra long haul sector ? Ideally want to hit the ground running in AKL (at 4.30am !!)