ph-ndr

Unless flying from a busy outstaion, just use flighradar24 to check the outbound flight, then you know well in advance what you are getting.

-A

remdk

SkyTeam777 Rule number 1 for QR is Never book flights according to aircraft type.

Your contract with QR is for transport from A to B not from A to B with a particular aircraft type.

That said QR have recently started offering a form for compensation. See for details. This information is also to be found on the Wiki of the https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar-airways-privilege-club/1821753-q-suite-master-thread-181.html .

At the present time only about two thirds of the B772, B773 and A350 aircraft are equipped with Q-suites. Retrofitting the existing aircraft is proceeding slowly and it could be another 2-3 years before all aircraft types that can have Q-suites will have them. Until then swaps will be frequent.

Dr. HFH

This statistic is really meaningless. QSuite installation percentages only make sense when considered by aircraft type. So, for example, all but one or two 777-200LR airframes are QSuite-equipped; but the percentage of 777-300ERs (77W) with QSuites is not as high. Few 350-900s (359) have QSuites, but all, or nearly all, 350-1000s (351) are QSuite-equipped. Some routes have multiple types of aircraft flying them (DOH/BOS and DOH/BKK come to mind as examples); while others always have the same type of aircraft (DOH/LAX). So you really have to dig a little deeper than an overall conversion percentage for the entire fleet to get any meaningful or useful information.

ffdom

QR739 DOH-LAX changed to 2-2-2 777W at last minute yesterday ....really infuriating as I had checked repeatedly and would have switched flight days (was a Q Suite on outbound 5 days before)...there were multiple upset passengers in business....I felt for the crew even as I complained. Seems QR could at least let folks know. Seat next to me was blocked (I am OWE) so maybe I got lucky, but the experience is so hugely inferior. Just seems like bad business strategy - put a subpar plane on one of the longest system flights that had showed Q Suites for months....just plain dumb from a business viewpoint...far less likely to book QR until I know the product I think I am getting. I realize these a re first world problems, but I am deploying $ for comfort and from a purely business viewpoint swapping in an inferior product makes no sense.

tomonFT

If the inbound flight (not sure if that’s correct terminology, I‘m referring to the flight before the flight that I’ll board / that arrives at my departure airport) shows Qsuites layout on expert flyer, I Guess that’s mean that last minute equipment changes are unlikely?
for example I’m on QR274 AMS-DOH. If QR273 (DOH-AMS earlier on same day) shows Qsuites layout, that’ll mean that I don’t have to worry about last minute equipment change?

I don’t mind 2-2-2, but when flying alone I do prefer Qsuites. I also like the flying backwards / the view of the engine and wing.

IAN-UK

I wouldn't say first word problem, more a subset of that, an FWFT problem. First World Flyertalk.

I think you'd be surprised at the number of travellers ignorant or simply not caring about aircraft type and the various seating arrangements. Colleagues, many who fly even more than I do, consider me a geek for having a notion of the different cabin configurations.

Now I've flown Q-suites and got over the the novelty phase, I'm perfectly happy to drop into a group with only the most marginal of marginal preferences for that configuration.

More or less the same goes with TK's much-hyped Dreamliner. In fact, once flown it's an aircraft I'd happily avoid.

msm2000uk

If the aircraft changes last minute, there is a reason for that. It isn't done to inconvenience passengers, but more likely the original aircraft was delayed or went tech elsewhere.

In order to thus prevent a lengthy delay, a different aircraft was subbed in.

With regards to your suggestion of booking a J ticket only once you know the product you're getting, QR will be thrilled. However, your tactic of booking last minute will obviously come at a far higher price, so perhaps not ideal for most; although the QR Revenue Management team will be grateful.

M

thinkingallowed

I'd say that the idea is not to book QR because one is unsure of the seat rather than still book QR but at the last minute.
That is going to be my stance after my upcoming trip.

quinzinho

Correct, you're sure in this case that you'll get Qsuites since this is the only QR flight to AMS, so they can't swap it with another plane.

msm2000uk

Fortunately we live in a world of choice, so while QR will likely regret losing a passenger, never say never.

M

traveler_ron

fly the A330 300 with QR and then the discussion between B777 with or without Q-suites becomes almost obsolete
after flying first a sector with a B777 or 787 or A350 one seems to have been put in some sort of enhanced premium economy

ffdom

Agree with many above posts....I just won't book QR again until I know what I am getting. So the business will go elsewhere....QR may not care but it doesn't seem like a smart long tern strategy. On my downgraded Qsuites flight there were at least 3 other business passengers complaining about the downgrade, not a way to build goodwill.

T8191

Just completed our first QR sectors in J (LGW-DOH-CPT and return). Three of the 4 sectors involved silent airframe swaps! More annoying is that both Q-suite sectors became -900 in standard config.
Still, not as bad as getting a 777 vice 787 on the last sector, which from a seat POV was actually worse than BA!!

fender5787

Though no qsuites, the 330’s J is a far cry from premium economy with a whole gamut of carriers from DL, KL, UA, AF, AM, etc using the same exact model of seats for J. Further, I actually rather like the seats if one is able to snag a seat in the first row vs the old 77w config. And finally, one won’t have to deal with the 330s for much longer as they’re being quickly phased out.

Dr. HFH

Of course. But FTers like to complain.