Corporate-gal flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A340-600 (10/04/2013 12:31)

Check-in: I checked in online 24 hours before my flight which was operating from Paris. As I was flying from Birmingham Airport with Air France I had checked in online for that flight also and therefore did not need to go the check-in desks at Paris CDG; online check-in was simple and easy to follow and I was easily able to change my seat and print out my boarding pass, even though I was in transit from the UK.

Boarding: After navigating my way from the massive Terminal 2E, to Terminal 1, I had only just joined the security queue when they started to call my name, even though boarding had only just begun. Once I was through to the gate, my printed boarding card was taken from me and replaced with a normal boarding pass in a coloured wallet. It was not explained to me why that was the case, and it was only towards the end of the flight that I understood the reason why. Boarding was swift and organised.

Seat: I had chosen 24G, an aisle seat on the right-hand side of the aircraft, but once the doors had closed I noticed that row 22, the bulkhead row was completely empty. I asked a passing crew member if I could move seats and they kindly obliged, so I ensconced myself in 22H and had the pair of seats to myself for the entire flight duration.

The aircraft was an Airbus A340-600 and economy is configured 2-4-2, with the normal economy seats having a footrest which pops down from the bottom of the seat in front and the screen in the headrest of the seat in front also; the bulkhead seats are thinner because the tray table and the screen comes out of the armrest, but you do have the benefit of a more comfortable footrest which is more akin to premium economy in that it comes out from behind your legs. One thing to mention about row 22 though, is that it is missing one window, but the feeling of space overcomes this minor downside!

Flight: We pushed back a little late at 11:30hrs and were airborne at 12:00hrs. However, the flight time to Doha was quite quick at 5hrs 30mins and was exceedingly comfortable.

Food & Drink: Menus were provided on-screen as part of Qatar Airways’ environmental drive to save paper. The first service was for drinks only, followed shortly afterwards by the meal and drinks replenishment service. The meals were well presented, there was plenty of it and it was extremely tasty. The wine was also served out of full size bottles rather than the smaller sizes usually used in economy classes elsewhere. About an hour before landing, we were also served with a snack of a warm toasty and further drinks.

Entertainment: The entertainment system is excellent with more than enough new and old films to keep anyone entertained for the entire flight. There is also a variety of moving maps and outside cameras as well as radio, in-air internet, shopping and live satellite tv (if there is a signal). All entertainment is AVOD.

Arrival: It was shortly before landing that I understood why my boarding pass had been changed at Paris; the old Doha airport is still operating and therefore the international arrivals, transfers and premium terminals are all completely separate.

The colour-coding of your boarding wallet signifies which terminal you alight at, bearing in mind that ALL aircraft are off-stand and passengers are transported to and from the terminal by bus transfer, Qatar Airways wants to make sure you alight at the right arrivals terminal! Whilst disembarking was efficient (with first and business class passengers alighting first and economy passengers only being allowed off the aircraft once the cabin curtain had been drawn back) immigration was packed full and it took me a good hour to get through to my driver who was waiting to take me to the hotel.

Overall: Having flown a number of long-haul economy products, this was the first time I had experienced Qatar Airways. The seats were comfortable, certainly the bulkhead seats with the ‘extra’ leg rest facility, the entertainment was modern and efficient and the food was good quality, very well presented and there was plenty of it. The cabin crew were friendly, helpful and courteous. I would certainly fly with Qatar Airways again.

ChristianHansen flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (03/04/2013 15:54)

Flight from Doha to BKK on business class. Compared to Emirates business class in same 777-300ER there is so much more space since seating is 2-2-2 compared to 2-3-2 and seems that Qatar are much more focused on creating food expiration in a top class. Had about 6 dish menu and all served to perfection. Was tasty like nothing else I haven't tasted before on an airplane. I was very satisfied by flying with Qatar on business class and will prefer to use them again.

ChristianHansen flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-300 (305 seats) (03/04/2013 15:40)

Flight from business class Doha to Copenhagen on 2nd of April was all good. Frindly crew, food was tasty superb. Service was perfect and had a good sleep even not flat bed seats. I find that the way food is made, arranged and served is fantastic compared to may other airplane co.

KathyMurray flew Qatar Airways Economy (29/12/2012 16:16)

I travelled from Bangkok to Doha on 27th December and the service was acceptable. However the same could not be said on the second leg of my journey from Doha to London Heathrow. This qualifies as the worst flight I have had. It would appear that Qatar reserve their best planes for Bangkok to Doha, rather than Doha to London, not sure why, but would be interested to know the reasoning. The in flight entertainment was poor. However the worse aspect of the flight was the food and service. Although I am not a veggie, I often order a veggie meal on a flight as it usually arrives first. This time it did not Moreover when I opened the tray I saw it was just pasta, broccoli and carrots. It was cold and unappetising. I asked for the fish option instead and was told that I could not have that as I had ordered the veggie option and I had to eat that. She was unbelievablely rude. The rest of the food was substandard also, the fruit had no taste, nor did the yellow rice. I do not expect a slap up Mel on board, but I do expect something edible on a long haul flight. I subsequently asked for a complaint form from one of the senior cabin staff. She later bought some fruit, but that hardly made up for a missed meal. The craziest thing was just as we were coming into land I was offered a piece of cake. Also the most ironic hint was that I did not get a veggie option for the snack. Instead I got a chicken sandwich! Towards the end of the flight the cabin crew who refused to serve me fish said she had been to busy to bring me a meal. Clearly, she has not read a job description.

My daughter who has epilepsy had a seizure. I asked for water, not an unreasonable request. But It took so long to come, I had to run to the back of the plane to get it myself leaving my daughter on her own not ideal. It would have been nice if they could have asked me if I needed any help at the other end. An obvious help would be to let us off first and have somebody meet us with a wheelchair. Instead I had to try to my daughter through the airport while she was having seizures. Being a cynic, i am sure the attitude would have been vastly different if we had been business class passengers.

JeanetteTan flew Qatar Airways Economy (28/12/2012 09:40)

I'm rather fedup with Qatar Airways myself. I flew Qatar KL-Doha-Ankara, Istanbul-Doha-KL less than a week ago. It was a miserable experience.

On 3 of the 4 flights, the inflight entertainment screen didn't work for myself and at least 3 others in my group. The planes were so old I was afraid the lack of maintenance on the screens indicated a lack of maintenance on other, more critical parts of the planes. The remote control for the screen was fixed on the armrest for two planes, so resting your arm meant no entertainment. Not too much for a problem for me, as my screen was frozen for 8 hours.

On two of the flights, I had to have the same meal because they had run out. I asked for tomato juice at the first meal on the first flight, and hot water on the 1st meal at the last flight, and am still waiting for my drinks.

Most of their staff (including attendants) have yet to learn how to smile.

In addition, my luggage was damaged enroute to Ankara and their ground crew decided to ignore me (I was first in line) and helped a local. Then they told me that it was a good thing I had travel insurance or I would not get any compensation. My parents' luggage was damaged on the way back. It was the same story again.

Would I take Qatar Airways again? Not likely! It's back to EVA and Cathay Pacific for me.

Tidmtrax flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (20/12/2012 17:47)

PVG-DOH-LHR
My return was three days later on QR889 departure at 0010. Boeing 777 Check-in was busy but with a separate Business check in was speedy enough.

Boarding passes supplied for this and the final leg back to LHR. Security was fairly busy but moved along at a fair pace without too much trouble. I did set the alarm off as I want through the scanner and stood on the podium to be frisked by a female member of security, no waiting for a male member of staff to be free in Shanghai.

The lounge that Qatar uses is No 69 and nothing to write home about. Very little on offer and I can rarely get connected to the Wi-Fi. For me the timing of the flight is perfect as I can work all day have dinner with some suppliers and then go to the airport.

Boarding started at 1125 and appeared to be controlled chaos, although Business class were allowed to board as required through the front door in to certain calm.

Shown to my seat 2E by CC and offered a drink. Hot towels came round (the first of five such towel events on this flight)

The return flight PVG – Doh takes almost ten hours as it is routed north towards Beijing and then across the Himalayas down to Pakistan and Doha, as it is a night flight pyjamas were supplied along with a small amenity bag ear plugs eye shade and socks. Noise cancelling headphones are supplied and the Oryx entertainment system is ready and waiting, as soon as you sit down. It is interrupted by the crew and safety briefing but it is not to annoying.

Drinks were offered and I had another glass of the Sauvignon Blanc. Take off was on time and the CC were quickly out setting the tables again with tablecloth, napkin, individual china salt and pepper pots and metal cutlery. Not a full meal service at this time but what Qatar calls an indulgence.

King Crab Tacos, Cauliflower Soup with Crème Fraiche, Arabic mezze, poached Salmon salad, Smoked Turkey and Mozzarella Toasted Focaccia, Cheese plate (mature cheddar, castello blue and Port Salut), fresh fruits. Teas and Coffee. Other airlines would call that a meal. I only ate the Mezze as I was quite tired I got the seat flat, changed again into my pyjama top Ear-plugs in, eye shade on and sleep for almost seven hours.

Being woken as requested by a mug of strong tea. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for the crew. Breakfast was served for those that wanted it the cabin cleared and we landed 30 minutes early.

I was booked on QR 007 which meant a quick 90 minutes layover, enough time to get some Arabian sweets and dates a cup of tea and catch up with the emails. The lounge filled up quickly as again early morning is a busy time.

Flight called and back on the bus and out for the last leg. Another A330 but again as it was an early morning flight. Welcomed on board and shown to my seat 12F, hot towel along with Mint and Lemon drink.

The A330 only has angled lie flat and although some find them uncomfortable, I find that I can happily sleep with it reclined, I am only 5`7” and find all the angles just right for a comfortable sleep although not intending to go to sleep I did dose off for about 1 hour.

Good crew with excellent and efficient service with yet another breakfast offered. Time it right with your transfers and you can eat (if inclined) three breakfast in about four hours.

Another uneventful flight apart from an extremely loud snorer (female) in 12A that I could hear over the noise cancelling headphones (they were not broken) she was woken by her friend and remained awake for the rest of the flight looking rather sheepish.

Arrival in to LHR 1215 T4 was on time and the taxi to the stand was quick. Doors opened and through fast track immigration very quickly. Walked back to Short term car park and back on the M25 by 1300.

All in all another enjoyable flight with QR all sectors comfortable with excellent CC, food and wine, Cost £1708.00 return with no Saturday night as part of the fare condition. Yes it takes longer then a direct flight but as it is my money and time with schedules that suit, I would currently choose another operator.

Tidmtrax flew Qatar Airways Business (20/12/2012 17:44)

Qatar Airways LHR DOH PVG Business Class
Arrived LHR 0700 for QR 0008 at 0950 T4. I parked in the Short term car park level two which was virtually empty.

In to the terminal and check is quick and efficient, boarding passes for both flights and the premium terminal transfer handed over. Through security with out to much hassle (Sunday) and proceeded to the lounge. Met at the door and asked if I wanted my bags stowed, take a shower or just have a drink and some breakfast.

A drink and breakfast was all I needed. In fact I had already planned again to have the eggs benedict and some tea it all arrived nicely presented and freshly cooked. By the time I had finished the lounge had was filling up and the egg benedict looked to be a favourite choice.

We were asked by the lounge staff to board at 0920 and proceed to gate 7 almost opposite the lounge. Boarded by the front door and through the First class cabin 1-2-1 and into the front section of business class, as this was a three class A300 I had chosen 10F (row 10) which is in its own small area of just 6 seats. 2-2-2.

Once boarded offered a drink and chose the Lemon and Mint. Doors closed on time but due to an incident on one of the runways all take off and departure were held for approx. 30 minutes, we were never told what the problem was but as soon as they reopened the runway we pushed back to join an extensive line of aircrafts, total delay was about an hour. This was of no concern for me as I had a 5 hour layover in Doha before my next flight, although I imagine that this would cause an issue for someone with a tighter connection.

As this was a day flight the fact that it was not a fully flatbed did not worry me as I had already decided that I was going to enjoy the fine wines the great food and catch up on some films. An extra bonus was that 10E remained empty.

Orders were taken before take-off for our pre-lunch drinks, lunch, and what we would also like to drink with Lunch, the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was wonderful. Inflight entertainment on the Oryx system was superb although not as extensive as on the 777.

The rest of the flight passed without incidence I did not sleep as for me it was a day flight, another meal/snack was provided before landing.

Transfer to the terminal by bus was uneventful.
Premium terminal. Instead of the 5 hours 40 minutes I expected I only got just over 4 hours due to the delayed departure from LHR.

My arrival time was early evening so still very quiet in the lounge, found a seat ordered a drink and settled down to catch up on some emails etc. flight to PVG was 0110 so at 2300 went and had a shower some dinner from one of the three eating areas and relaxed until the flight was called at 0050.

By this time the lounge was filling up and could see some frustrations from several couples wanting to sit together.

DOH – PVG
Bus Transfer again uneventful and took approx. 15 minutes, I had chosen 2E on this flight QR888 a 777 300, I prefer an aisle seat and either 2E or 2F are my preference.

Cabin on this flight was half full but 2F was occupied so no extra space for me. Not that you really need it with these full flat seats and plenty of stowage. Again a welcome drink was offered and orders taken for food. Pyjamas and a small kit of Salvatore Feragamo samples supplied along with ear plugs, eye mask and socks.

Although I had eaten in the terminal with the intention to get some sleep as soon as we took off the draw of King Prawn’s & Scallops on a bed of uden noodles meant I had a late snack, how do Qatar manage to present the food in such a professional way every time?

Again fantastic taste washed down by another couple of glasses of the Sauvignon Blanc. Watched a film during this time and then changed in to pyjama top. I usually travel in jeans (not skin tight) so have never used the bottoms. These pyjamas must be some of the best out there now as regards fit (personal opinion) and comfort, much better than the older thicker off white ones.

Earplugs in (bio silicone plugs from all leading chemist) eye mask on and 5 hours later woke to a cabin having breakfast. Although only an hour from landing I was served what I wanted without any fuss or scowls.

Landed at 1400 15 minutes ahead of schedule but by the time we taxied to the stand arrival was 1420. I was not looking forward to the expected queue at immigration but was pleasantly surprised to see more and more staff opening up as several flights had obviously landed together, within 10 minutes I was through and in arrivals 45 minutes after landing and heading to the Maglev.

GrahamTonge flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-300 (238 seats) (18/12/2012 14:22)

Departing Doha for Manchester on the 7:40 am flight I had plenty of time to relax in Doha's famed business class terminal which offers superb facilities to dine, relax and work. It's like a five star hotel except for the faux leather seat upholstery which is a really cheap touch. Duty free here is limited.

My previous flight was on board a Boeing 777 which has a fantastic cabin so I found the cabin on the Airbus 330 very cramped in comparison and almost felt like I'd been down graded if it wasn't for the very hard working cabin crew who never stopped working through out the flight.

As usual the drinks on offer were quality , the food however was forgettable.
On arrival in Manchester my baggage was third off on the carousel and within 15 minutes of landing I was walking through the exit door of the terminal, great.

GrahamTonge flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (18/12/2012 13:52)

Flying Bangkok to Doha on the 2 am flight, check in was seamless and I was soon in the Royal Orchid lounge waiting departure. Having visited this lounge on previous occasions I chose to give the pasties and sandwiches a miss, but it does offer a reasonable drinks selection.

The business class cabin on board the Boeing 777 really is superb and very comfortable, plenty of space to work, relax and sleep. The cabin crew weren't as attentive as they normally are and I wasn't offered a menu. I did though very much enjoy the lemongrass chicken salad.

frustratedflyer flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B787 Dreamliner (05/12/2012 19:35)

This was just a short flight (45 min) between Dubai and Doha.

I was shown to my seat and offered a drink and newspaper. Menus were given out and an order for food and drink taken.

This was served promptly after take off and cleared just a promptly.

The seat was very comfortable. I did not try and sleep but I could see it would be great for sleeping. It was my first time on a 787 and I was amazed at the spaciousness of the cabin.

My favourite seats are probably 1A or 1K but with a 1-2-1 configuration none are bad!
There are two seats at the rear of the cabin by the bar area/toilet and not sure these would be the best.

Overall great service, food, seat and plane and looking forward to trying it on a long haul flight.

HafizChaudhry flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a B777-300ER (29/11/2012 17:29)

Qatar airline is the worst airline I have ever traveled with so far. I only had to get Qatar because I didn't have any other options available, I usually fly with Emirates or Etihad. Qatar airline has the worst customer service, extra fees which are never mentioned on the ticket and their customer representative say upfront "You have already bought the ticket and there is nothing you can do about it". The customer representatives are rude and they are not there to help you out. These people are rip offs and they say it's apparently "The best airline" That's just crap!! Do NOT ever fly with Qatar. Look at the reviews of this airline on all these sites and decide for yourself.

peterandrew62 flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (28/11/2012 18:30)

Having transitted from Perth and arrived early, had sat in the premium lounge and had some scrambled egg, headed off to the bus and was taken to the other side of the runway to a big parking station of planes. As last leg of my holiday had a glass of Bollinger Rose champagne pre take off. Push back late by about 30 minutes, with people arriving late. Short taxi to run way and take off soon afterwards. Enjoyed breakfast of fresh fruit with ricotta, followed by a mushroom frittata, with tomato and potatoes, with the bakery basket, with some tea.

Lights were dimmed down, but watched the last marigold hotel, sound system a bit ropy, including the music. Enjoyed a gin & tonic, with nuts before enjoying an excellent cream of cauliflower soup, followed by cheese and biscuits. Female crew polite and pleasant.

Still landed at LHR 10 minutes early, despite being misty and only seeing land as we crossed the M25. Bags collected without any problems. Overall very good flight experience and keenly priced high quality product, well done.

GrahamTonge flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (28/11/2012 11:06)

Departing Doha for Bangkok the business class lounge was so full there was no available seating. Thus unable to sample any of the refreshments on offer. Then waited inside a bus for 45 minutes en route to the aircraft.

On board the Boeing 777 the business class cabin is superb, the service even better. Nice wines and champagne. The food ranged from appalling (I sampled the chicken teriyaki and I doubt my Labrador would of got its teeth through it.) to just ok.

The flight arrived in Bangkok 40 minutes early but this saving was lost having to wait around the baggage carousel until my bag turned up in the middle of the economy baggage.

GrahamTonge flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (228 seats) (28/11/2012 09:50)

Manchester to Doha. Had to wait at check in because the business class desk were dealing with economy passengers.

Qatar use the sub business class Escape lounge at Manchester which had a few sandwiches on display and half a dozen bottles of larger in the fridge as well as pastries nuts and a reasonable non alcoholic drinks selection.

On board it's a comfortable seat in the upright position, less so fully reclined. Enjoyed the music selection on the entertainment system but found the movie choices lacking.

Cabin crew absolutely fantastic. Food very good, particularly the English afternoon tea which was outstanding. Ice cream served was terrible though.

peterandrew62 flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (24/11/2012 13:37)

Arrived at Perth airport just over 2 hours before departure and after a short queue was checked in with new boarding pass after checking in on line, security was busy but flowed over 15 minutes of queuing, there was a busy emirates flight a head of us.

After a bit of a shop, headed to the Malaysian lounge, which was comfortable and had an adequate array of food and drink. Told we'd board at 22.25 20 minutes a head of departure time, but were called at 22.15.

Short walk to the plane and was welcomed and shown to seat 2A, again very spacious business seat, Lanson delivered to seat, push back about 5 minutes early, then a short taxi and off a few minutes later.

Very attentive oriental male member of crew, listened and I got my G & T with lime (despite asking I still seem to get lemon, even on similar legs), enjoyed the salad starter and duck was removed as requested, followed by salmon as my main.

Excellent choice and level of service. Off to sleep and breakfast was followed as we awoke, muesli, even asked how much milk I wanted as it was poured for me, bread bowl and tea.

Arrived 20 minutes early in Doha and were transfered to the premium terminal.

peterandrew62 flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (24/11/2012 13:03)

Transitted from premium lounge having arrived from LHR, bus for business passengers, boarded and welcomed by Cabin service director, glass of Veuve Cliquot, flight in bound had arrive late so left over 30 minutes late, but only medium taxi and took off into the night.

Pre-dinner drinks and meal service with a scallop and prawn dish washed down with some burgundy.

Very spacious, as no first on this flight. Awoke and individual breakfast orders taken as we woke up, enjoyed the muesli and a bread bowl with croissant, toast and a muffin, tea came in a mug.

Landed about 15 minutes late and needed to go the long way around to the international terminal just ahead of Emirates who landed after us. Immigration quick and asked by the lady why we were so slow getting in, explained about the runway and going via a long way around. Baggage arrived in good time and then through to be met by my friend, hols at last.

peterandrew62 flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (22/11/2012 18:43)

Checked in on line day before, only minor niggle was the telephone number which blocked and didn't give an explanation, until I worked out the need for international code, then was allowed to proceed.

Check in staff at Heathrow very polite, but didn't get my ETA checked on my passport as my final destination was Australia. After a wander a round terminal 4, headed for the lounge, wow.

Polite welcome and explanation, like being in a resturant, glass of champagne then chose the soup followed by the haloumi salad, had some petit fours for dessert. Lounge got busier as second flight departed soon after, but was still fine.

Called and headed on board,ETA checked on boarding as fine.
Welcomed by Thomas, French cabin attendant and had a glass of Billecart Salmon champagne, pre-take off.

Push back slightly late, but short taxi and soon in the air, good by Heathrow standards. G & T with some nuts, then enjoyed the arabic mezze followed by a vegetable mekhani curry, washed down with Mersault white.

Relaxed with the seat stretched out, then enjoyed afternoon tea before arrival. Was in a single row separated from 1st class and the galley behind, so nice spot.

Clear landing arrangement made for Premium terminal, touched down close to schedule. Excellent flight and outstanding crew.

SamWardill flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (21/09/2012 06:10)

Check in
Even though I had selected my seats in advance, I checked in for my flight to Chennai from London Heathrow via Doha online just in case this speeded up the airport bag drop. As it transpired this did not help me out because, when I arrived at Heathrow T4 at 6:15am there was no queue for the Business class check in. The check in assistant took my bags and told me where to find the lounge. I was able to use the premium security lane so was airside in no time.

Heathrow Lounge
Qatar use one of the old BA lounges by gate 6 in Heathrow T4. They have refitted it completely and it is a tranquil oasis. Food and drink are served to you from an a la carte menu. I had a sumptuous breakfast of cereal, eggs hollandaise with smoked salmon, smoothie and coffee. The lounge has everything that you would need and is very pleasant.

Boarding
We were personally invited to board by the lounge attendant and were quickly on the plane via a premium boarding queue and our own ramp. Once seated I was offered a drink and given a menu and amenity kit. We took off shortly after the scheduled departure time of 8am.

In Flight Service
Soon after takeoff we were served another sumptuous breakfast. It was a very good meal (one of the best I had experienced on a plane). The crew were excellent and service was polished. Prior to arrival in Doha we were served a choice of snacks and light meals. I had a Indian chicken dish with rice which again was excellent.

Seat
The seat was an angled lie flat bed. It was not particularly comfortable and gave me a bad back. It was also quite difficult to operate and a few times I had to get out of the seat in order to get it into the position I wanted.

IFE
The screen was large and we were supplied with noise cancelling headphones. The selection of films & TV was poor. I checked out a few online reviews on my iphone before we left Heathrow. I could not find any recent films that warranted more than 3* in the Guardian film review (other than Hunger Games which I had seen before). Few of the TV shows were from series that I had heard of. I was glad that I had a few films on my iPad which, refreshingly, like the IFE, they allowed passengers to use during takeoff and landing.

Transfer
On arrival in Doha we were bussed to the Qatar airways premium terminal. This was another tranquil oasis with a selection of a la carte refreshments (none of which I ate having gorged in the Heathrow lounge and on the plane). Again we were called personally to board (via another bus).

Flight Doha – Chennai
The service from Doha to Chennai was disappointing in comparison to the London Doha flight. We were not offered and amenity kit with eyeshades and socks despite the fact it was almost a 5 hour flight departing at 8:05pm. Cabin crew asked me what I wanted to eat and then when I pointed out that I had not been offered a menu told me that it was in the seat pocket (as if I should have realised). The purser was one of those who thought his role was to constantly greet all of the passengers rather than ensuring that his team delivered excellent service. I think that my experience on this sector was not isolated as I got similar service on the return journey.

Baggage
Despite being priority tagged my baggage arrived towards the end (which was not welcome at 3:30am). However I think this is a factor of Indian baggage handling rather than Qatar service as I have experienced it before (my colleague used to ask check-in staff not to tag his luggage as priority when travelling to India as he suspected it slowed down arrival rather than speeded it up).

In summary
Excellent lounge service and in flight service from London to Doha let down by a poor seat, limited choice on the IFE and poor service from Doha to Chennai. On this route I would probably make the same choice again as the price was 1/3 of that offered by BA despite the fact that BA could only fly me direct in one direction due to a limited schedule. I ended up getting Avios for the flight anyway via a bmi partnership (however I’m not sure how long that will last). I’d also hope next time to be rostered on one of Qatar’s new 787s that apparently will have proper lie flat beds.

SamWardill flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (20/09/2012 20:07)

Check in
Even though I had selected my seats in advance, I checked in for my flight to Chennai from London Heathrow via Doha online just in case this speeded up the airport bag drop. As it transpired this did not help me out because, when I arrived at Heathrow T4 at 6:15am there was no queue for the Business class check in. The check in assistant took my bags and told me where to find the lounge. I was able to use the premium security lane so was airside in no time.

Heathrow Lounge
Qatar use one of the old BA lounges by gate 6 in Heathrow T4. They have refitted it completely and it is a tranquil oasis. Food and drink are served to you from an a la carte menu. I had a sumptuous breakfast of cereal, eggs hollandaise with smoked salmon, smoothie and coffee. The lounge has everything that you would need and is very pleasant.

Boarding
We were personally invited to board by the lounge attendant and were quickly on the plane via a premium boarding queue and our own ramp. Once seated I was offered a drink and given a menu and amenity kit. We took off shortly after the scheduled departure time of 8am.

In Flight Service
Soon after takeoff we were served another sumptuous breakfast. It was a very good meal (one of the best I had experienced on a plane). The crew were excellent and service was polished. Prior to arrival in Doha we were served a choice of snacks and light meals. I had a Indian chicken dish with rice which again was excellent.

Seat
The seat was an angled lie flat bed. It was not particularly comfortable and gave me a bad back. It was also quite difficult to operate and a few times I had to get out of the seat in order to get it into the position I wanted.

IFE
The screen was large and we were supplied with noise cancelling headphones. The selection of films & TV was poor. I checked out a few online reviews on my iphone before we left Heathrow. I could not find any recent films that warranted more than 3* in the Guardian film review (other than Hunger Games which I had seen before). Few of the TV shows were from series that I had heard of. I was glad that I had a few films on my iPad which, refreshingly, like the IFE, they allowed passengers to use during takeoff and landing.

Transfer
On arrival in Doha we were bussed to the Qatar airways premium terminal. This was another tranquil oasis with a selection of a la carte refreshments (none of which I ate having gorged in the Heathrow lounge and on the plane). Again we were called personally to board (via another bus).

Flight Doha – Chennai
The service from Doha to Chennai was disappointing in comparison to the London Doha flight. We were not offered and amenity kit with eyeshades and socks despite the fact it was almost a 5 hour flight departing at 8:05pm. Cabin crew asked me what I wanted to eat and then when I pointed out that I had not been offered a menu told me that it was in the seat pocket (as if I should have realised). The purser was one of those who thought his role was to constantly greet all of the passengers rather than ensuring that his team delivered excellent service. I think that my experience on this sector was not isolated as I got similar service on the return journey.

Baggage
Despite being priority tagged my baggage arrived towards the end (which was not welcome at 3:30am). However I think this is a factor of Indian baggage handling rather than Qatar service as I have experienced it before (my colleague used to ask check-in staff not to tag his luggage as priority when travelling to India as he suspected it slowed down arrival rather than speeded it up).

In summary
Excellent lounge service and in flight service from London to Doha let down by a poor seat, limited choice on the IFE and poor service from Doha to Chennai. On this route I would probably make the same choice again as the price was 1/3 of that offered by BA despite the fact that BA could only fly me direct in one direction due to a limited schedule. I ended up getting Avios for the flight anyway via a bmi partnership (however I’m not sure how long that will last). I’d also hope next time to be rostered on one of Qatar’s new 787s that apparently will have proper lie flat beds.

ShazKhan flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-300 (281 seats) (22/03/2012 22:37)

Flying with Qatar from Geneva to Doha (Airbus 330-300) and then on a shiny new Boeing 777-300 from Doha to Bangkok, I can definitely conclude that Qatar Airways offer great value for money.

Though the hostesses were not the warmest, they were efficient and responsive, always with a smile and generally helpful.

The cabin experience was pleasant with the ambient coloured lighting and though there was more space for the legs on the A330 the B777 was generally more comfortable and fresher, however note that the window seats have significantly less leg room due to the entertainment system unit that sits under the seat. The entertainment system itself was one like I have never experienced. With a fantastic choice of films, tv shows and documentaries, I could start watching from the moment I sat down to the moment we landed, with no interruptions by cabin announcements.

The food was nothing exceptional, but then economy airline food rarely is. Generally, the pre- and inflight experience with Qatar Airways was very smooth and easy – they were even generous with my hand baggage allowance and made no comment when I embarked with four carry-on bags, though granted they were all quite small.

I brought a full-size pillow with me and had a window seat which allowed me to get comfortable enough to sleep for several hours of the journey.

I would definitely fly them again long-haul, but would definitely have to bring my pillow for additional comfort!

Home@FL350 flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (14/03/2012 14:29)

ARN - DOH

Routinely flying Qatar Airways in Business Class, it is always a let-down to find oneself demoted, but alas this was the situation when recently treating the family to a holiday in Dubai - flown in Economy.

To my delight, I found my (admittedly low) expectations unfounded and in fact consider our experience on Qatar Airways a benchmark for other carriers to follow. We had ready, fresh comparisons to make as we have travelled long-haul on both American Airlines and British Airways (separate trips) over the past 3 months.

Boarding was efficient - families with children being allowed to board first.

To start with, our request for a bassinette (for our infant) was granted - giving us the best seats in Economy (lots of leg-room). After boarding, and before take-off, the crew stopped by on at least 4 occasions to ask if there was anything they could do to help us prepare for the flight. 2 children's bags were then given to us (one of which included a digital watch and the other a brand-named soft toy), shortly followed by sweets for our older child.

After take-off, one of the flight attendants again stopped by and said she'd like to take our older (3 years old) child's meal order first as they wanted to be sure that some of the options had not run out by the time they got to our row.

Immediately following, another flight attendant stopped by to give our younger child a fairly large bag of food - including 3 jars of Gerber/Nestle-type baby food, a banana and other suitable and appropriate food for a child of that age.

Having flown some 10 long-haul return flights (more than half of them in business class with BA and Lufthansa) with children over the past 3 years, this was an absolute first for an infant/lap-child to be given his/her own baby food.

Even though the flights both outbound and return were nearly (or completely) full, the cabin crew couldn't do enough to make sure our children were well looked after - even offering to hold our infant should we need to visit the lav.

The service support for our children aside - we found the quality of food for us adults to be very good too. 3 choices of mains with a good selection of 3 reds and 3 white wines (in individual bottles) too.

Coffees were served with a pre-packaged biscuit/chocolate that we purchase at our own local market for 1.5 GBP/2.5 USD each. A nice, if not somewhat luxurious, touch for economy. When the cabin crew were not serving meals or refilling drinks (beer or wine), they proactively walked through the cabin on at least 3 occasions to offer water or juice from a tray.

The entertainment system seemed to have the same type and selection of options that I am used to in QR's business class and the screen (at least at the bulkhead - bassinette row) was about the same size at BA's CW screen.

The flight arrived on-time.

Baggage was slow to arrive eventhough the bags were tagged "priority" due to my Gold status with Qatar Airways - but this is an airport issue, not under thedirect control of the airline I understand.

All in all, we experienced a very fine Economy class product with an efficient and enthusiastic crew.

And, a bag full of pre-packaged chocolate biscuits to enjoy - courtesy of the purser who handed them over as we departed the aircraft.....

LuganoPirate flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (14/03/2012 11:28)

Continuing our journey to Milan from Johannesburg via Doha we boarded the A330-200 which looked like it had been constructed by Noah it was so old! We'd had our seats changed from 4 A, B to 14 A,B which is just in front of economy. As the Business Class was almost empty it wasn't a problem to change them to 11 A and B.

However these are the seats that do not go flat and so you sleep at an angle. To try and find a comfortable sitting position was also very difficult but I more or less managed in the end. However on the 330 the tables do not fit flush with the arm rest so it's quite uncomfortable unless you put a pillow there, which we did. If you are travelling alone this may be awkward if someone is sitting next to you. There is also nowhere to put your bits and pieces such as watch, glasses etc.

We had to wait almost an hour before take-off due to lots of airport traffic and thanks to a tailwind we only arrived 35 minutes late. The crew were very friendly if not quite as professional as Swiss, but did not mention you had to ask if you wanted something to eat as food is on request only, which I found rather strange! The choice was OK but could have been a bit more exciting.

However the Arabic Mezze I had were excellent. My son had the steak sandwich and he was very happy with it though found the addition of cheese a bit odd. My cheese was also very good as was the Port wine, one of the best I've ever had.

The F/A's seem to just disappear which meant having to use the call button every time you wanted a glass of water and to my annoyance and that of some other passengers, economy class pax kept wandering in and walking round. They also tried to use the toilets, and while some were turned away as they had to go into the galley area, many succeeded as the crew were all down the far front of the plane chatting.

All in all Qatar was fine and I would use them again if flying to the Far East from Europe, but I shall stick with Swiss where Swiss offer direct flights.

LuganoPirate flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (14/03/2012 11:01)

I flew JNB - DOH - MXP with my young son aged 8 after pressure from my wife to try Qatar, Swiss being my preffered choice.

Check-in at JNB was quick and smooth and we were quickly in the Shongolola lounge which is used by Qatar Business Class. This was very dissapointing as though there were many free tables, they were all littered with used cups, plates etc. We chose the "cleanest" with just two dirty glasses and for the whole 90 minutes we were there no-one came to clean up.

The food selection was also very poor consisting mainly of processed cheese, bread in front of a toaster and pre-prepared meals for reheating in a microwave. We took nothing except drinks.

We boarded quite quickly, but there was no seperation form C or Y pax, so we had a short wait for our boarding passes to be scanned. This done we went down the ramp and on board to our seats, 4J and K, where pyjama's, amenity kit etc were all waiting. Dinner orders were taken and shortly after our 2200 take-off the meal service began.

Being peckish but not wishing to eat so late at night I ordered the cream of mushroom soup which was disgusting. When asked if I enjoyed it, despite the bowl still being almost full, and giving my verdict, I was not offered anything else. I suppose I could have asked but I was too tired.

My son fell asleep very quickly as did I, after a frustrating and unsuccesful attempt to turn off the TV screen. About an hour later some ads started flashing and this woke me up. I called for the F/A and he also had no success so he covered it with a blanket. Not very technical but job done just the same!

Everyone elses seem to worked fine so it was my bad luck it happened to me, and Qatar's bad luck that the one screen that failed was mine and I'm probably the only passenger writing a report on it!

Landing was fine and we were 15 mins early. We de-planed onto a small bus reserved for Business Class. We then headed off for 5 mins to drop one person at Doha arrivals before turning back, driving past our plane back to the transit terminal. Of course we got stuck in all the airport traffic so only reached the terminal 20 mins later. I think they should have one bus for arrivals and one for transit.

At this point you go through security so at least that's over and done with, but there was by now a long queue with only one of three machines open. By the time we reached the x-ray machine the queue extended outside.

Once in the lounge we had to hunt for a free table, but at least everything was spotlessly clean with used dishes being taken away as soon as the table was vacated.

Breakfast was fine but the choices are poor. Just three cereals available and very little in the way of meats. It was a shame there were no Arabic dishes available but perhaps I just did not spot them.

Finally, my son and I wanted bacon! But there was only chicken bacon available. Ughhh! It's the rules apparently, no pork. I understand the point as it's a Muslim country, but then why serve alcohol? It's a bit hypocritical I think!

After just 40 minutes we headed back to the bus for boarding the next leg of our flight which went smoothly and I'll continue in the next report.

mgerard flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A340-600 (10/11/2011 02:55)

Qatar Business Class experience was very good.

The plane was in great shape. The cabin was immaculate and the flight attendants were professional, service oriented and well groomed.

The seat was not full flat but the seat was still very comfortable. Food was very good and the presentation was like a restaurant. Food was actually better than other business classes that I have flown. The personal screens were very large and the selection vast.

The only downside was boarding in Doha. The buses are not the best way to the plane and we sat on the tarmac for about 15 minutes while the crew readied the plane for boarding.

Qatar is really a first class experience no matter what class you fly.

jenchanted flew Qatar Airways Economy (16/10/2011 14:06)

I was on a 16 hour flight to Barcelona and was very uncomfortable because of the size of the seat. It was very hard to sleep and I had cramps on my legs. I'm a very petite person and quite slim and still I was having difficulty. Frankly, it seemed tighter than budget airlines I've been on before. But they did make up for it with the friendly and attentive service and the food is above average.

ODEWilliams flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A340-600 (01/08/2011 21:38)

I loved flying with Qatar Airways, The economy class service was really good, a lot better than some airlines business class service!

The entertainment was great. I flew from Heathrow to Doha, then from Doha to Nairobi, and for the first time, I stayed awake for the whole flight and wasn't bored for a minute!

The food was nice, however breakfast wasn't that great! the orange juice tasted cheap!

Overall definitely a 5* service and I would be honoured to fly with them again!

benjigco flew Qatar Airways Business, on a B777-300ER (24/07/2011 15:31)

On long haul flights, it's important that one feels the same pampering as he would in his own home or in whatever hotel he intends to stay. Which goes to the essence of choosing the right plane for your holiday. Qatar Airways is one airline that would be difficult to beat - not only in terms of service, but in the value for service as well. Among the airlines that flies to Europe, Qatar flying from Manila, Philippines has a great connection (flying out in the early morning and arriving to my destination around lunch time). While I hate the bus terminals at DOHA, I guess there's really no way out of this situation at the moment. Given that slight glitz in their airport, the DOHA airport terminal is outstanding in itself with the kind of service and features for the first and business class passengers. The shower at business class terminal had L'Occitane products and a great bath on the long haul gets one refreshed and ready for his final destination. The lie-flat bed seats on the 777-300ER was terrific as the extra space in between passengers provided great leverage. No matter where you sat (window or aisle), the extra spaces for various carry ons and the hidden beverage compartment on the seats featured functionality in the midst of style. Qatar deserves to be airline of the year on an overall scale. Here's traveling in style without compromising the cost of travel.

With the pros said, now the con. My connection from DOHA to Athens went smoothly. Upon arrival at Athens, my bag didn't come out. I asked the help of the ground personnel and they verified that there was no more bag left on the aircraft. It was weird because my partner's bag had come out first. And while my chauffer was waiting impatiently outside the terminal, the Qatar agents were frantically trying to get in touch with the DOHA agent to find out where my bags were. After almost 60 minutes of shuffling through the paperwork, they were informed that there is a bag tagged business class on the plane! Gosh! Now that's really sloppy work! But the people from Qatar were awfully nice that it was difficult to fault them. I told them to just talk to the baggage boys at the Athens terminal because this delay was unacceptable.

Charles-P flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-300 (305 seats) (30/06/2011 08:04)

My first flight with Qatar Airways and overall very positive. We left Doha very early for the six hour flight to Brussels, I had only 50 minutes to transfer between flights but the system worked well with short transfer passengers identified by special tickets. Boarding was quick with priority given to a couple of families that had very small children.

I shared the centre row of four with one other passenger so we each had an a spare seat next to us. Legroom was ok for economy although the seat back entertainment box does restrict foot room under the seat in front for every other seat.

The interactive film and TV system looked very good at first with a good choice of films and US/UK comedies regretfully the system failed after 15 minutes and despite attempts to reboot it the crew finaly gave up after an hour and said the system would not be working for the duration of the flight. (the moving map and games continued to work)
Food was blueberry muffin together with fruit, yoghurt and juice. All seemed fresh and tasted reasonable.

The staff were polite, helpfull and seemed to represent nearly every nation ! I saw them deal very well with a harrased young mother who was travelling with two children one of whom was six weeks old. They calmed her, helped with the children and checked on her during the flight to make her journey easier.
Arrival at Brussels was on time and we were quickly off loaded.

A good airline, Doha airport efficient despite being in the middle of redevelopment, good crew.

DazmanL flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (02/05/2011 13:43)

Overall this airline whips British airways in all areas bar one.. online check in.

Online check in is terrible on this airline. I wad travelling with my wife and it pre allocated us seats apart. When o tried to change to two free seats together it gave an unspecified error and just checked us in on the original seats and the system doesn't have options to change your allocation afterwards.

It looks like the reason for failure was that the seats were already booked but they showed as free!

AlsoI checked in at 36 hours before the fkight departed yet nearly every seat was reserved leading me to think that this airline pre checks everyone in making online check in a bit worthless.

ijavdun flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-300 (238 seats) (20/03/2011 22:52)

LGW/DOHA DOHA/DXB Flight was ok,they say they are a 5* airline!!!!!!!! I have been on a lot better charter flts. Food is terrible!! I would perfer to pay more and go direct to DXB with EX flts.

frustratedflyer flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a B777-300ER (15/11/2010 08:58)

Flying from Doha in economy is not much fun. At 6.00 am it took almost 20 minutes to get in the car to the drop of point. The volume of traffic was just too much and people were parking in a very selfish manner stopping others from doing so. Inside the terminal was no better. 20 minutes to drop bags after online check in and then a massive 30 minute queue for security/immigration. Whilst in the queue I looked at my boarding pass and found that my boarding start time was after the scheduled flight time although the check-in agent did not mention it or apologise for the delay. Whilst on the plane the captain did apologise for the delay and explained that it was due to connecting passengers arriving late on other flights. Not a great reason if you are not in transit!!

Signage at Doha airport is poor but the airport is modern. I wished I was in business at the premium terminal. The flight eventually left almost two hours late. The seat at IFE are better than on the A340 but I was frustrated that my viewing was interupted by information on the system, then the menu and finally rules for customs on arrival played several times.

Service was quite good and the seat quite comfortable. Food was better than average and there were some nice touches like hot towels before food. I was also pleased that they restricted the alcohol to the passenger beside me who was knocking it back rather too frequently!

SBingham flew Qatar Airways First, on a A340-600 (05/04/2010 22:32)

Good solid service and product, I miss the on board bar which has finally been removed. Caviar is still served though the menu has changed and not as good as in the past but compared to BA its excellent. The premium terminal at Doha is very good and i always enjoy the fine dinning and spa facilities.

aflyingscotsman flew Qatar Airways (20/03/2010 19:51)

I flew business class, at great expense, from Colombo to Doha. My seat did not work. No power at all. The cabin crew fussed around me for 2 hours, asking me to stand up then sit down over and over while they tried to fix it. It still did not work. The flight was full so I could not be moved to another seat. I completed a complaints form on board, and a month later still no response. I was asked to talk to the ground crew about compensation but they fobbed me off. This is not a five star airline!

aflyingscotsman flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-200 (260 seats) (22/02/2010 15:04)

LGW - DOH. This was my first time with Qatar in their business class section. They do not have a dedicated lounge at LGW and instead I had to use the Servisair lounge, which was rather poor - crowded and poor quality refreshments.

Boarding was initially fast - business passengers invited to board before anyone else (there was no first class on this flight). The cabin crew were very welcoming and I was offered a choice of drinks immediately - which was useful as we had to then wait for the economy passengers to board, all of them walking through the business section. This was rather irritating.

The flight departed on time - the crew having already taken my post-takeoff drink and also my dinner orders.

The quality of the food was very good, with a reasonable choice of drinks. There was plenty of everything.

The seat was quite comfortable, but is not lie-flat so was not good for sleeping.

The cabin crew were very attentive throughout the flight and nothing seemed too much trouble.

The Oryx entertainment system functioned well and had a wide variety of television, film, sport and games. Limited compared to other airlines however.

On arrival at Doha we were loaded onto a separate bus (from the economy passengers) and taken to the premium terminal. We were subject to more security checks which caused some delay as there seemed to be another flight in front of us.

Once inside I was impressed by the standard of the waiting area. There are two restaurants (both self-service) and many staff there to take orders for drinks and nibbles in the main waiting area. There are a couple of smoking rooms. The bathroom facilities were excellent - I was able to take a shower and freshen up.

Departure onto the next leg of my journey (to Sri Lanka) involved the bus again and seemed slightly chaotic with several points of delay.

mkhoory flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A340-600 (15/05/2009 21:54)

I flew on Qatar Airways from Dubai bound to Bangkok via Doha. The A340-600 flew DOH-BKK-DOH route. The service was excellent and the staff were very friendly. However, there was a technical fault with my seat, it didn't recline, only after several attempts and when the aircraft came to land, they seat did not move to the up right position!! Unfortunately to me, there was a technical fault with my seat, AGAIN, on the return flight, I was very disappointed. The purser couldn’t offer me another seat as the flight was full. The leg room very tight, as if you’re placing your feet in another pair of shoes. As for the in-flight entertainment, Oryx Entertainment, there varieties of movies were not as much as ICE entertainment system on Emirates, and every time you start movie, it has to start with a 2 minute advertisement.

viking01 flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A340-600 (04/02/2009 10:32)

LHR - DOH. Only lie-flat rather than fully flat but fine for shorter flights when you can only get a few hours sleep anyway. Good choice of food and wine and great staff.

canoepunkie flew Qatar Airways Economy (short haul) (14/01/2009 10:35)

I've flown a lot on Qatar airways (I'm Gold in their 'privilege' club) and usually in economy.

Depending on the season, the planes can be full of holiday travellers and thus the flights are either very comfortable (when relatively empty) or a nightmare (screaming babies, inexperienced travellers getting drunk, shouting to each other, blocking the aisles etc). Cabin staff do their best but are often frazzled.

Problem is, Qatar economy is very inexpensive so, as business trips must be cost effective, I end up using them.

On short hops in the Gulf they often put on these 'Just for Laughs' type TV shows - but they insist on playing the soundtrack. I've given up complaining and now carry earplugs, and try to take other carriers.

AndrewPorter flew Qatar Airways Business, on a A330-300 (281 seats) (08/01/2009 11:07)

Great service from Qatar, the business class on my flight Manchester to Doha was small and intimate. The cabin was half full and I was on my own which allowed me to use both TV screens in the paired seats. I'm quite tall (1.95m) so the seat headrest wasn't high enough (they never are)and I didn't try to sleep. Food was not too fancy but only a snack really. Service excellent with all staff adressing me as 'Mr Andrew'. Surreal moment was being served 'English Afternoon Tea' high over Baghdad. The stopover terminal at Doha for business and first class is amazing service standards very high.

mohammad2 flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A340-600 (14/12/2008 17:04)

Good

AGilchrist flew Qatar Airways First, on a A340-600 (29/11/2008 12:48)

Extremely comfortable seats and plenty of room but good if you want to sleep, the screens feel a little small compared to some other first class products. The lounge area is fabulous for getting away from your seat and having a drink or reading.

romeopapa flew Qatar Airways Economy, on a A330-300 (305 seats) (06/10/2008 09:53)

One of the best airlines I have flown with. I fly economy, but the service is first class

flylite flew Qatar Airways Economy (26/09/2008 10:06)

I had a very short stop at Doha airport, connecting from Mumbai to Heathrow, and was worried I might miss my flight, but the transfer at Doha was quick and painless. Excellent. The flight was comfortable and the IFE was good, with my own screen, stop-start functions and even games. Good choice of films. Highly recommended.

flylite flew Qatar Airways Economy (short haul) (26/09/2008 10:00)

My flight from Mumbai to Doha didn't have a seatback screen, so this is wrong. There was only one film showing, which wasn't a great one! Service and decor was a little shabby, but on time. Food was ok, as far as plane food goes.