Qatar Airways

Flew Business class on Goa-Doha-New York (JFK) on 13 Nov and return on 27 Nov New York (JFK) - Doha-Goa. The flight from Goa to Doha was an A321 which did not have fully lie flats seats but recliner type seats which were ok considering the flight was short and lasted only for about 3.5 hours. The service on the flight was excellent and staff addressed you by name. The food was good but it was more in the continental style. The premium lounge in Doha was superb with an excellent spread and nice ambience. The shower areas were great. The flight from Doha to JFK was a Boeing 777-300 ER which had fully lie flat seats and were really comfortable. The AVOD system was good. Service provided by staff was again excellent and they made an extra effort to make you comfortable. Pyjamas sets were provided plus Salvatore Ferragmo pouches. Food was good but again of continental style rather the Middle Eastern style which was my preference. The luggage arrived before economy class and we were out clearing immigration in no time. On the return flight from JFK airport the American Airlines lounge called the Admirals lounge was pathetic you could only get one coke water or beer per person. You could have a few cookies some fruit and some salty titbits as complimentary everything else you had to pay for. The return flight was very similar to outbound flight and same great service was provided with similar amenities. All in all a very satisfying experience and we would surely fly Qatar airways again.

Stockholm-Doha-Kochi (India) on Nov 26. I have done this trio many times with QR and I'm very satisfied. The new Dreamliner from Stockholm to Doha is very comfortable spacious and silent. But I couldn't see that the windows were bigger! A spacious galley with fruits cakes and an unopened champagne bottle. Plenty of space for legs hand baggage and computer reading materials and other small things at the seat. The toilet are very spacious. On the Doha-Kochi sector they have put in bigger aircraft's with "angled lie flat chairs" in Business class. A big improvement to the old planes on this sector. Very friendly staff competent they managed to make my computer hook on to the WiFi system onboard. In QR business class you can get food served whenever you want. On an earlier flight on the same sector they wanted to serve a third dinner on the flight Doha-Kochi (the two earlier were on Stockholm-Doha and in Doha terminal) but I asked for breakfast instead and they gave me a really good breakfast! The staff was apologetic that they couldn't give me an omelette but I tried to convince them that it didn't matter. I call that service. I feel the staff onboard is QR's best resource airport staff are very good too.

MAN-DOH-BKK-HAN-SGN-DOH-MAN. Really impressed with the seats service and entertainment on all flights. World class airline in same bracket as Emirates and Etihad. Arguably Singapore Airlines still marginally superior. 777 seats wider and entertainment system better than A330 however 2-4-2 layout is preferable for couples relative to the 3-3-3 777 layout. Fortunate to be upgraded to business on the red eye SGN - DOH flight which was great notwithstanding that particular A330 being an older example. Still extremely comfortable and accommodated an excellent night's sleep. Check in for all sectors fine Doha airport bus transfers a bit of a novelty but acceptable and soon to be replaced. Will certainly use the airline again if priced most competitively as was the case in this instance.

Bangkok-Doha-Cairo and back. All in all a very pleasant and civilized experience. Reservation and online check in and seat selection a breeze. At the airport very pleasant staff and my online check in had me bypass a rather huge line at the regular check in as I only needed a baggage drop off. The colour coding of Qatar Airways and the airport is great. The check-in was handled in Bangkok perfectly with rows as well as seats navigated from the left 1 and 2 doors. This resulted in a very speedy and no stress boarding of a fully booked huge airliner. Staff were great with a personal service but without the over-cheesy attitude of another Middle Eastern airline. The food was good and the staff ran every 30-45 minutes with drink rounds. Connection was short and the airport OK. Flight to Cairo was good and the staff had to work double to control passengers that simply ignore every and each announcement from standing while landing etc. The return flight was good but certain points ruined the perfect first impression. Check in was closed but the screens were on and staff at economy check in with a large crowd. The boarding was terrible but I guess I can attest to the less than friendly Cairo terminal 1 holding gates that is barely enough for a small plane but not a 100% booked 777-300. It was a bit of chaos and people standing everywhere. Very claustrophobic. I would suggest Qatar to change its check in counters from the very tight side of T1 as there was no space whatsoever and to request 2 gates since at the moment of waiting to be bussed to the plane it was a less than 1 star experience. Otherwise the flights were on time food great and staff consistent. Definitely will recommend and I believe that the new airport in Qatar is desperately needed. The transfer was very easy and rather pleasant but the terminal was a bit too basic. So 7/10 just for not being able to handle check in and boarding as elegantly as in Bangkok. Qatar should look into it.

IAD-DOH Flight 708 on a 777-300 ER. Food was fine the guy at the check in counter changed my seat three times as people checked in to get me an empty bulkhead row so good on him. Onboard the service was awful. My flight attendant had a scowl rushed passed me at every opportunity and was really surly with requests.

4 Nov Houston-Doha QR714 and 15 Nov Doha-Houston QR713. Business class. Check in at Houston: the desk staff did not know whether coach class seats had power outlets. They do as anyone can find out on the Qatar Airways website. Continuing with the flight attendants. They all seemed to be in-training: could not remember to bring coffee or water even though they were very attentive just not very efficient. On both ways my choice of food was not available. I had to ask 2 or 3 times each way for dessert. The 777LR aircraft in a 2x2x2 business class configuration is not very comfortable being trapped for 16 hours between a window and a sleeping passenger. Doha Airport on both arrivals and departures is undeserving of the beautiful and progressive country of Qatar. Taking my hand luggage down the stairs up the bus off the bus up to immigration is a chore and nobody from the airline offered any help. Overall not a bad airline.

PER-DOH-LHR and return. Having never flown with Qatar (normally a Singapore customer) I was tempted by the price and time saved by flying through the Middle East. Can't really fault the experience too much and would recommend them. The PER-DOH flight was a 777 and very comfortable. Lots of leg room and space - felt very relaxed. Entertainment was good too with plenty of films etc. The new Dreamliner flight from DOH-LHR was nearly as good but definitely more cramped. Knees pressing against seat in front. Those IFE boxes have a lot to answer for especially on aisle seats - feet space is minimal. Luckily for me on all 4 flights I had no one sitting next to me so could stretch out. May have been lower score if flight was full. Food and service on all flights was as good as it gets although return trip to Perth was a bit lacking as they were tight with offering up water. Doha airport is in the middle of an upgrade so it was a bit chaotic but ok. Definitely would fly with them again.

TRV-DOH-LHR Nov 12 Business. My first Qatar flight taking advantage of the airline joining OneWorld. And in one word - excellent. A320 (or was it 321?) out of Trivandrum to Doha big comfortable seat - a proper business/1st class seat not a pretend one like most airlines use on their single-aisle short-haul aircraft. A 50-minute transfer in Doha which went very smoothly (would I have made it if I'd had baggage or been in economy?) and a lie-flat seat on a 777 to LHR. Very attentive FAs decent food excellent AVOD on time (actually half-hour early in to LHR thanks to wind).

MAN-DOH-BOM return 24th Oct. Standards have dropped compared to previous experiences out of 4 legs only on 2 legs reserved seats with infant were honoured. Staff attitude in air as well as on ground not very friendly.

BCN-DOH-DXB. A good flight but nothing impressive. Jacquart Champagne and Janneau Cognac were served during the flight cabin crew was very attentive. However food options limited and quite low-quality. IFE poor this time with a very small choice of new movies and music albums. Seats were quite comfortable. All-day snack is very repetitive for frequent flyer always the same pizza and almond cake! Transfer at Doha was ok but I hate that old airport. It's a good new to know that they will shift soon to new terminal.