Qatar Airways

MAN to BKK economy via Doha. Both legs delayed by at least an hour though boarding on-time. Was worried about connection at Doha but assured nothing to worry about as we had made up the lost hour. At Doha circled for over 30 mins before landing. Airport (state of the art new Hamad hub airport) in chaos due to smog. Face masks required all though airport! I have never experienced this in my life time. In-flight entertainment system excellent as are food and drinks services. This is an airline where staff appear happy in their jobs. On both legs one cooked meal (delicious) then one snack ( a wrap or a pasty) handed out. During flight soft drinks and snacks available. Good choice of free alcoholic drinks too including champagne by request. I don't usually travel economy class for long haul flights but it is well worth it with Qatar.

LHR-DOH-BKK-DOH-LHR. It's been a few years since I last flew QR so I was interested in seeing whether they'd kept their standards as high as I remembered. Largely I wasn't disappointed and having flown on 777/A330/A340/A380 I got to try out most of their LH types. Cabin crew are still as good aircraft interiors are still pristine (especially on the A380 although understandable as only 6 months old). Hamad International is a great improvement on the old Doha airport for transit. If I were to criticise anything it would be the food. This definitely seems to have deteriorated a bit. Two meals were absolutely inedible which was really surprising.

DOH-DFW business class on QR733 using 777-300 (changed equipment from 777-200). According to Wikipedia the 19th longest scheduled flight in the world (16h5m). Had seat 1A with no one beside me. Usual obliging service on board from a very courteous and professional crew. Have just got onto an American Airlines flight in first where I basically had my dinner tossed at me - what a difference from QR! Flight left DOH about an hour late due to an equipment change. Nice seat good food. I have no complaints about QR. For this trip I joined their mileage program. Before I was collecting miles on QR flights using my BA account but not getting much in terms of bonus miles or progress toward higher tier status. Decided to switch over to QR's program as I have a lot of travel with QR coming up.

A day before my return to LHR from BKK I received an email from Qatar offering me a good deal for an upgrade to Business Class which I took up. They were meant to start check-in process at BKK airport at 5 pm but did not do so till 5.20. Check in staff was excellent and efficient. I was offered a drink after boarding but not a hot or cold towel. The person next to me was offered both. I opted for a middle seat in order to have aisle access; configuration of 777 is 2-2-2. The seats are indeed very comfortable but there is not much privacy. I was rather disappointed again with the food. I was expecting a lot more. It was all nicely presented and the FAs do go out of their way to make one's journey enjoyable but I do not think the food was as good as people claim and I have had much better food on Cathay and BA in Business. The food from Doha to LHR was even less interesting. And on this leg on an A340-600 the seat was much smaller and with even less privacy. The person next to me almost damaged my glasses which I had put on the little shared area between the seats. The business lounge at Doha is superb but again the food was a let down. My option salmon was not available from the a la carte menu. I had a lamb which was hard and very salty. The buffet stuff looked like something from my local Waitrose and was simple. The snack area was far more interesting. They prepare whatever you want. Lovely. There are many areas in the lounge including a large business room next to which there is an area hardly anyone uses. The so-called 'quiet area' was anything but quiet: people snoring breaking winds pulling trolleys talking etc. The seats are extremely uncomfortable and in no way one can have a good nap there. I do not understand why they cannot put stuff like in the BA's cabanas at T5 with blankets. My verdict is that Qatar Business is good but definitely not well above that of Cathay or BA as people claim.

Recently flew LHR-AUH-LHR with a stopover in Doha. It wasn't my first time that I used QA but I sincerely hoped that their service will improve. I was wrong! Ground staff during the check-in at LHR was not nice. People you need to start smiling! Airbus A340 was spacious so there were no problems with a legroom. Inflight entertainment was ok. Cabin crew was inattentive sometimes not polite. I have asked for a glass of water before they started serving the meal but didn't get any Crew member looked unsatisfied when I interrupted her with a glass of water request. I also had to remind them about the bland meal that I've pre-ordered. Return flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha had 1 hour delay. It was a miracle that I've managed to catch a LHR flight which also arrived in London with a 20-minute delay. Despite their cheap fares I'm not going to fly with Qatar Airways anymore. I'll better pay more for a flight with a competitor airline.

April 15: Cape Town - Doha- return Brisbane - Cape Town May 2 2015. Cannot fault this airline standards are kept high on all sectors. Bought ticket online when Qatar had a special 40% discount!

Recently flew from LHR to AUH via DOH. First leg was supposed to be an A380 which I specifically booked changed to a 777 which was annoying but nonetheless very comfortable. A comfortable 3-3-3 configuration on 777 unlike other Gulf carriers which opt for a cramped 3-4-3. Transit at Hamad international was very simple a very clean and not too large airport. Lots of food given and even champagne served in economy! A320 DOH-AUH and back decent snack provided good for a short-haul. Again easy transit and onto a very new A330 back to LHR service fantastic but seats were noticeably smaller in width compared to 777 but a very new IFE. On departing LHR I arrived late at the airport but the Qatar ground staff were very reassuring and helpful making sure I caught the flight.

At the end of March and again the beginning of April we travelled from TXL to DOH in an A330-200 business class. The total impression of the interior was not positive but rather rundown. The cabin staff on the other hand – were very polite and helpful making the flight really agreeable. The electronic seat adjustment device of a great number of seats did not really work so you had to put up with some awkward seating positions. The most unusual sight was a passenger nearly lying flat on the seat during landing after several staff tried in vain to put the seat in an upright position. Another highlight were the attempts of several cabin staff members to unlock dining tables with spoons. In the end they succeeded. The meals did not really offer inflight dining experience it was more business as usual - nothing worth mentioning. On the whole we had the impression that for this unimportant route written off aircraft's are used whose cabin maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. On our return flight there were no technical problems worth mentioning except that now the cabin crew members were more interested in chatting with each other than serving meals and drinks.

LHR-DXB via DOH. Both legs of the flights were operated by an aged A340-600. I think Qatar should start thinking of not sending these aircraft's to such long haul routes. Aircraft was very tired from inside and the leg room was awful - so tight. Your flight would be ruined if the person in front reclines their seat as there will no room for you to move or watch. Food was of a very low standard. Coming back again aircraft was an A330-200/300 leg. Frankly speaking the leg room was much better on this aircraft however again old and tired from inside with cabin crew not being attentive to passengers.

LHR-DOH-BKK in economy all the way on their brand new A380. Two great trips. Only problem is that the food is terrible and portions extremely small. Why do they bother? Best take your own. I had a rubbery chicken which tasted like something else. Space in economy seats on the A380 is extremely generous equivalent to BA WT+. Very impressive. Connection at Doha was very easy: off the plane and straight into departure area for connecting passengers no security check there. I am a BA Gold card EC so am allowed to use First check in First lounges and priority boarding. However Qatar is so fussy about its premium passengers I was not allowed to board via priority First class boarding even though I was in small economy cabin at the back of the upper deck where First and Business are located. I had to board and disembark via usual channels via lower cabin which means if you are in economy in the upper deck you will be last to disembark. Cosy small cabin though. Is this in breach of Oneworld rules regarding perks of being Emerald? The word that first came to my mind is segregation. They take incredible measures to protect their premium passengers from any contact with the rest of us ordinary mortals. I have never seen anything like this in my many years of continuos travelling in First Business and economy. Staff are professional. I had access to First class lounge at Doha which is gigantic nice but mayhem at peak hours. Amazing service though. The good thing about it is that there are several areas one could choose from. I went for the one adjacent to the business centre which was very quiet indeed. Both flight were not full. LHR to DOH was almost empty. A good experience I am happy to repeat especially when the price for tickets was one of the best I have seen in years to get from LHR to BKK.