Qatar Airways

Flew OSL-DOH-ADD and DAR-DOH-ARN with Qatar. New 788s from Oslo and to Stockholm. DOH-ADD and DAR-DOH A320s. Very friendly and attentive service from dominantly Eastern European and Subcontinental crews. 1-2-1 configuration in 788 business class very nice indeed and A320 business class quite comfortable too (even though not good for sleeping). Some inconsistencies in service on some flights my oneworld Emerald status was acknowledged on some not. A very annoying aspect of Qatar service is that the oneworld Emerald status does not give you access to First class facilities and you don’t get First class labelling to your luggage. This is different from other oneworld carriers with First class (at least British Airways Cathay Pacific and Qantas) and puts Qatar in an inferior position. The IFE was quite impressive (also on A320s) but did not match the latest IFE on Cathay 77Ws. Qatar provides top notch quality but I would say that Cathay is par at food and beverages but still slightly better in service and much better in attention to details. Cathay’s First class lounges are very nice too its difficult to provide a comparison as I was not admitted to the Qatari facility. In summary I probably will consider Qatar to destinations in East and West Africa and the Middle East but necessarily to South East Asia as changing planes in Doha late in the evening is a nuisance when compared to flying the long Europe – Asia leg non-stop after having enjoyed BA/CX First class hospitality while waiting for the flight.

MAN-DOH-SIN return. All flights arrived on time but very poor boarding arrangements in DOH and SIN and mixed aircraft experience marred the trip! A330 is quiet and fairly spacious but was showing serious signs of age B777 was a much better flying experience with much more space and comfort and the B787 was a big let down. Despite the good mood lighting and darkened windows on the B787 the manufacturers seem to have used such flimsy and lightweight components that it just doesn't seem as if it is going to last. Plastic panels in three toilets were split as were two panels around the cabin window toilet seat broken in one sink blocked in two seats flex and creek and aisle is way too narrow. The cabin service was good and consistent throughout the food quality was mixed (as usual) champagne on flights from UK is a nice touch and decent wine served throughout remaining flights. However all of the above comments pale into insignificance compared to the loathsome experience of Doha airport; it is truly awful. And no one from QR can say when this sorry airport state will end.

Bangkok to Manchester UK 17 January: delayed in BKK for 5 hours which meant I missed my connection in Doha; finally arrived 8 hours late after a second flight from London. No staff on duty when we should have checked in which was strange we had to wait ages to get re routed and were offered a meal voucher for a restaurant which wasn't open!

Manchester to Doha and then Bangkok 24th January. First time on a 787 Dreamliner (Manchester to Doha) great plane very quiet and plenty of seat room. Felt very relaxed. A much better plane than the old Airbus which I hope has now been replaced on this sector. Unfortunately the 777 from Doha to BKK is now a let down not much seat room and uncomfortable.

I booked a week before travelling to Dhaka via Doha and due to equipment needed for my project the cheapest way to travel was 1st class.In addition this was where Qatar Airways stands out is the short time between flights this was 3 hours whereas BA and Turkish was a lot longer. My experiences at Heathrow T4 were very pleasant check in was easy and the lounge was not far after security. The lounge itself was very pleasant and the level of service excellent. The range of refreshments and services cannot be praised highly enough. The airline had a cart at the lounge to drive passengers to the gate - a very nice touch. The inflight experience was great. I decided to miss dinner and it was great to just lay on a comfortable flat bed and catch a good few hours sleep. I flicked through the inflight entertainment and was not too impressed by the range of media although if I was not as frequent a traveller then the entertainment on offer would have been fine. On arriving at Doha nice to be taken to the transit area in a BMW. I was only in Doha for 3 hours but again the lounge was very pleasant and relaxing. The flight to Dhaka was in Business Class but very good all the same. The only poor aspect was the wait for baggage in Dhaka but then that's not really Qatar's fault. I would certainly fly with Qatar in future.

Flew B787 from LHR to Doha in economy Check-in and boarding all went as normal but on board I was disappointed that valuable foot-well space is taken up with a metal box containing seat components. Engines not as quiet as I had hoped but chicken curry was delicious such a shame I had to eat it with plastic cutlery! Choice of entertainment on board for a western male was also disappointing far less than on equivalent Emirates flight. The flight was on-time and the cabin crew were polite and helpful. However the flight lands in Doha possibly the worlds biggest shambles of an airport.

November 2013 YUL-DOH-DPS via SIN. Business Class. This business class service and cabin are almost a first class service. Once in Doha the staff were very helpful. Because our flight was changed we were invited to the First Class lounge. They provided us a room and were allowed to use all the First Class lounge facilities during our transit to Bali. The only thing that has to be pointed out is the Singapore 1.30 stop. Very annoying.

SGN-DOH-NBO. Solid product. A-330. New aircraft. Flights on time. Food standards tend to slip a bit further and likewise the wines that are now cheaper and for instance not served in mini-bottles anymore. Entertainment fine. Staff good and focused on work. Doha airport still a nightmare and one waste 1-2 hours of being shipped in busses far far from terminals. DOH-NBO on Airbus 320. Aircraft new clean seat of OK space. Flight full but service and FAs created a good atmosphere much more than OK. Would have preferred proper lunch instead of breakfast on a flight from 9am-2pm. Food and wine standards have dropped a bit but still at 4-star level. IFE very good. A suitcase went missing at arrival in NBO but not only to blame QR as other airlines were involved before Saigon and obviously could only manage to get the luggage to DOH. It was brought 1 day later in elegant wrapping and upon proper notification.

Bought two return tickets Cape Town - Milan - in Business Class. After flying Emirates for the past 5 years always as a Gold member Qatar was overall a very positive experience on fights QR1366 CPT-DOH QR119 DOH-MXP. On my way back flight QR122 A320-100/200 MXP-DOH has 12 seats "business class" which is not even a super economy: no space no privacy impossible to have some rest. Cannot understand why Qatar uses such a small aircraft overnight! QR1365 DOH-CPT was a very nice experience.

16 January MUC-DOH B787 check in swift smooth and friendly boarding on time. Seat pitch a little bit cramped cabin clean and spacious. Inflight entertainment excellent and earphones given in advance. Food and beverage excellent and a lot of fluid offered throughout the flight. Only downside is the arrival with the long bus service. Arrival on time.