Qatar Airways

My wife and I travelled from Manila-Doha-Oslo (Business Class) on 24th/25th Sep 2013. I have nothing but praise for the attendants and aircraft on the outbound journey. First leg was a 777ER this is still a great plane. Second leg was on a 787 Dreamliner this plane makes even the 777 seem obsolete. Inbound journey from Oslo to Doha was again a Dreamliner and was as close to perfect as you could ask for. When we boarded the flight from Doha to Manila on 10th Sep 2013 it was not good from the start. We have flown many times on Qatar Business Class and this was the first time the attendant just pointed up the aisle and said the 2 seats up front on the right. When it came to food I chose the seafood entree and the lobster part was still half frozen there was no tablecloth or serviettes. At least for the main course we were then given tablecloth and serviettes. However we both chose the tenderloin beef this turned out to be dry and overcooked. I was asked which wine would I like I chose a Chardonnay which was excellent but when I asked for another I was given about a tablespoon full and was told they had run out. This flight is always overbooked so it makes sense for the airline to fill the seats. In doing this though the moment these people see free unlimited food and drink they consume it like there is no tomorrow. The plane was an Airbus which is not of the quality of their Boeings due to its age and the seat leg lift did not raise so I ended up with swollen feet as I do in economy. Luckily we spent all our Qmiles on duty free in Doha so now I will try another airline next time. It is a shame as we have never had anything but praise for Qatar.

MEL-DOH-BCN. I think it is important that if you have connecting flight via DOH you need at least a 2 hour transit time between flights because the bussing between the planes and terminal is painstakingly slow. This will of course improve when the new airport is finished. I've come to the conclusion that a long haul economy flight on any airline can become hell on earth after several hours. Crying babies and a too cold cabin only add to the discomfort. The seat in front of me seemed to recline just a little too far and I felt literally boxed in. Qatar do make an effort to make flights a little more comfortable. Great food and staff as well as comfortable seating certainly helped.

Aspires to be a 'five' star airline. We flew UK to Malaysia via Doha two 7hr legs with a 3hr stop over in Doha. Planes were pretty clean seats fairly comfortable but we had a much newer plane on the 2nd outbound leg and this was the best leg of our return trips. Staff were very nice drinks plentiful and varied food pretty good too. Entertainment system worked fine good selection of films/TV to keep you busy. MAS we have flown before are a 5* airline the planes and service just that bit better though you do pay more. Baggage allowance was increased just before we flew to 30kg. They are also fairly relaxed on hand luggage which does mean the overhead storage fills up! The transfer in Doha involved a lengthy bus shuttle to/from the terminal building but perhaps we were unlucky where our planes were parked. I'd use again but would weigh up the saving over a direct flight as there's not much in Doha!

Flew from Heathrow to Kathmandu. Everything was good until Doha however a bit sad from Doha to Kathmandu. It was bit tight but overall experience was excellent.

IAH-DOH-CCU-DOH-IAD September 23 2013. IAH-DOH - Incoming aircraft had a lightening strike on its way in and needed a complete check by engineers in Houston. This delayed the flight by over 5 hours and everyone missed connections in DOH. Qatar staff in Doha came through for everyone with alternate flights already worked out by the time we reached DOH. Most people were provided transit visas and accommodation with a generous food allowance in DOH. IFE was good food was okay. Cabin staff was polite and helpful. DOH-CCU - Cabin crew excellent. I had a non functional IFE screen and they tried a restart thrice. After that they switched my seat. The food service was thorough service was attentive and I felt comfortable in a flight with service after a long time. CCU-DOH - Good cabin crew good food and attentive service. Ground staff from Air India could not keep up with the Qatar staff and fumbled the service all through. On the flight smooth sailing. DOH-IAH - Attentive cabin crew and good service all round. The only negative was when they ran out of meal options for the lunch service and had to force the same veg option on everyone. IFE malfunctioned during the flight and they reset the whole system that took 30 mins or so. However IFE service was good. Overall satisfied with the service crew and IFE. It would be better for them to rethink their Indian choice for veg as the food tends to get too dry over a long haul flight.

SIN-DOH-MAN/BRU-DOH-SIN. Excellent on-board service and the seat pitch is the best I have seen in Economy for a long time. The 777s use 3-3-3 configuration which makes for a comfortable seat. Pouches with toothbrush socks ear plugs and eye-mask were given out on the overnight sectors. Only thing that could get better was on the BRU- DOH sector crew ran out of food trays at the back of the plane and had to ask a few times from the crew in the front. I also had to remind the crew that my travelling companion needed a diabetic meal. But these are small issues. In all value for money better than the other airlines who try to pack close to 400 passengers on their 777s for the same price.

PER-DOH-JFK PER-DOH-CDG MXP-DOH-PER. Great new fleet even the older A320s and A330s are new compared to other major airlines. Newer 777s are gorgeous though have flaws (like stuck TV screens and dirty seats). Food is average. When connecting for hours in Doha you still find yourself with a breakfast omelette followed by another breakfast omelette on the next flight? Entertainment system - good when it works. Great selection but on 6 flights I had 3 seats without working TV and 4 headphones that did not work. Service - pretty poor. Staff are generally indifferent friendly-but-dazed. Timeliness - my experience has not tracked with the on-time stats of the airline. I had one out of six flights depart on time. The rest arrived late by an hour or so. Very decent option for the price but not anywhere as good an experience as its "5 Star" competitors such as Singapore or Cathay.

BKK-CDG w/a change in Doha and CDG-BKK. This is the 2nd time I have flown w/ Qatar this year and each leg the service is friendly and efficient and the Food is really good. Not to mention their on-time departures. The seats have sufficient space even reclines (well for me at least at 5'7"). They have great selection of food and entertainment and if your lucky enough for an overnight flight a great pouch consisting of socks eye-mask and toothbrush. Anytime you ask for help or are served the flight attendants have a smile. For the money - this is by far my favorite airline.

SIN-DOH-BRU and TXL-DOH-SIN. Food onboard was acceptable. Seats were fairly comfortable. Inflight service ranged from average to outstanding depending on the flight attendant. Inflight entertainment was very good. The problem was the transit at Doha it was nothing short of a disaster. The buses that take you to and from the terminal were excruciatingly slow and extremely packed. Even though the bus doors were shut the buses didn't move and we were on the tarmac for about 15 minutes. No announcement no apologies. The terminal itself was packed when we got there and clearly did not have enough toilets. While they were not downright filthy they were certainly not the cleanest toilets in any airport anywhere. After having our boarding pass scanned for the transfer flight we took an escalator down to the waiting area in the bus bay. We waited more than an hour there with about 10 seats no toilets in a room that could comfortably only hold 25 passengers but is now holding a whole plane load. Many started sitting/sleeping on the floor. When it was time to board the bus a stone faced staff member came down to tell us to queue up. Again no announcement no apologies just do as you're told. When the bus got to the plane surprise surprise the doors stayed closed and we stayed inside the packed bus for another 15 minutes. Only on the plane did the captain explain that the aircraft came in late resulting in the delay. I wouldn't want to do another transit in Doha again at least not until their new airport is completed.

LHR-DXB return via DOH. First leg on A330 - seat and entertainment fine. I hold privilege club gold status and was greeted onboard by crew. Meal choices outlined were inconsistent with what was actually served. Overnight flight which departed one hour late - cabin lights dimmed after dinner service but fully illuminated three hours before landing when they served a snack (which was appalling). Missed connecting flight in Doha but was already booked onto the next flight and had to wait only 90 mins. Second leg on a new A321 with touchscreen entertainment. Crew were polite and efficient. Snack served on this 40minute flight consisted of a savoury and sweet breakfast - which was horrible. A microwaved sandwich and a muffin. Return DXB-DOH again new A321 crew once again polite efficient and friendly. Awful snack once more. DOH-LHR leg was disappointing. The flight was full and on a A330 which was clearly showing its age. Old style IFE - with controller inbuilt into the armrest - which makes it very awkward to operate. Crew were clearly over stretched and somewhat inexperienced forgetting requests and serving wrong meals. I will continue to fly QR but the decline in catering is a concern. Also I have noticed that some crew lack the hospitality which has made QR deserve its 5* status. I remain committed to flying QR whenever possible and will continue to recommend.