Hamad Doha Airport

Used Doha on my way to Singapore and back to Stockholm. The airport is very modern and spacious, and the cleanliness is on top. Shops and restaurants seem to be just as expensive as the usual tax free shops in any other airport. WiFi is free but very slow. The staff are quite courteous, they will help you if you ask them. The overall experience was very good.

Transit at Hamad Doha Airport is a stressful experience that I would not recommend. The Airport itself is rather ok with its modern design and fresh feel. However, the complete chaos and disorder at transit security leaves every transit passenger stressed out for the rest of the journey. Organisation is sorely missing and staff generally listless, making no effort to sort out waiting lines or ensure a smooth flow of passengers. Most annoying of all is that the screening area is pretty well dimensioned with the possibility of operating 10-15 screening stations but for some reason they never open more than 3 stations. Thus, congestion and chaos rule 24/7. A few times I have thought about visiting Doha city centre during longer transit stops. However, with chaos reigning supreme at the transit section of the Airport I have drawn the conclusion that the situation will be similar throughout Qatar and avoided exiting the Airport.

This airport has got no better as the transit experience is really spoilt by the chaotic security experience passengers have to endure. Evening is so crowded but sadly security only have about 4 screening areas out of around 10 opened. Unbelievably inefficient here with uncaring staff to boot. 30 minutes just to get through here is unacceptable. There is a fast track section but that was just as chaotic as the standard sector and I'm sure many passengers were using this even if they were normal economy passengers just to lessen time to get through as you can miss your connecting flight in this area alone. Once you have battled through the flight departure boards were hard to read and this needs redesigning to make it easier to see and read. Signage was confusing with arrows not really helping. If you get away from the center to near one of the gates you notice the Wifi works a lot better especially noted where the C gates were located. Near the duty free area it's terrible and just kept disconnecting and reconnecting. Toilets are kept mostly clean on the ones I visited again where the C gates are. The airport would be good if the security transit area was made much more efficient or done away with altogether as you have just come off a flight so shouldn't need to go through another security check accept to just show a valid onward boarding pass.

✅ Verified Review | Doha Hamad airport is a modern airport to transfer in - everytime I go, I am never disappointed by the cleanliness of the facilities and the friendliness of the staff. The food choices are not very large, however, the food court was lovely and the view of the planes is a nice touch. The centre of the terminal was well decorated with plenty to do for children. Good, speedy WiFi and plenty of places to shop.

✅ Verified Review | Maybe I just got lucky with my transfer times (late afternoon eastbound, early morning westbound, with a 3hr interval between flights), but I had quick and hassle-free transfers both ways IAD/DOH/SIN return. Connecting to Singapore I went through a central security facility with no queue, while returning to the USA we were processed at a security point at the departure gate (like they used to have in Amsterdam), in both cases I made my connecting flights with time to spare. The airport terminal itself is squeaky-clean, fully air-conditioned and well lit, with moving belts for travelling down the various departure concourses, and plenty of places to sit, signage was good and clear. Again maybe I was just lucky with my flights and my transfers, but on this showing Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways proved a winning combination.

Nice, new and sparkly clean but really does suffer under the slightest load. Peak times can be disorganised. Expect long waits to get through security, even fast track. The number of toilets they put in is also totally inadequate. They are kept clean but you'll be queuing even at moderately busy times / lounges or economy no different.

Chaotic and disappointing transit experience We arrived around 6am in the morning for transit from Australia to Europe, with 1.5 hours of transit time allowed by Qatar Airways. The line at the Transfer Security was shockingly long. Passengers asking for help due to approaching gate closing time were advised to continue lining up, while staff walked around to direct traffic instead of attempting to open up new security check points (only 2 out of about 8 were open). Halfway through the queue, a large number of passengers understandably became anxious and formed new lines, pushing through and creating almost a riot like situation. At this point our gate was closing in 15 minutes and, having been pushed back even further, we pleaded for help and were directed by staff to the already crowded 'Express Lane' - only to then be shouted at by a different staff member there that only Business Class passengers were allowed, and that despite the gate closing in 15 minutes and the fact that we had been advised to present there we needed to go back to the original line, "go back, you are not allowed here". While we understand the importance of security checks for transit passengers and the high volume of passengers at this time of the day, we found the unhelpful and rude demeanour highly unprofessional and disappointing for a new airport with supposedly good reputation. .

In my opinion, Doha airport really lacks for transit passengers. Yes there is the quiet room and showers but the "quiet room" is too brightly lit and some people don't understand what quiet is. We had a 6 hour transit and spent 3 hours in the quiet room where we were constantly disturbed with people talking, mobile phones ringing etc. The room was also quite dirty with rubbish on the ground. It would make a huge difference if occasionally a staff member came through and cleaned the room and also made sure people were respecting the fact that it was a quiet room. We had just transited through Kuala Lumpur where we also had 6 hours and used their very reasonably priced transit hotel. We enquired at the transit hotel, "The Airport Hotel" at Hamad airport and told that it was only possible to book rooms for 8 hours and it was $235 USD. How ridiculous. We paid $50 USD for 6 hours in Kuala Lumpur. They really need to include a reasonably priced transit hotel for passengers, especially since there seems to be a lot of long transit times with Qatar airways. My experience there will really influence my decision to fly Qatar airways in the future if it includes a long transit time. Very uncomfortable experience for a new airport.

Doha Hamad is much better than the old airport and is now better than when the new facility first brought into service. However, the security queues for transit are really bad. Not quite sure why such a level of security is required when passengers are airside, having already passed scrutiny at the departing airport? It took us about 40 mins to get through and into the duty free area. A strange dearth of casual seating in the duty free area. A few benches or small sofas with a table would have been nice. The only seating in this area are those that are attached to the restaurants/cafes. Other than that, the airport authority has done a good job for passenger comfort. There are showers available, very clean toilets, quiet rooms with loungers - however, some are not so quiet if situated near an employee area. Visited one 'quiet room' where we were treated to employees laughing and talking outside in a passage with an exit door noisily swinging open and shut. Big variety of duty free, which we used. Check prices of chocolate in departure airport and compare with Doha prices as not all offers are good deals. Travelators now been brought online which makes it easier for passengers. Free wifi is useful to keep in touch with family. For boarding I like the concept of seating and loading by zones, it's just too bad not all passengers adhere to it. Ground staff could do with a microphone as their instructions were not easy to hear.

Much better than the old airport, no long bus transfers to terminal. Terminal is very comfortable with lots of seating, many with power points for recharging phones etc. Toilets were clean. Didnt really go in any of the shops, but most were high end with probably prices to match