Hamad Doha Airport

Was excited to visit Qatar for the first time. There was one major problem on arrival. My wife and I had to queue for 3 hours to get through Immigration. The airport website suggested an acceptable 35 minutes but 3 hours is entirely unacceptable. The cause was obvious. A lack of staff manning the desks. About 2.5 hours in a desk was opened which speeded things up by 30 minutes. There was no information on timescales and the queue continued to grow as other flights arrived. My wife recently had a knee joint replaced in 2015 and is due to have her other knee replaced in March 2016. She found standing and slowly shuffling in the queue intolerable and painful.

Due to a disability I have issues walking long distances and standing for great lengths of time, and arrivals at Hamad Doha Airport is the only airport where I opt for 'assistance' due to the distance from arrivals and the length of time one has to wait at passport control - an issue Hamad is famous for. On the 22nd of January I was taken via wheelchair through a 'females' gate. After checking my passport, the lady official began shouting in Arabic at me and the airport worker who was pushing my wheelchair. She called over a policeman who questioned me as to the state of my disabilty. It was a very unpleasant experience. I asked someone what was happening and was told that the lady official had objected to me going through her gate because it was for Qatari females only.

Besides the great ambiance and cleanliness, it is a very easy airport to get around and transfer from. Very nice variety of shopping, although the duty free staff could be better. Excellent WiFi access and quality. It really is a fantastic airport to connect at.

Transited twice in January, travelling with Qatar Airlines from London to Perth. First time through the new airport. It's a nice, compact airport, much more user-friendly than Dubai. The business class lounge was excellent, very tranquil, good wifi and with (unusually for these days) a pleasant enough smokers' lounge. Transiting from London to Perth we did not pass through security, but did on the return trip. The combined experience of Qatar Airlines and Doha Hamad was extremely positive.

Be aware the transit area has a security screening and can be chaotic with long queues. Getting through the area may require an hour in line. If there is any chance of missing your connecting flight head to the airline desk and insist on a later flight. The chaos is caused by ground staff moving priority or late arriving passengers up the line. There can be confusion and travelers jumping lines.

Well organised airport. I especially love the easy to use free Wifi which is very fast. Plenty of facilities and shopping opportunities. Plenty of restrooms which are kept clean regularly. I am a little concerned however that given the growth of Qatar Airways, airport congestion will increase dramatically in the future just like Dubai which will impact the experience.

This brand new airport is nice to look at. It is large with lots of shops and restaurants. However, in my opinion, there are improvements that need to be made. For passengers requiring assistance: There are not enough carts to carry the passengers requiring assistance. They lump passengers together and only pay attention when it reaches critical stages (20 minutes before the flight). D and E gates are too far: It takes ages to get there by foot. The E24 (remote gate) requires passengers to go downstairs and walk a long distance. Then there is the long immigration process. It took me about 3 hours just to reach the hotel. Economy Class lounge: They have First and Business class lounges. Oryx lounge is for Economy class if you pay. However, they were not available when I tried to get in as First and Business class people took it over. The only resting option was in the Family Rest area. Overall nice airport to look at but not very nice for Economy class passengers looking for seats to rest.

Arrived not really knowing about the new airport in Doha. Previous transit with business has been seamless but a terrible experience this time. Same buses meeting flights that I can deal with but the terminal was pandemonium to get through screening. No support for business and pushing and shoving to get through security. No signage to lounge and difficult to find and signage to gates incorrect - if leaving the lounge and require D concourse turn left not right as signs say. D24 is a long walk. Have return visit and if no improvement would have to rethink travel with Qatar Airways which is a shame, as it remains a great airline.

When I first arrived at Hamad airport, I was amazed with the amazing modern design that grabs your attention from the moment you arrive until your departure. The staff and immigration were very friendly, and most of the time the airport is empty since it's over sized compared to the passengers who go through it.

Disappointing to have off stand parking at a new airport. Steps very slow to aircraft on arrival, then crowds and confusion in transfer area. Not enough staff, no special support to Business pax, no signage to lounge. So we did not get to see the new lounge, as we had to set off on a marathon march to gate D24, to then get a bus to aircraft. When we got to D24 we were shouted at for being late (more than 30 mins before STD), but no-one had told us how far we had to walk, or anything. I hope this was just a glitch and my return journey will be better - this is not how QR will grow its transfer business.