Qatar Airways business class (specifically QSuites) has been on our bucket list for a very long time. We flew to Doha as part of our journey to Oman in April of 2022. Although we had high expectations for this flight due to all the hype around this product, we were not disappointed. The best part of the flight was the hard product. In fact, QSuites probably has the best hard product on business class that we have experienced thus far.
Table of Contents
Booking
Booking Qatar Airways business class was fairly easy, especially if you have American Airline miles (70k miles + $41.80 for taxes and fees). We were especially excited to be flying an A350-1000 for the first time! Our itinerary included an onward journey to Muscat, Oman. This flight was an exceptional deal, especially considering the flight time. Due to covid, award availability wasn’t as rare as it once was. I only booked our QSuites flights around 1.5 months prior to departure.
Even though we purchased both seats on one reservation, we still had difficulty assigning ourselves the middle quad seats. This was easily solved by hitting up Qatar Airways on Twitter.
Origin: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Destination: Hamad International Airports (DOH)
Flight Number: QR740
Date: Friday 21 April 2022
Scheduled Departure: 18:30
Scheduled Arrival: 20:00+1
Duration: 15:30hr
Cabin: Business
Aircraft: A350-1000
Tail Number: A7-ANI
Check-In
We had quite an abnormal check-in experience because we needed to reposition from SJC to LAX. Our original repositioning flight was on Southwest. That flight posted a delay of around 2 hours, leaving us around an hour to make it to the Qatar Airways flight. The delay would put us too close for comfort, so we purchase a last-minute SJC-LAX ticket for 10k/pp Alaska Miles. Luckily, the Southwest flight was easily refundable since we booked it with points. We received the points back immediately, and eventually the taxes too.
Once we arrived at LAX, we made our way through the airside pathway to the TBIT terminal. We looked for the gate our flight would depart out of, and luckily, the gate agent said that we could check-in with her. This saved us from having to go to the check-in desks for this. Check-in was simple. All we had to do was show them the necessary documents to enter Oman, and we were good to go. The gate agent let us know that we would have access to the OneWorld Business Lounge.
Boarding
As usual, we scoped out a good clearing to capture the plane the best we could. This time, a photo op with the beautiful A350-1000!
Boarding proceeded as normal, with priority boarding given to business class passengers, and those with status with Qatar Airways and OneWorld.
There’s always something especially exciting about turning left at the front door, instead of going to the back for economy.
Business Class Cabin and Seats
The Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class has a 1-2-1 arrangement, and alternates between forward and rear facing seats. In order to be create a double bed in the center pods, a pair of rear facing seats in the middle must be chosen. At the time of booking, there were only two options available, either 1E/F, or 9E/F. We chose the latter since we had read reviews that the mini cabin receives less attention, and we certainly didn’t want that. Qatar Airways business class has a seat pitch of 103in and width of 21.5in, compared to the economy seat pitch of 31-32in and width of 16.9-17.4in.
The cabin is filled with burgundy tones, similar to that of the Qatar flag. The most striking thing about each seat is the high walls and sliding doors.
The double beds are separated by a narrow divider. Although dropping the divider is easy, assistance is required from the flight attendants to unlock and raise the divider.
When you’re ready to go to sleep, the flight attendants turn the two seats into a perfect double bed in the sky (in business class no less!). The pillows and blankets were super comfortable, and I slept so well on this long flight.
All the seat controls, as well as lighting, were easily accessed through the control panel next to the seat. The task lighting underneath the table was a great touch.
On each side of the seat head rest is a reading light. It cycles between ambient lighting, and task lighting. This came in handy for directing light when the cabin lights were off.
The footwell was spacious, and the lighting underneath was again, a great touch.
The IFE screens were sufficiently large. I barely used the IFE during the trip since the eating and sleeping was just too comfortable.
At each seat was a small pillow, a blanket, a hygiene kit, and the Diptyque amenity kit (which was recently released at the time of the flight). The box was made of paper and recyclable.
The Diptyque amenity kit contained a set of ear plugs, body lotion, face cream, and lip balm. The box also came with an eye mask, as well as a pair of socks. You can see that there is a white and black variation of the amenity box, however, they both contain the same items.
The bathrooms were very clean throughout the flight, and contained quite a large sink.
Of course, they use Diptyque toiletries in here as well.
There was also a drawer containing toothbrushes and shavers. Usually, toothbrushes are provided in the amenity kits. This is a smart way to reduce wastage. For those who want it, it is still easily accessible.
Departure from Los Angeles
Once we boarded and situated ourselves, we were given a pre-departure drink (non-alcoholic bubbly), as well as a bowl of warm nuts.
The flight attendants then passed out pajamas and the menu for the flight. The White Company makes the pajamas for Qatar Airways.
While we weren’t sitting by the window, having access to the cameras on the plane is the next best thing. We entertained ourselves throughout the take off process by watching the undercarriage and tail cameras.
Meal Service
The meal service started around one hour after take off. The best part of the meal service on Qatar Airways is the ability to dine anytime. The menu was as follows:
MAIN MEAL
Artisan bread
- Monte Vibiano olive oils infused with balsamic vinegar, tomato chili, spicy lemon and pomegranate are available upon request.
Soup of the day
- Tomato and parmesan soup
Appetisers
- American style tapas: rosemary infused olives, spicy red pepper dip and shishito peppers
- Gambas rojas seared prawns: avocado apple cream, Egyptian star flower and olive oil
Mains
- Chicken tikka masala: jeera pulao, vegetable jalfrezi and dal makhani
- Slow roasted beef cheeks: Pecorino polenta, sugar snap peas and roasted cherry tomato
- Asian style sea bass: forbidden black rice, pak choy and soy sauce
- Roasted courgettes stuffed with tofu: tomato relish, toasted pine nuts and cream sauce
Cheese plate
- Selection of the finest international cheese served with grainex, lavosh and assortment of accompaniments
Desserts
- Dulce de leche tart with caramel: mango passion fruit and toasted macadamia
- Fresh berries with rose syrup
- Gourmet ice cream selection
LIGHT OPTIONS
- Hoisin aubergine super salad: blackberries, spinach, edamame, yellow baby beets and truffle miso dressing
- Breaded chicken with creamy style potato salad
- Afternoon tea: fresh finger sandwiches, warm scones, clotted cream and French pastries
- Philly cheese steak panini with jalapeño chimichurri and Provolone: apple grainy mustard slaw
BREAKFAST
- Fresh orange juice
- Strawberry and banana smoothie
STARTERS
- Platter of seasonal cut fruits
- Greek yoghurt with mixed berry and crunchy granola
- Choice of breakfast cereals: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes or Fruit ‘n Fibre
- Assiette of cold cuts: beetroot gravlax salmon, Brie, Cheddar cheese and boiled egg
MAINS
- Wild mushroom omelette with chicken sausage: home-made baked beans
- Scrambled eggs with cream cheese: sautéed spinach and grilled roma tomato
- Peach and raspberry croissant pudding: raspberry compote, cinnamon sugar and mascarpone cream
- Mango super bowl: fresh mango, toasted coconut, chia seed and coconut milk
BREAD
- A selection of breakfast bakery
BEVERAGES
Luxury non-alcoholic bubbly
- So Jennie: a delicious alcohol-free pale pink sparkling beverage solely made of the finest grapes
Mocktails
- Pineapple Margarita: pineapple juice, orange juice, Ginger Ale and a slice of lemon
- Orangeade: orange juice, soda water, lemon juice and sugar
- Pineapple Punch: pineapple juice, orange juice, soda water, lemon juice and a slice of lemon
- Apple Cooler: apple juice, soda water, lemon juice, sugar and a slice of lemon
- Spiced tomato juice: tomato juice, labasco and a slice of lemon
Cold beverages
- Apple, cranberry, mango, orange, pineapple, tomato juice
- Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda Orange, 7UP, 7UP Free, Ginger Ale
- Soda or tonic water
- Still or sparkling water
Iced tea
- Mint, lemon, chai latte
Iced coffee
- Americano, cappuccino, latte, macchiato
TWG Tea
- Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Uva Highlands BOP,
Black Chai, Moroccan Mint, Grand Jasmine, Vanilla Bourbon,
Oolong Prestige, Sencha, Chamomile, Royal Darjeeling
Karak chai
- Saffron or cardamom
Coffee
- Americano, cappuccino, espresso, latte, macchiato
Hot chocolate
We started the main meal service with a nice hot bowl of soup. It was a perfect start to the meal. Also, you really can’t go wrong with nice hot bread with butter. I picked the tomato chili oil to accompany the bread. The electric candle flickers through the patterned holder. It was a very elegant set up.
For the main courses, we chose the fish and the beef dish. The cilantro and green onion topping on the sea bass was actually quite good. It is difficult to do fish well on an airplane, and I think Qatar Airways did a pretty good job.
The beef cheeks were incredible tender. This is the definition of comfort food on a plane. We were definitely starting to get full at this point.
And of course, we had to get dessert. The plating of the dulce de leech tart was restaurant level quality.
Unfortunately, the cheese plate was a disappointment. The dates were too dry, and the cheeses they chose were far from delicious.
Mid-Flight Snack
After sleeping for a few hours, we woke up wanting to try more of their menu. At this point, we were flying over the southern tip of Greenland.
We started off with a few drinks first.
Then decided to share an aubergine salad, which was too heavily sauced. The style of salad, however, was very good.
Although the afternoon tea service was super adorable, the quality was lacking. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and the snacks worked beautifully with the karak chai (the chai was obsessively good).
We were super excited to try the Philly cheese steak panini, to compared with the steak sandwich on Etihad Airways. While Qatar Airways’ cheese steak panini put up a good fight, the steak sandwich on Etihad Airways was still miles better. We both still think about that sandwich to this day, and long for the day we get to have it again ha!
The rose syrup berries had potential, if only the berries were tastier.
Breakfast
Around 1.5hours prior to landing, we requested for breakfast service. I couldn’t resist trying their chicken tikka masala. Honestly, you can’t go too wrong with getting heavily spiced Indian food on a plane (even in economy). Here, it was no exception. Paired with another delicious cup of… karak chai, the breakfast hit the spot.
We were also intrigued by the croissant pudding. It had the vibe of a standard breakfast item, akin to a more elevated version of a French toast.
The mango super bowl was refreshing, but we were too full to finish it at this point. We also got a glass of Apple Cooler.
Landing
Right before landing, the flight attendants thanked every passenger, and handed out a small box of Läderach chocolates. This was our first time receiving and trying Läderach chocolates.
Our landing at Hamad International Airport was late at night, but the plane cameras still offered stellar views during the entire landing process.
Service
The service overall was friendly. The flight attendants would walk across the cabin quite frequently, and it was easy to flag down one of them for any requests. They were pleasant and attentive.
Summary
So does Qatar Airways Qsuites business class live up to the hype? I would definitely say so. The hard product is the best we have ever had on a business class flight. In fact, we were so occupied by eating and sleeping, that we didn’t even have to watch a single movie. This business class made our fifteen hour flight go by insanely quickly.
Although I think the food on Etihad Airways (both first and business class) is superior, the Qatar Airways food was also quite good. The variety was amazing, as well as the dine anytime option. Shoutout to the most amazing karak chai that I could drink gallons of. I would easily go out of my way to fly Qatar Airways Qsuite again.
