Trip Report: Doha to Sydney Qatar Business Class 777 Qsuites
If you look around Doha airport now, it is as if the pandemic never happened. Apart from a few masks, it is as busy as it has always been, with the new airport looking resplendent, amid the travelling hoards. Everything, that is, apart from the giant teddy bear statue, which still stands out as being just a little bit... odd.
I'm travelling from the UK to Sydney, via Doha on Qatar Airways in Business Class. I'd already flown in from Heathrow on the Qatar A380 in Business, which was excellent and boasted an inflight lounge and bar. Despite Qatar mothballing the A380 fleet, five aircraft came back from retirement to stand in for the A350 which had been grounded. I have high hopes all all ten returning soon. The flight left on time, but alas was delayed on arrival thanks to tropical storms at Adu Dhabi.
The Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER series launched a few years back, and has all-new business class suites with sliding 'privacy doors' - in other words, a private 'business class bedroom', even a cabin if you will, although it is rather cosy for a cabin.
With two hours to kill at Doha, I was determined to try out at least a couple of the lounges, and this is where it gets tricky. I was flying on a redemption Business Class ticket using Frequent Flyer points. Qatar Airways was one of the first airlines to "unbundle" its business class fares, which removed airport lounge access from the most competitively priced tickets, and as I found at Heathrow there was some confusion as to whether entry to an airport lounge is no longer part of the deal. According to Qatar it is, but I'd had difficulty accessing a lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5, due to inexperienced staff, and due it not being Qatar's normal base in London. Alas, Qatar's excellent lounge at LHR Terminal 4 has been closed for the best part of 2 years.
Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge
I need not have worried at Doha, with access to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, which I have reviewed many times before.
The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge has been around for a decade or more now, but it's still a good one, and is by far the largest lounge at the brand new Doha's Hamad International Airport, located in the South Node, up the escalators just off the main atrium of the airport.
Past the opulent main entrance to the lounge is the standout feature: the 15 by 7m infinity pool next to a huge spiral staircase illuminated by a five-tiered crystal chandelier. The restaurant is up the stairs, and I went up for dinner.
Sadly, most of the a la carte dining has been removed, and there is now just a buffet with dishes in plastic containers, or a QR code where you can see a menu of basic hot items. Alas, there is no automated system to order. However the QR code system wasn't working for non-Qatar based mobiles, so I was stuck with the buffet.
It wasn't exactly a classy affair, and the staff were quietly insistent that I shouldn't take photos of the food. Which was pretty miserable anyway.
I tried to get a seat at the bar, but it was packed, so I ended up going to the other dining area, right at the other end of the lounge, past the bamboo garden, with a glass wall through to cafe.
Downstairs, and the lounge is vast, at 10,000 square metres, which has enough room for over a thousand passengers at a time.
In the centre of the lounge is a central raised wooden stage with high upright chairs separated by glass screens from where there are more comfortable seats and sofas. Beside each seat is a tablet, from where you can access flight information, and a map of the terminal.
At the far end of this area, is the 'bamboo garden' with a glass wall through to the continental brasserie and buffet.
Despite the limited menu, I actually prefer this area, as it is much quieter, and there are decent desserts, along with an excellent sandwich menu and a separate bar. Thankfully, Ramadan wasn't on, so the bar was open: one month a year, Doha airport is 'dry'.
I had some work to do, so went through to the normally excellent Business Centre. For many years it was excellent, but thanks to Covid all the computers have been removed, and it just came across as a large, empty, room, with a lot of desks. Rather like many workplaces over the past 2 years.
Qatar Silver Lounge at Doha
Next up I wanted to try the brand new Qatar Silver Lounge at Doha. It opened only a month ago, and thank goodness replaces the quite awful Doha Business Lounge (now closed).
Not that either lounge is for those actually flying in Business Class, the whole point of the former and the new lounge is to offer those flying economy class with mid-level Frequent Flyer status, a lounge. It is vastly better than the old, and overcrowded, now closed Qatar Business Class lounge on level 2. There are absolutely no signs at the entrance to let you know what the entrance requirements are, however. It's for oneWorld Emeralds and Sapphires, plus Qatar Privilege Club silver.
The Doha airport Silver lounge has clean lines with white walls and modern furniture, large, light, open and bright. As you go in there is a large wiggly orange bench seat, and lots of space: this seems to be deliberate, to separate the lounge from the previous cramp space. Also to help, is the way you don't have to be 'served' but can take a seat and help yourself, which speeds up service immensely.
The dining area is functional, if not especially comfortable, with a refectory counter with four tureens of hot food, typically of pasta and rice, plus some lamb or chicken dishes.
There is a full open bar, open 24 hours a day, in the central island, with wine bottles on top, and in the fridge. No sign of Ramadan this month, so there were also cans of beer in the fridge.
Soon it was time to board, so I walked up to the C gates.
Unlike at London Heathrow, where there was no priority boarding for Business Class, I pretty much walked on board.
I was welcomed at the door, and shown straight to my seat.
This was all the more remarkable, due to the day I was travelling. The next day, the day the aircraft was due to land, was to be the day when Australia would finally open up to the world, and permit any international traveller entry quarantine free, after two long years of closed borders. The difference between my flight on Emirates just three months ago, when even Australian citizens were forbidden from international travel (and I had to get a special permission from the government to board an aircraft), was marked. However, the Qatar staff were totally unprepared for the change, and anyone with an international passport was stopped and checked, often with a phone call to IMMI to ensure they could board. Making it all the more complicated was the change in Australia to move to a long, detailed Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) form replacing the existing Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) web-based form just the day before. Some passengers had only filled in an ATD form, which wasn't being accepted, and others had no form at all. The number of passengers filling out the form on their phone at the gate was remarkable, made more complicated by the very slow website for the new DPD I'd tangled, with the night before I went to Heathrow.
Thankfully, with an Australian passport, and a paper copy of the new ATD, I pretty much just waved it at the gate, and was on board.
I was on a redemption ticket, and Qatar famously don't allow Business Class passengers on Qantas redemptions to book seats in advance - or indeed for quite a while, even access the lounge; hence perhaps the problems I had at Heathrow. However, a bypass that directly accesses the global reservation system using Royal Jordanian, allowed me to choose a seat in advance.
Qatar's Qsuite Boeing 777 cabin
When Qatar Airways revealed it's all-new business class suites with sliding 'privacy doors' and middle seats which convert into a double bed, I was determined to experience it.
The seat, dubbed the Qsuite by Qatar, and built by B/E Aerospace, gives a seat measuring 21.5 inches wide which transforms the seat into a fully-flat bed 79 inches long.
It achieves this, by the 'leg' section of each seat poking into the cocktail table of the opposite seat: in staggered seats this normally means sitting at an angle, or having a seat next to your head. What Qatar have done is refreshing: they give you a seat, with a buddy seat next to you, and a cocktail seat ahead of this: however, the seat itself has to alternate with every other seat facing backwards, which some passengers may not enjoy.
However, in terms of personal space and sheer privacy, the seats cannot be beaten. There are also a good set of controls to adjust the seat. In effect it just slides up and down, but you can hit the preset button for takeoff, dining, and sleep. There is also a hotel-style 'do not disturb' button which changes the colour of the seat light from white to red, indicating your wish to be left alone.
Each seat has high walls, which appear quite similar to the First Class suites of airlines like Emirates, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines: to achieve this level of privacy in Business Class is amazing, and no wonder the seat was in development for three years.
The doors to the suites are 135cm high; being high enough to keep the seat quite private, but low enough to ensure the crew can see in to seamlessly offer drinks and meals before you even know your cocktail glass is getting empty.
The doors are manually operated, and open and close easily with a finger touch, as they are quite light, with a solid plastic and foam construction, in Qatar's signature deep purple.
The small 'buddy seat' beside your seat doubles as a stowage area, accessed by lifting up the seat base. It has the headphones, pyjamas, and a water bottle.
There are plenty of lights in the suite, although all of them are a little dim. Above your head is the reading light, and the button switches between three brightness levels, and a very low level overhead nightlight.
Another button on the console illuminates the laptop slot. This slot, below the cocktail tray, us rather a unique feature of the seat: a large laptop fits perfectly. There is another light button, this time on the remote, which illuminates the overhead light.
The middle seats are unique. A staggered 1-2-1 layout allows every second pair of middle seats to become a double bed, and the divider removed. However only every other seat does this: The middle seats alternate, so in the next row they are distinctly separated. Hence the names the crew give the pairs: one set are the honeymoon seats, and the others are the divorce seats.
The alternating rows have another unique feature: the video screens between each middle row can slide back, so that four passengers can enjoy a 'family room' cabin on the aircraft.
Qatar Airways Qsuites configured 777-300ERs feature a total of 42 business class seats, which rather impressively, is the same number of seats they had with their old configuration of the previously much more basic seats.
The Business Class cabin is divided into two: the forward cabin has a total of 24 business class seats, while the rear cabin is a little smaller with 18 business class seats; however, the rear business class cabin backs directly onto the front row of economy, with the bassinette seats, which can be noisy. There are four toilets in business, with two in the middle galley and two up front.
Qatar Boeing 777 economy class
I also had a wander back to have a look at the Qatar's Boeing 777 economy class seats.
Economy class is similar to most Boeing 777 cabins, with a seat pitch of 31 inches, and a width of 18.17 inches in economy, for a total of 257 economy seats.
Sadly, on the new Boeing 777 Qatar have followed the trend, and of their competitors Emirates, and have gone for a 3-4-3 layout, which makes for a much more crammed cabin, than the old 3-3-3 layout. However the new economy seats have a vast seatback TV screen, USB charging port, and a tray that folds in two.
The Boeing 777 was designed for a seat configuration in a 3-3-3 layout, which is what it should be, and still remains on some legacy carriers.
Qatar Business Class amenity kit
I was looking forward to checking out the new Qatar Airways Business Class amenity kit.
Created by French perfume house Diptyque, the new amenity kits is only for ultra-long-haul routes; coming down from London there was just a small 'box'.
On this flight the amenity kit was rather like a decent washbag. The kits include socks, eye shades, and earplugs.
The amenity kits are not only back, after a hiatus while Covid was on, but they also now feature a range of skin care products including a lip balm, a hydrating facial mist, and Diptyques essential face cream with a heart of roses, voluptuous notes of prickly pear and the freshness of lemon petitgrain.
There is also a fine set of pyjamas which are handed out when the crew size you up and work out which set to give you.
Airways has partnered up with London-based luxury home goods brand The White Company to provide designer sleeper suits to their Business class passengers. The men's sleeper suit is designed in a charcoal grey marl, and comes with matching luxury cotton slippers, with a faux fur interior sole for extra warmth and comfort.
IFE Entertainment on Qatar's Boeing 777 Qsuite
Each seat has a large, high definition, 21.5-inch video touchscreen, which is genuinely good. There is also a large remote, with a screen as well: this can show the inflight map when you are watching the main screen, but oddly, when the tray table is down it completely blocks it.
The noise cancelling headphones, by comparison, are anything but good. Large and clunky, they do a remarkably poor job of keeping out engine noise.
To the right of the seat controls there is a NFC contactless reader, used to talk to your phone: if you used the Qatar Airways app on your smartphone before the flight, it will load up your selected playlist on the inflight entertainment system.
Next to this is the power socket, and a USB charging socket.
The Qatar Airways IFE film selection is vast with 178 movies, 263 television programs, music, and games. However, I have heard some passengers saying there isn't that much to watch: that's because you have to explore through the A to Z list to see what is loaded. It is quite hard to see and find a film you want.
If you just scroll through the Blockbusters section, there are only a dozen listed, and you have to delve into the submenus to see everything that is available.
It is well worth while doing so, because hidden away are several arthouse British films which otherwise would be hard to find. Want to watch Boiling Point for example? Or Last Night in Soho? Even the US arthouse film (which sadly sunk without trace) The Only One was there.
A surprise however is there is no live TV: most airlines have fitted this by now, with live rolling news channels. It was a distinct oddity not to have it on Qatar.
One horror was the inflight map. I can't believe that Qatar have messed this up so badly. There is a brief glimpse of the map, and then you have to watch a minute of adverts, before you get a 10 second glance at the map again. It's horrible, and by far from a Business Class experience.
There are two different styles of Wifi on Qatar Airways flights. From Heathrow to Doha, on the A380, it was very much old school Qatar, where you get one hour of free Wi-Fi, just for messaging. This can be useful halfway through the flight just to check all is OK, and keep in touch.
However, on the latest version of Qatar's 777s, that's changed, and you only get one hour free if you are a Privilege Club member. Otherwise it's $10USD for the entire flight.
I did however find that the Wifi slowed to a crawl for about the first hour of the flight, as everyone used up their 'free' hour. One suggestion: wait until dinner is over before starting your browsing session, or wait until mid-flight.
Qatar Business Class Meals
A menu and a wine list are at each seat as you board, and I was offered a glass of lime juice, and a glass of champagne. Naturally, I chose both.
The menu is however a little confusing: At first glance there are just a long list of meal choices, but little to separate them. This is because Qatar make much of their 'dine on demand' offering in Business Class. You can literally order whatever is on the menu at any time you choose, so there is no real set order of first service, mid-flight, and second meal.
Today's menu had:
Soup of the day (Tom Yum Soup).
Appetizers:
- Arabic Meze
- Tuna Tartare with salad
Mains:
- Braised Coco Buco with onion mash
- Duck Confit with mash
- Thai red curry salmon
- Tofu and soya vegetables
Cheese plate
Desserts:
- Burnt cheesecake
- Rose water berry syrup
- Ice Cream
Light Options:
- Detox salad
- Beef with Nasi Goering
- Afternoon tea with finger sandwiches
- Croque Monsieur
Considering we were boarding in the evening, almost every passenger asked for the main meal service as soon as we were in the cruise, so they could get some sleep and adjust to Australian time as soon as possible. The crew addressed me by name, and, quite unusually for an airline, didn't mind if I changed wine to suit each course: on some airlines (Emirates, we are looking at you) the crew have just one space on the menu to list what you will drink for the duration of the flight.
All meals are brought individually from the galley, after table cloths have been laid, and even better, the lovely touch of a candle in an Arabic holder on the table, along with salt and pepper pots and a full selection of silver cutlery.
It really looks the part, and such a change from Qatar just a couple of months ago, when Covid was on, and meals were heavily pared back and very basic. Now the before times are back, and so are the candles on the tables.
I started with the soup of the day, which today was Tom Yum Soup, and was delicious. Making it even better are the trio of rolls Qatar serve, with three types of bread in one roll.
To go with the bread is Monte Vibiano olive oil. The soup had light delicate flavours, and went well with the Sauvignon Blanc served.
The main appetiser was traditional Arabic Meze. Again, it was superb, and came with a lovely bowl of Arabic bread, plus hummus, tabbouleh, and moutabel.
I moved onto the Merlot for the Braised Coco Buco with onion mash and beef jus. This is very tender beef crosscut shanks braised in a rich red sauce, with a lovely mash, and an assortment of veggies, from broccoli to carrots. Normally, I love a Coco Buco, but although the beef was lovely, there were only tiny scraps of meat surrounding an enormous bone. It was all a little odd. But the purple sprouting broccoli was a great touch.
The cheese plate was as good as ever, with the usual Qatar section of cheddar, edam, blue and goats cheese, plus grainex, lavosh, and chutney.
Meanwhile the San Sebastian Basque burnt cheesecake was fantastic; one of the best desserts I've had on a plane in a very long time.
There was of course dessert wine, which was a perfect pairing.
Qatar Airways Wine Selection
A typical question is:
Does Qatar Airlines serve alcoholic beverages? Yes.
Definitely, and indeed the drinks selection was very good, with some of the wine on board retailing in my native Australia for upwards to over a hundred dollars a bottle. There are two Champagnes, three whites and three reds.
There were two types of Champagne on the menu. The main champers was Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve ($92 at Dan Murphys). It had a complex and elegant aroma with rich toasted notes.
There was a Rose Champagne too, the vintage 2006 Bollinger; a brilliant salmon pink with fragrances of dried flowers ($146 at Dan Murphys).
White wines included the Louis Jadot Chardonnay cru 2017, from Chassagne Montrachet in the Cote de Blancs. It's got hand picked grapes, and intense fruity flavours.
Sauvignon Blanc was the Vina Tarapaca 2018 from Chile, plus a Oro de Castilla 2018 from Verdejo de Rueda in Spain.
Red wines were the superb Chateau Lynch Moussas grand cru classe Pauillac 2014 from France, the Syrah Zarihs 2015 from Campo de Borja in Spain, and the Greek Grande Cuvee Nemea 2015 by Domaine Skouras.
Dessert wine is the Nobel Late Harvest 2018 by Nederburg. A gorgeous dessert wine from South Africa with aromas of honeyed marmalade and peach preserves. Paired with a moderately sweet desert it is fantastic.
Port is the classic Dow's 20 year old Tawny Port.
Cocktails were also available: I went for a rum and coke, the Cuba Libre, with cola, white rum, and lime juice on ice.
We were now well past the Gulf and heading for India, so sleep beckoned. There is a full turndown service, with a mattress topper; you just have to ask the crew.
While my bed was made I headed to the bathroom. Qatar Airways has two huge bathrooms between the business class cabins on the 777, plus two more smaller ones at the front of the cabin. Qatar Airways crew consistently keep the bathrooms in pristine condition, and they are quite nicely appointed anyway.
The turndown service on Qatar Airways involves putting a mattress topper over the seat, which can remain upright: this is a good move, as it means you can get cosy in bed watching the telly before sliding down into bed mode. The crew will also put a pillowcase over the pillow that's at your seat during boarding, and there is a second pillow if you want to wedge yourself into your seat. It all makes for a cosy night.
Qatar Airways mid-flight snacks, Business Class
I woke up after a solid 6 hours sleep, which is quite remarkable on an aircraft. Of course by this time it was already mid-morning in the destination of Sydney, and with an eye to my body clock, I was keen to move straight into Brunch mode.
The menu offered some 'light bites' mid flight, and I decided to try the Croque Monsieur with jarjeer salad for breakfast, with a cup of tea and champagne.
It was just what I needed to stave off the hunger pangs, with soft sourdough, lightly toasted gruyere cheese, and an inner filling of smoked ham and creamy mustard mayo.
Qatar Airways Business Class Breakfast
After a few more hours, we flew over the coast of Australia just north of Broome; one of my favourite spots in Western Australia. The beaches looked fantastic, as did the menu. However, Qatar were only offering breakfast now, and it was already 3pm local time; I'd been up for hours, so I was determined to turn my breakfast into a kind of dinner.
The crew came around to take orders, and I went for orange Juice, fresh fruit plus Greek yoghurt and strawberry compote, which was remarkably good.
Next up was the Assiette of cold cuts with salmon, plus caper berry, goats cheese with chives, tomatoes and a boiled egg. Now, an Assiette is also used to showcase the versatile ways you can cook and serve meats, and in a traditional French style can be a wonderful way to start the day. Sadly, this was the one dish were Qatar really disappointed. Tasteless, with poor cuts of meat, and bad salmon, I had to return most of it to the galley.
Much better was the Traditional Arabic breakfast with foul medames, feta, and Arabic bread. I'm not too sure about the large lumps of feta, which were a bit oddball, but it was very good never the less. It was served with a very basic green salad, and a huge bowl of olives.
Rather incongruously, the crew also brought around fresh croissants and breakfast marmalade. Hmm, that was a rather unusual dessert.
An hour or so later, the crew came through the cabin, tidying up and then we were well into the decent into Sydney, so the crew ended the meal service by handing out chocolates again.
I was rather unprepared for the way we initially circled in regional New South Wales, before being permitted closer to Sydney, and then had to circle for another 45 minutes. Heavy, flooding, rains were the main problem on the approach, along with low cloud, and a lot of traffic.
Indeed, as I mentioned, today was the first day Australia has been open to the general public in over two years. This might be why I was given a grilling by customs as to why I'd flown via Doha rather than on the flight direct from London. I didn't really understand why I was singled out, until I saw that every passenger from the Doha flight was being stopped as they picked up their luggage, before even moving onto the customs hall. From the way the customs officer reacted it was almost as if I was the first person every to not fly direct to Australia. It was completely different to the reaction I expected as a returning Aussie.
Then, I was out into the main arrival hall, to find something of a party atmosphere. There were hundreds of people waiting to welcome home many people who haven't been able travel at all for the past two years.
There was one last rather unwelcome part to my journey: the entire Sydney train system had been shut down for the day too.
Doha to Sydney Qatar Business Class 777 Qsuites
So would I recommend Qatar Airways in Business Class on the new Qsuite?
Yes, yes, and yes again.
The wonderful feeling of privacy you get in the seat makes up for the slightly claustrophobic atmosphere. It is comfortable, with great IFE, and lots of places to stow baggage and electronic items around you.
However, adding to the five stars I will give Qatar is the amazing service, and indeed the top notch food.
I'll be back again.
See the full Trip Report: Doha to Sydney Qatar Business Class 777 Qsuites video:
Lux-traveller paid its own way for this Trip Report: Doha to Sydney Qatar Business Class 777 Qsuites, and travelled incognito.
| Trip Report: Doha to Sydney Qatar Business Class 777 Qsuites | |
|---|---|
Lux-traveller.com rating:9 out of10  | |
| Seats: | 9 - One of the best on the market |
| Food: | 9 - Top notch |
| Service: | 9 - Exceptionally good |
| IFE: | 8 - Very good |
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