The Superb Qatar Airways QSuite London to Doha

This Qatar Airways QSuite London to Doha flight explores what is arguably one of the best Business Class products in the skies!

Much like Emirates, Qatar Airways has been a major disrupter in the airline industry. With cutting edge aircraft and services long going beyond those on offer by legacy western carriers. Qatar Airways QSuite has been making headlines all across the aviation world and beyond for good reason!

It has now been a few years that I have flown them so I was excited to find out how they fared now with this product. Qatar have aptly described QSuite as a “First in Business”, does it live up to this?

Booking The QSuite

A few months ago, I found a decent cash fare from London to Penang for £1845. With 4 flying sectors on the booking, unfortunately only this flight was due to be on the QSuite product.

This will be the first of a series of Qatar Airways reviews. I also have a separate trip booked on an A350 with the Qsuite also.

Flight Details

Flight No: QR006
Route: London Heathrow – Doha
Departure time: 0800
Duration: 6:45
Aircraft: 777-300ER
Suite: 3A
Layout: 1-2-1

Check-in

Even though I live in London, this being an early morning flight, I decided to stay at the Premier Inn within the compounds of Terminal 4 for the night. Thus, I did not have to wake up at an ungodly hour to enjoy some lounge time.

Check-in itself was a breeze, with 2 dedicated business class counters. The Fast track security offered was equally swift.

Lounge

Along with my boarding pass, I was given an invitation card to the Qatar Premium lounge just past security and close to the departing gate. I review this separately here.

Qatar Airways QSuite London To Doha

I was still enjoying my time in the lounge when the staff came out to inform me of my boarding in progress.

With the gates so close by it was a quick walk over. Naturally you have your own lane to board separate to all other passengers.

By which point, it seemed most Business Class passengers had already boarded…

At the door there is no mistaking if you are at the right aircraft with the Qatar logo emblazed beautifully on the wall!

I was escorted to my Suite 3A by a warm friendly crew and I could not contain the excitement!

With the high walled Suite it wasn’t immediately obvious how many other passengers were in the cabin at first..

The QSuite cabin was immaculate. One of the interesting features of the Qsuite is that 22 (A, K, E & F) of the 42 suites are rare facing, 3A being one of them. BA is another airline that has this setup and frankly, other than take-off or landing, you rarely notice it.

There are pairs of seats (E, F) which can be setup as double beds for couples travelling together. The middle E, F, D & G suites form a “Quad” which can be arranged for groups of friends to dine/socialise or work together, perhaps the most unique feature of all.

Much thought has gone into the design to make this work so the space can be opened up with movable entertainment screens etc

There was a genuine pride exuding from all the crew, who were just as eager to show me around the cabin as I was myself. I later learned the Qsuite cabin was only about 50% occupied on this flight.

The cabin manager, Tanya introduced herself and offered the welcome drink options, I chose to go with the lime mint, which was refreshing.

The flight left the gate just past 8am.

The Suite itself makes quite an impression. The interiors, space and attention to detail look fantastic and inviting. Width wise, the actual seat itself is pretty average, though comfortable. I tried the in-seat massage function, but either it was not working or it was so weak, I just didn’t notice any difference.

Qatar Airways QSuite Amenity Kits

Qatar Airways has always provided decent amenity kits, even back in Economy and it certainly takes this to another level for Business Class passengers..

Already place in my Suite was mixed leather and fabric amenity kit. Contents included plush Italian designer products of facial spray, moisturiser and lip balm,,

There is also the standard branded eye shades, flight socks and ear plugs etc.  They were very handy and I used them all on the flight.

QSuite Features & Entertainment

Right beside the seat is a storage area with the noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water and space to put away your laptop/tablet.

The entertainment screen was large and HD quality. Controls for the seat and entertainment were within easy reach, consisting of handheld remote, NFC/HDMI slot, charging points etc.

It’s great you can hook up your own content into the screen. Which is just as well, since the actual range of options of programmes could be more extensive. I did not really find any movies of interest that I wanted to watch, or perhaps I was just in an overly peculiar mood!

After a few drinks, nature called and it was time to check out the QSuite lavatories.

The bathrooms were stocked with a few additional toiletries, includes dental kits and fragrances.

Qatar Airways Qsuite London To Doha Service

In my opinion what has always set Qatar Airways apart from most European/Western carriers is their quality catering and service.

With the privilege of being in Business Class, this is dine on demand territory to boot!

The extensive menus and food and drink options were already in the Suite, which you can refer to below..

Since I had breakfast in the lounge I was happy to order a meal about 2/3 hours in.

However, once I explored the menu, it appeared the catering was centred around breakfast for this flight with all other options being lighter meal choices. Therefore, about 2 hours into the flight, I ordered my second breakfast.

The service started with the starter of Greek yogurt and cherry compot.

I really enjoy watching how Qatar crew meticulously set the table. It has become something of an art and here Qatar adds its very own unique signature, not sure by the choice of top range crockery but also this artificial candle that really sets the scene.

You would not out of your mind to momentarily think you are in a high end restaurant!

For Breakfast main, I chose the cheddar cheese omelette…

I have to add, even though I was not overly hungry, the meal was distinctly average. I suppose airline breakfast is a difficult one to get excited about as there is only so much you can do to jazz it up!

The presentation? Absolutely flawless!

Towards the later part of the flight I decided to try the Etoile Rose Champagne, the crew opened the bottle in front of me and subsequently came back for top ups. Throughout the whole flight I felt very well looked after with the crew checking up on you just in the right moments.

For the second meal about an hour to landing I tried the prawn Canape from the snacks menu

followed by the Sauteed Gnochi with Spinach and blue cheese sauce.

This was rather yummy.

The Bed & the Double Bed!

This was a rather short daytime flight but enough time to have a nap. I had enquired into checking out the double bed earlier.

If I was travelling with a partner, this is certainly something I would seek out. Its not far from the double bed of the old Singapore suites (I’m yet to try the new ones)

Eventually when I wanted to nap, the bed was made for me.

I found the bed to be very comfortable indeed. Due to the larger footwell, there was plenty of room to move about and stretch my legs, unlike most reverse herringbone business seats which feel squashed to say the least.

Final thoughts

This was as delightful as you would come to expect from Qatar Airways and of any good business class product. The crew were superb and always at hand. This off course was more apparent due to a higher crew to business passengers ratio.

What I was surprised was with just how many crew actually served me. I imagine in these scenarios, having 1 or 2 dedicated crew would create a much better overall experience for all, as I found it difficult to remember their names!

For the physical product, it’s hard to really pick any faults with it. The only slight gripe would be that the seat itself is still rather narrow.

The door creates privacy from other passengers, but not too high so crews passing by can keep an eye out and anticipate your needs. Conversely some may prefer the full privacy over the extra capacity this provides for crew to look after you.

Comparing with the current league of Business class, QSuite is still a league of its own and ranks highest in my Top 10 Business Class products