- Introduction: The Surprise Trip Of A Lifetime (Hopefully?)
- Review: American Airlines A319 First Class
- Review: Delta Air Lines CRJ-900 First Class
- Review: Air France La Premiere Lounge & Spa New York JFK
- Review: Air France La Premiere 777-300ER
- Review: Park Suite At Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
- How My Dad Flew To South Africa Without Knowing It
- Review: Air France La Premiere Lounge Paris
- Review: Air France 777 First Class
- Review: InterContinental Johannesburg Airport
- Review: Federal Air Lounge Johannesburg Airport
- Review: Federal Airlines Flights South Africa
- Review: Singita Boulders Lodge Sabi Sands
- Review: Singita Lebombo Lodge Kruger Park
- First Singita Safari: My Thoughts
- Review: British Airways Comair Business Class 737
- Review: The Silo Hotel Cape Town
- Review: Qatar Airways A350-900 Business Class
- Review: Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge Doha (Purchased Access)
- Review: Qatar Airways Qsuites A350-1000
Boy was I excited about this flight! I had flown Qsuites on Qatar Airways’ 777-300ER before, but this was my first time flying their A350 Qsuites, and my first ever flight on any A350-1000 (I was on Qatar Airways’ first-ever A350-900 flight back in 2015, though).
Redeeming Miles For Qatar Airways Qsuites
As I explained in my review of the Cape Town to Doha flight, we redeemed 75,000 AAdvantage miles and paid $59.43 per person for the following itinerary:
9/11 QR1370 Cape Town to Doha departing 12:40PM arriving 11:55PM [Business]
9/12 QR729 Doha to Dallas departing 7:50AM arriving 3:50PM [Business]
9/12 AA2206 Dallas to Miami departing 6:15PM arriving 10:00PM [Business]
This is such an incredible use of American miles, and was even bookable directly on aa.com. That’s tough to beat.
You can easily replicate a trip like this using miles earned through credit cards.
See this post for details on the best credit cards for earning American miles.
Qatar Airways A350-1000 Qsuites Review
Qatar Airways 729
Doha (DOH) – Dallas (DFW)
Thursday, September 12
Depart: 7:50AM
Arrive: 3:50PM
Duration: 16hr
Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000
Seat: 9A (Business Class)
I boarded through the forward door, where I was greeted by the cabin manager and one of the business class flight attendants, and pointed down the near aisle towards my seat.
Qatar Airways’ A350-1000 has a total of 46 Qsuites — what a breathtaking cabin!
Qatar Airways business class cabin A350-1000
While I’m sometimes annoyed by the lack of overhead bins in the center section, this makes such a huge difference with Qsuites. Since each of the seats has a door, this open feeling makes the cabin feel so much more spacious.
The forward business class cabin on the A350-1000 has a total of 38 seats spread across 10 rows, while there’s also a rear cabin with an additional eight seats, spread across two rows.
Qatar Airways Qsuites cabin A350-1000
One of the cool features of Qsuites is that you can have a “quad” if traveling as four, where you can lower the partitions and basically have a four-person suite. I didn’t assign us those seats, though. Why?
- My expectation was that the cabin would be full, and having three of the four seats didn’t seem nearly as cool
- Ford and I are on very different sleep schedules when we fly, and I didn’t want to disturb him by being awake while he tried to sleep (my dad, on the other hand, can sleep anytime/anywhere)
- I love looking out the window, especially when you can have a rear-facing seat on a plane as beautiful as the A350-1000
- The center seats don’t have individual air nozzles, while the window seats do
Qatar Airways Qsuites quad
For those who do sit in the center section, seats alternate between being forward and rear-facing. The rear-facing seats are close to one another, and can turn into a double bed of sorts (though not really, since you still have different footwells). There’s also a partition that can be raised and lowered.
A lot of people prefer these seats when traveling with someone.
Qatar Airways Qsuites middle seats
Qatar Airways Qsuites middle seats
The forward-facing center seats are further apart from one another, and are closer to the aisle. In general, these would be my last pick, since you don’t have a window view and also aren’t close to the person next to you.
Qatar Airways Qsuites middle seats
Then along the windows you also have two types of seats. In even-numbered rows you have forward-facing seats that are closer to the aisle. These have the benefit of still having a window view, though you are further from the window.
Qatar Airways Qsuites window seat
Qatar Airways Qsuites window seat
In my opinion, the absolute best seats are the window seats in odd-numbered rows. These are rear-facing and are closest to the windows, so you have the best views, and they also feel the least claustrophobic, since you’re further from the door.
Qatar Airways Qsuites
I selected seat 9A for myself, the window seat on the left side in the last row of the forward cabin. Qsuites are essentially a modified staggered configuration, as the footwell for each seat is to the side of the seat in front (or behind, in this case).
Qatar Airways Qsuites A350-1000
At the front of the seat you have a large counter, the personal television, and then a tray table and footwell.
Qatar Airways A350-1000 Qsuites
The tray table permanently sticks out a bit from above the footwell. On the plus side, it can easily be moved around, and it’s quite large.
Qatar Airways Qsuites
Qatar Airways Qsuites tray table
The footwell in this configuration is also a good size. With some staggered seats you feel like there’s not enough space, but that’s not the case here.
Qatar Airways Qsuites footwell
The counter to the side of the seat is extremely well designed, and to the side of it are easy-to-use seat controls, an entertainment controller, and both a 110v and USB outlet.
Qatar Airways Qsuites seat controls
Immediately to the side of the seat is a large compartment with a literature pocket, water bottle holder, and more. It’s a well-designed space, and you can also close it to add some width to your bed when the seat is reclined (though it doesn’t line up perfectly to the sleeping surface otherwise).
Qatar Airways Qsuites storage
Qatar Airways business class storage
Qatar Airways also has individual air nozzles on the A350, though only along the window seats (they don’t have these in the center section because of how high the overhead bins are).
Qatar Airways Qsuites air nozzle
A couple of other quick notes about the seat. First of all, I find it interesting that Qatar Airways didn’t choose to have electronic shades on the A350-1000. I’m not talking about the 787 dimmers, but rather on the A350-900, Qatar Airways has “blinds” that can be lowered at the touch of a button, but they didn’t choose to put these on the A350-1000. Were they having too many issues with them, was it a cost saving measure, or what?
Second of all, I absolutely love Qsuites, but there’s no denying the space feels a bit “compact.” That’s to be expected because they’re trying to use the space efficiently. But by the end of the flight, I also had some legit bruises. It’s really hard to move around in this seat without inadvertently hitting your knees, elbows, etc.
For example, I constantly hit my knee on the tray table above the footwell, when I tried to get up I hit my knee on the counter, etc. Am I the only one who felt like I was cruising for a bruising in Qsuites?
Qatar Airways Qsuites A350-1000
Already waiting at my seat upon boarding was the exceptional Qsuites bedding, including a thick pillow, comfortable blanket, and a second pillow that they exclusively have in Qsuites (which always has some travel-related quote on it). Then when it’s time to sleep there’s a mattress pad, and they also put a pillow cover around the main pillow.
Qatar Airways Qsuites bedding
Also at my seat was the Bric’s amenity kit, containing skincare products from Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio.
Qatar Airways Qsuites amenity kit
There were also the mediocre headphones that Qatar Airways has in business class.
Qatar Airways Qsuites headphones
A minute after settling in I was greeted by the lovely Claudine from the Philippines, who would be taking care of all of us for the flight to Dallas. She was one of the better business class flight attendants I’ve had with Qatar.
She first familiarized me with the seat, and then offered me a pre-departure drink. I ordered a glass of sparkling water and a warm towel. She was by the book in the sense that she would repeat every order no matter how small it was.
“Allow me to repeat your order sir. One warm towel and one sparkling water.” That was brought out within a couple of minutes.
Qatar Airways Qsuites pre-departure drink & warm towel
She also presented me with pajamas and slippers from The White Company — it’s so nice that Qatar Airways even has pajamas in business class.
Qatar Airways Qsuites pajamas
She then also presented me with the menu for the flight, including the small snack menu that’s available exclusively in Qsuites. It’s interesting that Qatar Airways has a special menu in Qsuites that isn’t available on planes operated by their other business class products.
Qatar Airways Qsuites menu & wine list
A few minutes later the cabin supervisor stopped by each seat to welcome everyone on board. While perhaps not all that personalized, Qatar Airways delivers first class service in business class in terms of the “motions” they go through. In other words, I’m almost never addressed by name in Qatar Airways business class, but they welcome you onboard, before landing they thank you for flying with Qatar, etc.
Crews working Qatar business class really hustle when you consider how much service there is to provide, especially with the cabin being almost completely full on this flight.
Boarding was efficient, and by 7:55AM the main cabin door closed. At that point, Captain Pedro added his welcome aboard on behalf of himself, Captain Marco, and the two first officers. He informed us of our flight time of 14hr45min, and our anticipated cruising altitude of 40,000 feet.
At 8AM we began our pushback, with another A350-1000 in the oneworld livery right next to us.
Qatar Airways A350-1000
Having a rear facing seat with a wing view like this is awesome.
Taxiing Doha Airport
While our taxi to the departure runway was pretty quick, there was quite a queue for takeoff, so we had to wait for about 15 minutes before it was our turn.
Qatar Airways A380
I didn’t mind one bit, since watching the tail camera combined with looking out over the wing is like avgeek heaven. At 8:30AM we were finally cleared for takeoff on runway 34R.
A350-1000 tail camera
We had a pretty long takeoff roll, though the A350-1000 sure is a quiet beast.
A350-1000 tail camera
Views on departure were beautiful, in particular of the Pearl.
View after takeoff from Doha
View after takeoff from Doha
We had a gradual climb out, which I guess isn’t too surprising given how heavy we were. About 30 minutes after takeoff we were only climbing through 25,000 feet, so that’s a pretty slow rate of climb.
View after takeoff from Doha
As we climbed out I browsed the entertainment selection. Oryx One has an excellent selection, with endless movies and TV shows.
Qatar Airways entertainment system
Qatar Airways entertainment system
Qatar Airways entertainment system
I also took a look at the moving map for our flight. You’ve gotta love when your flight is so long that you can barely see the entire route on one screen.
Moving map enroute to Dallas
I also connected to the Wi-Fi. Qatar Airways has new “super Wi-Fi” on the A350-1000, which I had a great experience with. A pass for the entire flight cost just $10, with no data caps. I found the speeds to be great.
Qatar Airways A350 Wi-Fi
For those who don’t want to pay, there’s an option to get an hour of free Wi-Fi.
Qatar Airways A350 Wi-Fi
I’ve gotta say, Qsuites is just about my dream office. An amazing tail camera, a great view out the window, unlimited cappuccinos, and the ambient noise of engines. Ahhhh!
My Qsuites office
About 15 minutes after takeoff the crew came through the cabin to “unlock” the Qsuites doors. There’s a key they have that unlocks this after takeoff, and then locks it again before landing.
The crew turned on the mood lighting, as some passengers went straight to sleep, while others were wide awake.
Qatar Airways A350-1000 Qsuites forward cabin
I also quickly took a look at the intimate business class cabin behind the second set of doors.
Qatar Airways A350-1000 Qsuites rear cabin
There were lavatories both between the two business class cabins and at the very front, and I was amazed by how clean the crew kept these. They’d go in after almost every use to refresh the bathrooms, fold the toilet paper into triangles, etc.
Qatar Airways A350 lavatory
After takeoff Claudine stopped by my seat to see if I wanted to order anything. I was a bit hungry at this point, so decided to have breakfast.
The menu read as follows:
Then here’s the snack menu (available exclusively on Qsuites-equipped planes):
Lastly, here’s the drink list:
To drink I ordered a cappuccino, which was served about 45 minutes after takeoff.
Qatar Airways business class breakfast — cappuccino
I then ordered breakfast. Qatar Airways has good food in business class, though I feel like they rarely mix up the options. Even before boarding a flight I feel like I could roughly tell you what the menu will look like based on a flight months ago. That’s not necessarily bad, there’s just not much mystery to the menu.
On the plus side, the table setting is absolutely beautiful, between the faux-candle, the breadbasket, the salt and pepper grinders, etc. I ordered a coffee to drink, and then had a greek yogurt with berry compote and toasted granola to start.
Qatar Airways business class breakfast
Qatar Airways business class breakfast
For the main course I had the Indian vegetarian option, as I almost always do on Qatar Airways. On this flight it was a dry fruit upma with sambar. Mmm…
Qatar Airways business class breakfast
After the meal I was offered a warm towel and a mint.
Qatar Airways business class warm towel & mint
Ford went right to sleep, while my dad had the omelet for breakfast, which he enjoyed.
Qatar Airways business class breakfast
After breakfast I watched a couple of TV shows, and after about an hour asked to have my bed made. Claudine brought out a mattress pad, and then also brought out a cover for my pillow, which is a cute touch.
Qatar Airways Qsuites bed
I closed the door and tried to get some rest. This really is a ridiculously cozy business class suite.
Qatar Airways Qsuites door
At this point we had about 12hr15min remaining to Dallas.
Qatar Airways map enroute to Dallas
I slept for about 30 minutes before waking up. Grrr…. I know, I probably shouldn’t have had a cappuccino and a coffee.
I decided to work on my laptop for a couple of hours, and then with about 9hr30min remaining ordered something from the snack menu. I ordered the smoked salmon with dill mayonnaise, and the mixed pepper with tumeric crostini. These are really small portions, which is great if you just want a snack but don’t want to grab a bag of chips or cookies.
Qatar Airways business class snack
I kept working, and eventually we were over Northern Europe. Goodness gracious this is a long flight.
Qatar Airways map enroute to Dallas
A bit later I ordered another cappuccino, which was served with cookies this time. Just what I needed. 😉
Qatar Airways business class cappuccino
A bit later, as we were approaching Greenland, I ordered the mini baguettes, described as coming with chicken and roasted pumpkin with za’atar, tahini, sesame seeds, and onions, served with chunky chips.
Qatar Airways business class snack
Qatar Airways map enroute to Dallas
I tried several more times to nap. After all, sleeping for 30 minutes on a 14hr45min flight is downright unreasonable. Unfortunately I was repeatedly unsuccessful. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes I really struggle with sleeping on planes.
Oh well, on the plus side I was very productive. I ended up having my proper meal about three hours before landing. I figured I’d have a glass of wine in hopes of that maybe helping me get in a nap before landing.
To start I ordered a glass of the New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and was offered mixed nuts to go along with it.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — wine and mixed nuts
Once again, my table was beautifully set. I was offered an amuse-bouche consisting of crabmeat with pumpkin puree.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — amuse bouche
For the appetizer I ordered smoked salmon tartare with mushroom and dill prawns. It was excellent.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — appetizer
Then for the main course I ordered sayadiyah spiced cod with saffron basmati rice, fried onions, pine nuts, taratour sauce, and vegetable saloona. Once again, it was phenomenal, and most definitely restaurant quality.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — main course
For dessert I ordered the white chocolate and raspberry crumble with mango coulis.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — dessert
To finish off the meal I was offered another warm towel and a box of Godiva chocolates.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — warm towel & chocolates
My dad had virtually the same meal I had, while Ford had the potato and leek soup to start, and then the feta, roast pepper and basil stuffed chicken breast.
Qatar Airways business class lunch — soup
Qatar Airways business class lunch — main course
Once the meal was finished I managed to nap for about 30 minutes, which sure was nice. I was woken up when at 2:30PM local time the captain announced that we would be landing in 50 minutes. About 25 minutes after that Claudine and the cabin manager came around to thank everyone for flying with Qatar Airways, and at that point the cabin was prepared for arrival.
I opened up my window shade to enjoy the views and also turned on the tail camera. What a view!
View approaching Dallas
View approaching Dallas
We ended up touching down in Dallas at 3:20PM.
Landing in Dallas
From there we had a roughly 15 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 3:35PM.
Arriving in Dallas
We bid farewell to the crew after our very long flight, and were ready for our connections home.
Bottom Line
Qatar Airways Qsuites is simply spectacular. Qsuites is incredible to begin with, but the A350 really elevates the product even further, between how quiet the plane is, and how spacious the cabin feels due to lack of overhead bins in the center section.
Not only is the Qsuites hard product great, but Qatar Airways has thought of everything beyond that. The amenities, dine on demand, air nozzles, fast Wi-Fi, good food and drinks, and more, really set Qatar Airways apart.
I’m a huge fan of Qsuites, and this A350-1000 experience was probably my favorite business class experience ever.
If you’ve flown Qsuites, what was your experience like?
Are you saying that for takeoff and landing you are "LOCKED" in your Q-Suite? Seems like that would break FAA safety rules?
The Q-Suite doors are locked in the OPEN position for takeoff and landing.
Great review. One grammatical mistake throughout the post: every time you say "further," it should be "farther." Use "farther" when talking about things that can be measured—like distance from the aisle. Use "further" for everything else. E.g., "one further question," etc.
I'm excited to fly this in March! Was able to score CPT-DOH-SFO all business QSuite class for 75k AA miles.
The problem with both Etihad & Qatar is the way they control the temperature. Ive always had issues with cabin feeling too warm on their flights. Im the same way where I cannot go to bed on either Etihad A380 Apartments/Studio & QSuites because of warm flights. On the other hand, I slept so well on KLM & AA+BA business class on my flights to India.
@ CT/Virginia
i just flew 388 F to Doha and Qsuites 777 back to Frankfurt.
Both are great products - BUT i must admit that the bed in F was a lot better - it is much wider and softer and longer - it is for sure the better sleep that you get - not that Qsuites is bad though...
I am flying the Q-suite next March on the 777-300, which should be awesome. However, this is being written as a comment to CT/Virginia re: her consideration of stopping in Perth for a few days and then going on to Doha in first class on the A388.
My suggestion--DO THE STOP IN PERTH!! We did last March, sitting in seats 1-A and 2-A.
Truly nothing like it, the caviar service, the fresh-water Australian...
I am flying the Q-suite next March on the 777-300, which should be awesome. However, this is being written as a comment to CT/Virginia re: her consideration of stopping in Perth for a few days and then going on to Doha in first class on the A388.
My suggestion--DO THE STOP IN PERTH!! We did last March, sitting in seats 1-A and 2-A.
Truly nothing like it, the caviar service, the fresh-water Australian crawfish (which to me were the equivalent of Florida lobsters) and just the wonderfulness of being on the A380. Also, LOVED PERTH. Been to OZ seven times, and it is one of my favorite cities anywhere.
Took Qatar Airways on DFW-DOH-HAN and back recently and couple of notes:
1. DFW-DOH was on exact same plane you took (I sat in 9K) and yes, this plane does not have electric blinds, but on return (DOH-DFW) blinds were electric (on A350-1000).
2. No issues whatsoever with space - never bumped into anything on both long flights.
3. Totally agree on rear-facing window seats being the best - I had 9K...
Took Qatar Airways on DFW-DOH-HAN and back recently and couple of notes:
1. DFW-DOH was on exact same plane you took (I sat in 9K) and yes, this plane does not have electric blinds, but on return (DOH-DFW) blinds were electric (on A350-1000).
2. No issues whatsoever with space - never bumped into anything on both long flights.
3. Totally agree on rear-facing window seats being the best - I had 9K both ways and would gladly take it again, especially because there is no one in front of you and lav is far away (in my case it was even on the other side of the plane).
4. Service is top-notch and I am forever spoiled with "dine anytime" feature.
5. DFW-DOH had a marvelous 7hr sleep, but there IS one feature I don't like about the bed - the gap between the backrest and actual seat - if you manage during sleep to get into that one bad spot it may become uncomfortable over time.
To summarize things - it's going to be very hard to fly on any other biz product after Qsuites!
Great review once again, your comments abut being "banged" around by the seat seemed a bit strange but if you're not a good sleeper it could explain the problem. I love qsuites and rear facing is my preference. Id agree that the menu doesn't seem to change, perhaps their catering needs to be addressed in feedback and cycle different menus pertaining to different seasons ?
@Paolo, one of the reasons I fly is to see the world below and on each flight there is something spectacular to see. On one occasion, I witnessed a 2hr show of the Northern Lights over Greenland. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It was only me who enjoyed it though, as everyone else had their window shades closed and were either sleeping or watching movies. You would have been one of them.
@The nice Paul - amen (on window shades)! I hate when the shades are all down (for good reason in the south, to keep the plane cool), but then everyone just defaults to keeping them closed on daytime flights. So annoying! Wish the US had the same requirement as some other countries to open all shades on takeoff and landing.
I always fly by Qatar while flying to India, love their ambiance, amenities, luxury, comfort, attention to details and quality of food/ drinks.
The nice touch of the pjs and mattress cover add to the comfort. I have had no problem with sleeping comfortably, but I can't sleep for more than 2 hours in flight.
This Dec I am flying first time in 350-1000 JFK-DOH-BOM (Qsuites), will compare how they fare against 777-300R...
I always fly by Qatar while flying to India, love their ambiance, amenities, luxury, comfort, attention to details and quality of food/ drinks.
The nice touch of the pjs and mattress cover add to the comfort. I have had no problem with sleeping comfortably, but I can't sleep for more than 2 hours in flight.
This Dec I am flying first time in 350-1000 JFK-DOH-BOM (Qsuites), will compare how they fare against 777-300R (Qsuites) that I take from IAD.
Not sure if it's a good deal, I paid $3000 for the whole trip: JFK-DOH-BOM and return, all 4 sectors in Qsuites.
I just flew on Qatar Airways from Houston to South Asia (via Doha) with the outbound in Business and the return in Economy. I had flown Turkish Business roundtrip on the same route about 5 months before and comparing the two, I would have to say Turkish was the clear winner. I agree that Qatar has newer planes, we also flew on the Airbus A350-1000 on both sectors, and that their service is a bit...
I just flew on Qatar Airways from Houston to South Asia (via Doha) with the outbound in Business and the return in Economy. I had flown Turkish Business roundtrip on the same route about 5 months before and comparing the two, I would have to say Turkish was the clear winner. I agree that Qatar has newer planes, we also flew on the Airbus A350-1000 on both sectors, and that their service is a bit more polished but overall I had a better experience on Turkish.
First were the seats -- I definitely agree with you that "there’s no denying the space feels a bit “compact."...it’s really hard to move around in this seat without inadvertently hitting your knees, elbows, etc." The space felt very compact and narrow - it was definitely hard to move around. While there was more storage space on Qatar, Turkish's 777 Business class had wider seats and were generally more comfortable (especially after the 9th hour on the plane).
Where Turkish was the clear winner was in terms of cuisine - the quality and quantity of food served was outstanding and far superior to the quality and quantity of food served on Qatar. I have traveled many times, all around the world, and luckily I have never gotten sick from airplane food but after eating Qatar's food I did get sick (and I talked to my fellow passengers who experienced similar in terms of quality and quantity of food - both on the outbound and the return).
All the reviews said Qatar was supposed to have this amazing service and product so that was I was looking forward to, but in the end it was subpar service on a new product.
You can see my full review of Turkish on my blog and my Qatar review is upcoming
"I don’t know what it is, but sometimes I really struggle with sleeping on planes."
Well... maybe it's the caffeine you're drinking? Just a thought.
@A Consumer -- "Yet others, like yourself, fly around the world with gay abandon, apparently blissfully unaware or unconcerned about the harmful effects to which the emissions from your flights are contributing."
As others have stated -- NOT speaking for @Lucky, but just to present some *Factual* information --
On this controversial issue, we need to go back to foundational basics about the entire phenomenon of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), now morphed into Anthropogenic Climate...
@A Consumer -- "Yet others, like yourself, fly around the world with gay abandon, apparently blissfully unaware or unconcerned about the harmful effects to which the emissions from your flights are contributing."
As others have stated -- NOT speaking for @Lucky, but just to present some *Factual* information --
On this controversial issue, we need to go back to foundational basics about the entire phenomenon of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), now morphed into Anthropogenic Climate Change (ACC) -- just *How* do we know the extent of this purported *Crisis*? And I'm *Not* being snide at all about this! Climate has been changing over the geological eons and has, since the beginning of Earth, way before Man ever existed! The only contentious issue then becomes, is Man contributing towards such changes in significant ways?
Climate "science" is a very nebulous subject because, unlike more traditional sciences that can be tested with the Scientific Method, climate spans such long timeframes as to preclude such Scientific Method validations. As a result, there are those who will *Intentionally* conflate Pollution, Weather, and Climate, in order to very grossly mislead the public!
Note that Pollution is a localized phenomenon (unless talking about global micro-plastics contamination that have now become all pervasive throughout every corner of our precious oceans), and *No One* is in favor of a polluted environment! Pollution *Is* undeniably caused by Man and *Must* be curtailed and *Cleaned Up*!
Weather is what we all experience on a day-to-day basis (sunshine, cloudy, windy, rainy, snowy, etc). Weather is also *Seasonal* in nature and recurs annually. Man has *Tried* to influence localized weather before (eg, seeding clouds to try and induce rainfall, etc), with varying degrees of success.
Climate, on the other hand, is defined to be much longer-term behavior of the Earth's atmospheric and oceanic interactions, often spanning minimally centuries all the way into millennia! In order to be properly deemed as "climate," then, there must be a change in trend that spans that *Same* interval of time! Otherwise, it can be considered as shorter-term *Weather Anomalies* and *Not* truly reflective of *Climate Change*!
Now ... we currently have all those Fearmongers going around proclaiming an imminent End-of-the-Earth apocalypse induced by Man's activities! But does that even make *Any* sense? Have we even seen consistently increasing "Record Warming" over the past 100 years, whether natural or Man-induced? Historical records tell us that during the 1930s and early 2000s we had even *higher record* temperatures than recently claimed (within last 3 years) as "record-breaking"! I think that most reasonably intelligent people can agree that the impacts of Man during the 1930s vs. 2019 was tremendously *Less* than today, yet they had even higher "record temperatures" back then! We all need to be wary of how those Fearmongers love to "Cherry-pick" temperature timeframes (windows) that *Only* fit their narrative and agenda, rather than the entire spectrum of more meaningful historical timeframes!
This proves that the claimed imminent Apocalypse from recent "record high temperatures" is *Totally Fake* and *Intentionally Contrived*!
Let's next look at what is claimed to be *The* underlying *Cause* of their already-debunked idea of recent "record high temperatures". Everyone has been (mis)-lead to believe that GreenHouse Gases (GHG), but especially CO2, are *The* culprits for AGW! Most may not even realize that CO2 is *Not* even the most prolific GHG in the atmosphere! Look up at the sky and what do you see? White puffies called *Clouds*? It turns out that H2O is *The* largest component of GHG and it has way greater immediate impacts on Earth's surface temperatures than CO2 can, even over decades and centuries! Look at it this way -- the "projected" temperature rises over decades due to CO2 increases in the atmosphere is usually touted to be 0.3-deg C ... just go outside and directly experience how many deg-C differences there are between sunny vs. cloudy days (eg, 5-deg C or more)!
The important thing to understand is that *All* of these Fearmongering claims are based on *Totally Flawed* and *Corrupted* projections from computer climate models and are, therefore, *Totally Meaningless*!
Unfortunately, AGW has always been an Agenda of Global Power Grabbing and Global Redistribution of Wealth rather than anything about saving the Earth from some *Fake* Apocalypse!
Even the former Chief-of-Staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Green New Deal) recently CONFESSED that AGW really had NOTHING to do with saving the Earth, but was TOTALLY an Agenda about Power Acquisition and Economic System Modifications (ie, Redistribution of Wealth)!
So everyone should just go ahead and fly all they want WITHOUT any feelings of GUILT! The world is NOT going to face any Apocalypse due to that GREATEST HOAX upon Man called AGW!
This past week I took that flight in the opposite direction, DFW to DOH. Really enjoyed it even with the high expectations going in (first time in qsuites).
One issue I'm wondering if it is common, though. We had the two seats in the middle and were clearly traveling together, but the service flow on our two sides were quite different. My flight attendant was prompt and effortless seeming, while my partner's service was...
This past week I took that flight in the opposite direction, DFW to DOH. Really enjoyed it even with the high expectations going in (first time in qsuites).
One issue I'm wondering if it is common, though. We had the two seats in the middle and were clearly traveling together, but the service flow on our two sides were quite different. My flight attendant was prompt and effortless seeming, while my partner's service was always slower and seemed behind. For example, we requested dinner for the same time but mine came course by course quicker than hers. Just would have been nice to have one flight attendant for us both tourists have a consistent experience, though I get why that is tough with separate aisles.
@A Consumer,
If you find credible studies, you'll see that aviation in and of itself is a relatively small percentage of the climate issue. Yes, aircraft use a lot of fuel, obviously, but in the global scheme of things, it is a small percentage of the climate problem. Ground vehicles and industry in a few concentrated areas of the world make up the true bulk and are actually the major issue.
If the world stopped...
@A Consumer,
If you find credible studies, you'll see that aviation in and of itself is a relatively small percentage of the climate issue. Yes, aircraft use a lot of fuel, obviously, but in the global scheme of things, it is a small percentage of the climate problem. Ground vehicles and industry in a few concentrated areas of the world make up the true bulk and are actually the major issue.
If the world stopped flying tomorrow, the climate problem wouldn't go away. Aircraft are actually a very efficient mode of transport. To move X amount of persons or product, Y distance with in the time involved with the amount of fuel used is difficult to be equalled by other industries. The advances in engines and aerodynamics in the last decade alone have helped tremendously.
@A Consumer I'm not Lucky so I cant answer for him, but I can tell you that, daily, we use things/do things/partake in activities that ALL contribute to climate change. I say, let people live and let them do their job, let them be happy, we all can do small things that can better the environment, but in the big picture, we can't try to regulate every little thing or big thing we do or...
@A Consumer I'm not Lucky so I cant answer for him, but I can tell you that, daily, we use things/do things/partake in activities that ALL contribute to climate change. I say, let people live and let them do their job, let them be happy, we all can do small things that can better the environment, but in the big picture, we can't try to regulate every little thing or big thing we do or it will drive us crazy. Let the man fly, it's his job, hobby, and passion, the same way you have your lifestyle and interests, and yet no one is attacking you because of that. There are BIGGER factors that negatively contribute to climate change WAYYYY more than Ben flying more than you do.
Another Claudine from the Philippines?
What are the odds?!
@Lucky, Where do you stand on the Climate Change issue? Celebrities in the UK are regularly lambasted and/or pilloried in the newspapers for flying unnecessarily, in business rather than coach/economy, in private jets rather than on scheduled flights, or even at all. Yet others, like yourself, fly around the world with gay abandon, apparently blissfully unaware or unconcerned about the harmful effects to which the emissions from your flights are contributing. Don't get me wrong....
@Lucky, Where do you stand on the Climate Change issue? Celebrities in the UK are regularly lambasted and/or pilloried in the newspapers for flying unnecessarily, in business rather than coach/economy, in private jets rather than on scheduled flights, or even at all. Yet others, like yourself, fly around the world with gay abandon, apparently blissfully unaware or unconcerned about the harmful effects to which the emissions from your flights are contributing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not an eco-warrior, and I do sometimes take flights to do things that I want to do, rather than need to do - holidays, etc. - but I (and others of your readership?) would be interested to know your thoughts on the matter. JG
@Paolo
Use your damn eyeshades.
I don't want to live in the dark when it's daylight. I also like to read books. Yes, actual books.
You’re not alone. I cannot sleep on planes either. I just watch movies most of the time and the occasionally not really nice looking “nap” with the head bouncing around
Qsuite looks stunning though
Correction: disappointment, *because* if…
That’s because ‘as if’ can be confusing.
Of course I’m nitpicking here, but you said in your previous review that this flight was going to be *very* different from your previous one. Somehow I was expecting a disappointment, as if one flight is good enough and the other is ‘very different’, a negative difference is going to be much more than a positive difference. So I found that part a little misleading. ;)
That one was good, so this one can only...
Of course I’m nitpicking here, but you said in your previous review that this flight was going to be *very* different from your previous one. Somehow I was expecting a disappointment, as if one flight is good enough and the other is ‘very different’, a negative difference is going to be much more than a positive difference. So I found that part a little misleading. ;)
That one was good, so this one can only be spectacular. (Come on. It’s QATAR AIRWAYS. It can *never* get better than this. EVER.)
The slow climb out is another of the byproducts of the blockade. Since you headed north east over Iran, the flight has to stay low until reaching Iranian airspace. This is due to traffic crossing above you. There is only one way into Iran from Doha and flights going that way have this restriction. If you flew north towards Iraq as on other flights, you would have had a more normal climb profile.
The A350...
The slow climb out is another of the byproducts of the blockade. Since you headed north east over Iran, the flight has to stay low until reaching Iranian airspace. This is due to traffic crossing above you. There is only one way into Iran from Doha and flights going that way have this restriction. If you flew north towards Iraq as on other flights, you would have had a more normal climb profile.
The A350 actually has amazing performance, it just can't be used in the beginning of this flight for this reason.
@Paolo
There is also a special place in hell reserved for those passengers who insist the entire cabin is darkened, even on a daytime flight, and that no-one is allowed to stare out of a window at the skies and clouds enjoying the miracle of flight and contemplating the joys of flying. “Everyone else” can, of course, use the free eye shades thoughtfully provides by the airline at every seat but, no, their needs...
@Paolo
There is also a special place in hell reserved for those passengers who insist the entire cabin is darkened, even on a daytime flight, and that no-one is allowed to stare out of a window at the skies and clouds enjoying the miracle of flight and contemplating the joys of flying. “Everyone else” can, of course, use the free eye shades thoughtfully provides by the airline at every seat but, no, their needs always take precedence...
@Rudi
The storage cubbyhole to one side of the seat is also a padded armrest. You can raise it or lower it as you please - lowered it increases the sleeping area; raised it matched the armrest on the other side of the seat.
Qsuites are incredibly thoughtfully designed...
Traveled Qsuites 4 times. Always greeted by name. Also on economy, traveling with my wife
I am 1.75, 100+ kg sleeping on sides and rotating and newer got bruces.
Most of the food is middle eastern and not western ☹️
There is a special place in Hell awaiting those wretched passengers insisting on keeping the shades open when everyone else wants to sleep. They flood the cabin with light just so they can look at the wing, the sky or clouds.
Strange you are upselling the rear facing seat config. Even BA have finally ditched it!
Personally I feel unwell travelling backwards, especially on taxiing and takeoff.
Whilst it seems the seat looks comfortable, and perhaps a plus, everything else you mention, is equivalent to EK, which you usually slam.
With the addition of a spacious bar area, and soft drinks bar at every seat.
Give me staggered seating against herringbone, reverse herringbone or ying...
Strange you are upselling the rear facing seat config. Even BA have finally ditched it!
Personally I feel unwell travelling backwards, especially on taxiing and takeoff.
Whilst it seems the seat looks comfortable, and perhaps a plus, everything else you mention, is equivalent to EK, which you usually slam.
With the addition of a spacious bar area, and soft drinks bar at every seat.
Give me staggered seating against herringbone, reverse herringbone or ying yang anyday
@Rudi Qsuites have armrests on both sides, no worries. Excellent product.
@Jeff -- "the Qsuite doors are locked in the OPEN position for takeoff and landing."
LOL! This now makes total sense! Silly me for not realizing this (I don't have occasions to fly Qsuites for my travel destinations)!
Thanks for clarifying! :-)
@ BillC - the Qsuite doors are locked in the OPEN position for takeoff and landing.
Just flew on Qsuites for the first time ORD-DOH and it was an outstanding experience. The seat was a little firm (even with mattress pad) for my taste, but it is a long flight.
I love qsuites. I didn't experience any problems or claustrophobia w/ the seats. Great soft product too.
"About 15 minutes after takeoff the crew came through the cabin to 'unlock' the Qsuites doors. There’s a key they have that unlocks this after takeoff, and then locks it again before landing."
This is confusing ... the Qsuites doors are locked during takeoff and landing? Isn't this a potential safety hazard should, heaven forbid, quick evacuation be required in case of an emergency?
Just flew in Q Suites BKK-DIH-YUL - didn't manage to injure myself, will try again in December. The lounge in DOH has become an overcrowded disaster with mediocre food. They can't continue growing their network as they do without addressing that issue.
Love the cathedral ceilings of that configuration. Instead of being almost-oppressively squashed down like you are in most aircraft, that cabin is very spacious; it makes a huge difference. Well done QR!
Flew the A350-1000 2 weeks ago JfK to DOH and it had dimmers
Wow, phenomenal report.
Are the A350-900s and 787s going to get the Q-suites as well? OR will it just be the A350-1000s and 777 fleet?
The Q-suites seem structurally similar to Etihad's Business Class on the A380. The difference is that Qatar service seems more consistently reliable, whereas Etihad can be hit or miss.
Fun fact--those pillows with the travel sayings are free for the taking (one flight attendant offered them to us and we asked two others just in case because we didn't want to be accused of stealing). We have three with different sayings in our library. They would have offered us more but we were out of hands.
Are there no armrests at all or did you just lower them for the pictures?
Ben, I agree with you on the sleeping comfort in the QSuite. I too find it rather uncomfortable, especially as a stomach sleeper. I actually prefer the reverse herringbone seats for sleeping.
I can’t agree with you more about the consistent quality of flights with Qatar. Exceptional hard product aside, the service is top notch.
Last week I returned from Columbo to London on my birthday. I splirged for paid access to the Al Safwa lounge and they learned of the occasion. They whipped up a quality birthday cake in record time. Thereafter with every interaction with QR staff, I was met with a birthday greeting...
I can’t agree with you more about the consistent quality of flights with Qatar. Exceptional hard product aside, the service is top notch.
Last week I returned from Columbo to London on my birthday. I splirged for paid access to the Al Safwa lounge and they learned of the occasion. They whipped up a quality birthday cake in record time. Thereafter with every interaction with QR staff, I was met with a birthday greeting - from gate to aircraft.
The inflight crew were of their high standard. I was in the centre Q-Suites, and the sharing platters are a nice feature I hadn’t tried before. The crew went above and beyond to customise a desert with happy birthday spelt out in icing on the plate, and gave me a small plush toy mascot (I am now 60!) You can’t help but appreciate their sincerity and warmth.
Best. Flight. Ever.
Why do you say that the view is better with the window seats that face rearwards?
Isn't the wing in the way?
@ Tom -- Personally I love having a view of the wing and the engine, I think that's half of the fun of looking out the window. :)
We're flying in the middle seats in January, does the cabin stay cool enough to sleep? I usually like it pretty cold to sleep and am wondering if the lack of nozzles in the middle will make it harder if it feels warmer.
Thanks for posting this review. One of the comments you'd made in your A350-900 review, I'd thought you'd might have experienced some major issues on the A351 flight. I feel better now!
I have an Award ticket SYD-DOH-JRO in a couple months. It's funny you mention the compact seat space, because that's my exact concern for reclining/resting and sleeping. I'm a side sleeper so if I can't move around without contortions and banging myself on...
Thanks for posting this review. One of the comments you'd made in your A350-900 review, I'd thought you'd might have experienced some major issues on the A351 flight. I feel better now!
I have an Award ticket SYD-DOH-JRO in a couple months. It's funny you mention the compact seat space, because that's my exact concern for reclining/resting and sleeping. I'm a side sleeper so if I can't move around without contortions and banging myself on something it's uncomfortably painful for me. SYD-DOH is almost a 16 hour flight.
I've been concerned enough about it that I'm seriously considering positioning myself in Perth a few days before, and flying PER-DOH-JRO instead, in the F cabin on the A388. Lucky, do you (or anyone) have any experience flying Qatar's F-Cabin 388 compared to the Q-Suites A351, remit the seat/bed perspective? If yes, would really appreciate any impressions!
Thanks again for the detailed & helpful reviews.
"My expectation was that the cabin would be full, and having three of the four seats didn’t seem nearly as cool"
That's as cool as it gets. You get one awkward passenger who doesn't know how to react. That person might just join the famiglia or never say a word the whole flight, which is same as taking a window seat anyway.
@Tee Ayo Paid cash for the ticket. $3400 round trip in Q suites seems very reasonable.
The reason Qatar has different menus for QSuite flights is because of the quad seat in the middle. You can order sharing plates in there which wouldn't work in their old business class.
On most planes I usually hit my knees or elbows on sticky-out bits of table or frame, but I’ve never had a problem in Qsuites. So yes, I think it’s you. But I’m on QR1 tomorrow, so I’ll double check...
@CPC, how are you doing DFW to BKK? Did you book two separate award tickets? Or did you just pay for the biz fare?
I want to try qsuites to get to SE Asia. But stinks that I need to separate awards.
I'm so excited to also be flying this plane for the first time next week, so it's great to have this review which has made me more excited!
I have a choice (as a solo traveler) between the window seats at 7a (fwd cabin) and 11k (rear cabin). I'm thinking that 11k is a little more 'special', but wonder if proximity to the galley might be irritating (the toilets are on the 'a' side, so no issue with that).
Do you have any views?
Some QR A 350's have the electronic dimmers. But it appears that the ones with the Q suites don't.
Second of all, I absolutely love Qsuites, but there’s no denying the space feels a bit “compact.” That’s to be expected, because they’re trying to use the space efficiently. But by the end of the flight I also had some legit bruises. It’s really hard to move around in this seat without inadvertently hitting your knees,...
Some QR A 350's have the electronic dimmers. But it appears that the ones with the Q suites don't.
Second of all, I absolutely love Qsuites, but there’s no denying the space feels a bit “compact.” That’s to be expected, because they’re trying to use the space efficiently. But by the end of the flight I also had some legit bruises. It’s really hard to move around in this seat without inadvertently hitting your knees, elbows, etc.
I really don't know what you are trying in the suite. I can rightly claim to have spent more hours than you in those suites and I have never faced any issues (bein 1.82 tall and 100kgs). I can only assume that you are trying to do some weird yoga movements. But I have never hit anything and I tend to sleep on my belly and turn around a lot.
Lastly, on all QR flights I have always been addressed by name. Also on my last flight which was in Economy, given that Business was full and I had no other alternative options.
@lucky - Is there any other spectacular rewards redemption for Qatar Airways (both in coach and business)? I personally don't have that many AA miles currently and I'm trying to book a ticket from the US around the middle of December. I have a lot of Amex points which I'd prefer to use.
Some of the 350k's have the electric shades and some do not according to a thread I saw elsewhere. The first ones delivered did have the shades but newer ones do not.
Ill be doing DFW--->BKK and back in a few months, really looking forward to it.
"First of all, I find it interesting that Qatar Airways didn’t choose to have electronic shades on the A350-1000. I’m not talking about the 787 dimmers, but rather on the A350-1000, Qatar Airways has “blinds” that can be lowered at the touch of a button, but they didn’t choose to put these on the A350-1000"
I half get what you are trying (meaning I'm being my confused self) to say but to clarify, did this...
"First of all, I find it interesting that Qatar Airways didn’t choose to have electronic shades on the A350-1000. I’m not talking about the 787 dimmers, but rather on the A350-1000, Qatar Airways has “blinds” that can be lowered at the touch of a button, but they didn’t choose to put these on the A350-1000"
I half get what you are trying (meaning I'm being my confused self) to say but to clarify, did this plane not have electronic blinds? I saw in other reviews of QR's A350K that they have them.
@ JB -- Whoops, meant to say A350-900. Fixing the post now. This A350-1000 didn't have them.