Last April I finally had the opportunity to fly the famous Qatar Airlines QSuites from Amsterdam to Doha. After a stopover in Doha, I flew another Qatar Airlines Business Class product from Doha to Ho Chi Minh City. This was actually an old Virgin Australia plane. So could I confirm after this trip that Qatar Business Class QSuites really is the best business class product in the world, as suggested in many forums and YouTube videos? And could it top my personal favorite business class product, Air France? Please read my review to find out!
The new OneWorld Lounge in Schiphol
My business class ticket came without Lounge Access but fortunately the nice check-in agent at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport handed me a voucher for the OneWorld lounge. This was a very nice surprise especially since this lounge just opened a few weeks before. It’s the first new OneWorld lounge which serves as the template for all future new OneWorld lounges. The lounge itself looks interesting! In fact, it gave me Austin Powers vibes; yeah baby! Cool organic shapes, fresh bright colors and great views of the D and E gates. After an excellent cappuccino, I decided to make my way to the gate. Time to check out the world famous QSuites!
Amsterdam – Doha ; QSuites
Flying Business Class is more than just going from A to B. With Business Class the journey itself should already be a memorable experience. And going into your own, personal QSuite for sure is something special. It’s really something unique what Qatar Airlines created with the QSuites; the personal space you get is amazing; so big! The service is also worth mentioning; again, just emphasizing that you are embarking on a special journey and not just taking a seat on a mass transportation plane.
The entertainment screen and movie/TV selection is also superb. I think I’ve never seen a screen on a plane with such a high resolution. The movie and TV selection is enormous. You won’t get bored with this selection of movies and TV offerings! So first impressions are great and so far, I totally get the 5 star ratings and raving reviews.
Time for the food to arrive! And here things started to turn around. I ordered smoked salmon as appetizer – which was good – and lamb as main course. The lamb was not fantastic, in fact, it reminded me of my beef stroganoff I had in KLM premium economy the month before – and I scored that one a 5 out of 10…. So, time for the dessert to make up for that poor lamb dish. However, the dessert never came! From Qatar Airlines Business Class, I was expecting a panna cotta or at least a Ben & Jerry’s icecream, but it was a no show for the dessert! The Amsterdam to Doha flight is 6 hours and 15 minutes, so maybe flights less than 7 hours get a stripped down menu? The stripped down menu also showed its ugly head just before arrival. Where I expected a little snack, we only got tea or coffee. This seemed a bit poor.
The QSuite Seat
Because this was a flight during the day time, I didn’t really feel the urge to sleep. Nevertheless, I did try out the lay flat function of the seat and try to make an effort to, at least, get some rest. For this review it’s important to state that I’m 1M93 (6ft 4); just the average Dutch size! As such, I felt the seat was a bit tight and the footwell was pretty small. Reality was that for me it wasn’t that comfortable! Since I would take another Qatar Business Class flight from Doha to Ho Chi Minh City using another BC product, I was anxious to find out how they would compare.
Doha – HCMC ; VA Business Class
When I originally booked the ticket from Amsterdam to HCMC, the last leg was supposed to be in Qatar’s old business class with the 2-2-2 configuration. But when I checked in online the day before, I noticed a 1-2-1 set-up. Even though the plane was a 777-300, this business class wasn’t fitted with the QSuites. Trying to figure out what kind of plane this was, I stumbled across the fact that Qatar is also using 3 former Virgin Australia 777’s. These planes can be recognized from the outside by their white color scheme. The Virgin Australia Business Class seats used in this plane were actually getting very good reviews back in the day, so I was curious to know how they would stack up against the QSuites.
The VA seat
Since my flight to HCMC left at 3AM in the morning, my priority was to get a decent sleep during this flight. So shortly after take-off, while I slipped in the complimentary PJ’s, my seat was transformed into a bed and I was ready to test out this Virgin Australia seat. And this was quite a surprise. I don’t know whether it was due to the fact that I picked seat 1A, but the length of the seat was very big; in fact, even after I stretched out, I couldn’t reach the end of the footwell! A first for me in Business Class! Also the footwell itself was a lot wider, and so was the seat itself. The shocking conclusion was that this seat was more comfortable to sleep on, than the seat in QSuites!
Of course, the privacy feeling of the seat wasn’t the same as the QSuites but the wrap-around shell of the seat wasn’t bad at all. If I would need to choose between QSuites or Virgin Australia’s business class and I would have a flight during the night, I would definitely pick the VA seat!
Other notable mentions
On the last flight to HCMC, I only opted for the breakfast just before arrival. I chose the fruit plate which was pretty good.
Entertainment selection on the former Virgin Australia plane is less extensive and the screen doesn’t have the same crazy resolution as the screen in the QSuites. Still very much acceptable though.
On both flights we got the diptique Amenity kit but only on the flight to HCMC this was accompanied by the diptique bag. On the flight to Doha, we just got a carton box.
Conclusion
Before I got on these 2 flights, I had high expectations of the Qatar Airlines Business Class, specifically the QSuites. I actually thought it would top my number 1, Air France. However, even though the entertainment, service and luxury feel of the QSuites is outstanding, the meal service was below par.
When turned into a bed, the QSuite seat wasn’t that comfortable. The old Virgin Australia business class seat proved to be a lot better.
So for me, Air France is still tres chic and my number 1 Business Class product.
Let me know in the comments what your experience was with Qatar Business Class.
Also check out my YouTube video of this trip:
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