Flight Review - Qatar Airways Doha to London Heathrow - Plus a visit to the new Al Mourjan Lounge
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- The final flight of this trip was planned to be a good one.... Qatar Airway's brilliant QSuites from Doha back to London Heathrow. But did the experience pan out as I'd hoped? Especially considering I'd paid a reasonable amount of money for the experience....
Plus this was my first trip through Doha since the new Al Mourjan lounge opened at the Garden end of the terminal and I was able to experience this wonderful lounge, albeit briefly. Once I'd found it, of course....
⭐ #flightreview #qatarairways #MattsPlanet ⭐
▶ Support me on Patreon! ◀
▶ / matts_planet ◀
🛒 Check out my new Amazon Store 🛒
▶ www.amazon.co.uk/shop/mattspla... ◀
▶ Get 83% off a subscription with SurfShark ◀
▶ surfshark.deals/MattsPlanet ◀
▶ Applying for an American Express card? Email me for a referral ◀
▶ planet @ ttamsenoj . com ◀
▶ Follow me on Instagram ◀
▶ / mattschannels ◀
▶ Visit my website - www.ttamsenoj.com ◀
✉️ Business Enquiries: planet @ ttamsenoj . com ✉️
▶ Please don't forget to subscribe to my channel! And click the notification bell 🔔! ◀
⏰ Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:26 - Doha Airport and the NEW al Mourjan Lounge
7:20 - The QSuite
10:43 - The Service
14:16 - Conclusions
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. This video may not be copied or reproduced without written permission.
![mgk - Sun to Me (Zach Bryan Cover) [Live from Cheshire Cottage]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_ZnbTEs4O6U/mqdefault.jpg)
I flew this a couple of days ago and completely agree on distant crew and I felt that I kept having to ask for things. Every time the response was “you haven’t had that yet?”. I requested the afternoon tea because I suspected it wouldn’t be volunteered and I think i was right, not sure anyone else had it
A few have said the second meal is "on request" - which is fair enough (I wasn't remotely hungry) but they did an abysmal job of communicating it!
Fantastic video as always! Bet you were glad to sit on the right when you got that stunning video coming into London. It always evades me, so thanks for capturing it, and the whole experience, so well!
The right is good unless the wind is in the opposite direction, in which case the reservoirs to the west of Heathrow are lovely!
Good on ya Matt. Love to buy you a beer some time and hear more stories
I've started hosting meetups for my patrons so it could happen!
Watching this from the lounge in question 😍🇶🇦
That may be a first! Enjoy
That transition with the toiletries bag :D loving it!
It's not as easy as I make it look!
I had the same problem. I walked around for about 40 minutes trying to find the lounge. Ask several staff where it was, and every time got sent on a wild goose chase.
It's a pleasant walk around the garden and the exercise was probably helpful... But finding the lounge is ridiculously hard!
“Sticky out” “donking” lol comedy gold ✈️
Sometimes I even try to be funny!
I think the food looks very artistic. There is a lot of food. I would be very happy. Thanks for the video info!
You don't leave a Qatar flight hungry!
Hello Matt, as mentioned last time, I also took this same flight a few days ago. Well, I was lucky to use the a350-1000 which is a bit more comfortable in terms of noise and cabin pressure than the 777. Nice to see that you don't take this review lightly and try to be as accurate and fair as possible. I agree with everything, especially the table which can be a bit annoying when you want to put your knees in a 90 degrees angle. I was lucky with the cabin crew but I can also say that this has not always been the case. For me, Qatar airways remains among my top 3 biz class airlines, next to Oman air and Singapore airlines.
Thanks. It's an excellent experience but the crew can make a huge difference. When I did the longest Qsuite flight from LAX, they were exceptional. This time - not so much...
Thanks for the info + video!
Thanks for watching Jimmy!
Love your reviews. Entertaining and informative.
Thanks Brian!
An excellent review as always.
Thanks
Another good, humorous, informative review.
Thanks!
I also would suggest Air France, i consider them having the best food and wines and their service is very nice indeed
I flew AF in business about 12 years ago, well before the channel. I remember virtually nothing about the experience which doesn't suggest it was great... But the business cabin looks pretty good these days and the La Premiere cabin looks very good....
Yes they have improved in business as have most airlines but AF is with better food and wines fir sure, and certainly the bread!
Funnily enough, AirFrance have lost my luggage not once but four times😂
Happy seeing a mature review of flights with a jolly chap.
Fair review, unlike we have others on YT.
Opportunity costs are sth most do not consider. Time has value too! Even more the older one gets.
Calc-you-later
After Josh's issues with Qatar I read that they've banned filming on their flights.... This might be my last review of them!
@@MattsPlanet which is fair game IMHO. They set the rules as a plane is their asset and not a public space. You have to seek permission from corporate.
Remember that Josh caused this with his non compliance, clickbait and general behavior towards a foreign culture.
I think your comments were more balanced and fair (mature)
Great video as always Matt and as usual looking forward to the next one in a week 👍
3pm UK time each Sunday!
Thanks Matt! Always great to get another review of Qatar Qsuite and Al Mourjan Lounge info is very handy!
My one pet peeve is with shoes - why do people insist trying to put their shoes into storage compartments? Yes, there are some parts of the world where it is very clean and it is ok to touch the sole of a shoe, then a bottle of water and then eat... but this is not the case in Asia.
Thanks Sergey. A very interesting point! I spent some time thinking about this, and I concluded that I assumed those bins were for shoes, but you are quite right that this would be unacceptable behaviour in Thailand...
Just FYI there is a monorail / air train type thing that runs down to the A gate area so you don't have to walk the whole way.
There certainly is.... One day I'll video a challenge over whether walking is quicker....
Qatar... how far they have come in the last 20 years... Great vlog Matt.. I would have been a bit irritated too if I had missed the second service even if it was on demand. No need to justify the direct routing, either - Wizz economy two sectors? Separate tickets ? Chance of cancellation? Rock hard seats ? Nope....
For the price difference, Qatar was an easy choice!
Thanks for this Matt. I've flown QR business once before, from Colombo to Doha. It was really pretty good - although a much older product. I was the only person in business. So I had very attentive service, and they were great. The food was very good (no problems with availability), and the drink more than acceptable. But my next flights to Amman and London were on Royal Jordanian, and I thought they were better. I'm going to be flying on the route you took in May (and from Almaty to Doha), so I'm really looking forward to seeing what difference Q-suite (and flying from the hub) actually makes. Thanks again for what you do and how you do it - the attention detail makes all the difference.
Thanks Jim - Colombo is a shortish flight too so a longer one will give you a chance to see what Qatar can really do! Tried hard to get on Royal Jordanian on an upcoming trip but they cancelled the flight I'd booked and the replacement didn't work... Next time!
Great video, and just to excite my taste buds before flying to Adelaide in Qsuite in January, from LHR via Stockholm as it is much cheaper-another great tip from you re re-positioning. Qsuite is amazing. I also loved Emirates A380, where the bar does help break up a very long flight. Horses for courses, and both are wonderful.
Not a bad way to spend the 20 odd hours to Adelaide!
Great video Matt! QR have resumed their DOH-AKL service with the A350-1000, I believe that is the longest QSuite flight now, and great because there's no chance of an equipment swap lol
Thanks - they did AKL via Adelaide for a long time which I believe was QSuites but the stop kept LAX as the longest - if they can make it all the way to AKL on an A350 I may have to look into it!!!
HIA Qatar App is a great way to navigate your way around, plus your Gate appears, on the App, long before it actually appears on the flight boards.
That's a good tip!
Prefer the reverse herringbones on SV and AM
A few people have said that... The Qsuite does have unequalled privacy but it has to make some sacrifices to achieve that...
Love your reviews Matt. I am taking the long way to BKK next year in my first Qsuite experience. SFO-DOH-BKK... A350 to Doh in qsuites... A380 (fist time in an A380!) To BKK. A fun coincidence that you reviewed it today as I got my award seats this week. I doubt Ill have many critiques as they'll only be my 3rd+4th business class flights ever 🎉
That is the long way round! The flights from the US tend to get the best crews so you should be ok on the long'un... And the A380 won't have QSuites but will still be a great experience - there's a bar on that plane too. Have a great time!
Don't assume you will get the plane you booked. Equipment swaps are common and Qatar still have 9 x 777 with the ancient 2-2-2 business cabin.
Matt great video as always. I flew Qatar in August and superb service and better food than BA but for me the BA Club Suite is much more preferable than the Q Suite. As always keep up the good work.
Finally on the Club Suite in about 6 weeks! Will be my 4th attempt to fly on that product and I think this one will actually happen!!!
Thanks for the Vlog Matt. Interesting to hear about the crew performance. We fly MAN to DOH and the on to AUH in December, on a 787-9. Although not a Q suite the seats do look good. We have never flown with Qatar before, so your reviews have helped provide some insight. We fly back AUH to LHR with Etihad A380, then on to MAN with BA (umm). Having never flown with Etihad, either, it will be good to compare them. We only have a short stop over in DOH so fingers crossed a sprint to the Al Safwa lounge will be doable. Take care.
Have a great trip - wear the runners! I showed the al Safwa a few weeks back - don't forget they'll bus you direct to the plane from the lounge which is a nice perk!
Thanks@@MattsPlanet The Al Safwa Lounge review you posted was very helpful. The transfer bus will certainly save some time as it looks like the flights to AUH always go from remote stands.
Great review Matt. Well balanced and objective as possible.
I've been to that Garden lounge recently and agree that it's significantly better than the other Al Mourjan business class lounge (though that's still a very good lounge by any other measure). If I am honest, I prefer the garden lounge to the Al Safwa lounge, because I found that too quiet 😅, and I didn't think the garden lounge was any lesser of quality than the Al Safwa (maybe only in terms of food choices).
My experience with Qatar (LHR-DOH-LHR business class with regional 1st class to AUH) was different to yours, especially in the air. The crew was attentive and we're checking on me all the time. I even asked to see the first class seats on the A350-900, which they were happy to show me where we engaged in a good long chat.
Anyways, thanks for a great video. Looking forward to the next.
Thanks. The view from the garden al Mourjan and the openness of it is hard to beat... And I agree the al Sawfa can be a bit library like!
Nice one Matt👍. That lounge overlooking the garden does look fantastic.🇿🇦. Love your very accurate mathematical rationalisation for yiur hard earned pounds spent😂
Cheers Peet - once an accountant....
Seems like a fair conclusion overall. Missing the second (light) meal is a bit of a let down, even if it's on request, it should state on the menu.
If its on request, they should still ask!
Informative as usual Matt🙂
How would you compare this seat to say 1st class wird BA?
The seat itself is inferior - I'm tall so a foot cubby is always going to handicap a seat's ranking.... But the experience is very good - I wasn't lucky with the crew but I have been on previous flights
Thanks for the video Matt. I completely understand the need to avoid Wizz Air. I couldn't in good conscience give them 400 quid when you can fly properly for little more.
Thanks Mr H. The difference in experience is stark when you consider the difference in cost!
Great video, as always, Matt. I wonder if the lounge is that quiet because nobody can find it? 😄 It certainly beats the LHR Galleries T5B.
Ha ha! That may be the case! It was also a really quiet time of day which helped!
I flew q suite to Manchester last Friday and at the start of the flight when seated the crew came up introduced themselves and explained it was an 'eat when you want' flight with no set meal service, and asked whenever I want food or drink to just press the button they'll come take your order
Personally preferred it not being pestered by crew or needing to try catch them when passing without coming across rude
I actually had 2 mains due to flight time of day, along with dessert and snacks in between, made the most of it for sure, staff were distant but by design, always there when needed though with a bubbly smile
Thanks. Qatar does indeed have a dine on demand strategy and I'm pleased to hear they were promoting it to you - out of interest, was the flight full??? On my flights, they seemed very keen to do everyone at once, I assumed because it was easier for them!
@@MattsPlanet perhaps that's why there was no set service for the snacks or afternoon tea for you - think there was 1 maybe 2 seats free in business on a 787-9, not sure about the rest of the plane but seemed fairly full.. I never got pressured into food but it did seem most chose to eat at the same time, maybe it was like the buffet waiting for the first person to go and after that everyone goes up at the same time 😁
Must admit I thought you said "I generally avoid snakes on a plane" for a second, thought you were cracking av-geek jokes 😂
I avoid snakes and steaks on a plane as a rule!
Qtar seems to have a huge Morale problem mate just flew with them from Brisbane AU to EU and was a shambles
Thanks Phil. Josh Cahill seems to be having a massive ding dong with Qatar at the moment if you didn't see (hard to miss actually as its been reported quite widely amongst the travel blogs)... There's been a recent change in CEO which may be good or may be bad....
Hope they fix the issues by the time I flight with them next November. Also very disheartening the way they treat their staff.
@@MattsPlanetif you mean that Josh Cahill is a massive ding dong, then yes. He is an infamous drama queen, clickbaiter and got banned by other airlines.
Hard to believe he is 36yo, behaves like a teenager. But everybody to their liking.
Enjoyed this. Appreciate the visit to the new lounge. I do wonder, if you were a regular DOH flier, if the length of your layover would dictate whether or not you sought out the new lounge. It certainly looked nice. Regarding service, that is a shame. I certainly dont mind asking for a second meal, but it would go down well with me if I were informed ahead of time that I needed to do that. Also, I so wonder if routing has any bearing on crew quality with Qatar. Certainly when I was flying them via IAD, DFW, and a couple times via IAH - the crews were superb.
Regarding whether this is the best business class seat or not - if you want to find out, why not book your 'reverse' around the world in eight days flights, go via Japan, and give JAL or ANA a go. :)
Hello! Some good comments... I'd head for the new lounge now even if it is a bit out of the way... It's not thaaaaaaat far and I do like a little bit of exercise on the ground between flights... The crew on my LAX - DOH flight were exceptional - I have a hunch that the longer North American flights get the best crews - whether that's the crew choosing those routes or whether its the rostering algorithm I can't say... I have an eye on doing exactly the reverse rtw trip - unwinding what I did last time! There's a BA multi-airline pricing chart that deserves some publicity but I should be able to get a rtw in business (perhaps with a leg or two in F) for 200,000 avios if I go quite directly... The trouble is finding reward availability on some of the legs - the trans-pacific was quite tricky when I looked a month or so back....
I might not have been watching carefully - did they do that mini security check when you flew in? I've always had it coming from Europe, and it's disconcerting if you're not prepared.
I don't blame you for the £5/TP (or £2.50/TP). This wasn't a Sofia run in CE!
Every time I've come into Doha I've had to go through transit security. There's often been a premium lane which made it tolerable, and they've had the smart scanners where you need to take little out of the bags, but always transit security on arrival.
Great video - always interesting to compare notes. I've just recently done LHR-DOH-LHR in Qatar Q-suites for the first time. Overall it was a great experience. I'm just under 6' but found the foot area rather constricting when lying flat. On the way out the FAs were very good - asked when i wanted to eat, did i want a second meal, should they wake me etc. On the return, they were less attentive. I'm not sure it's the best business class - for me both Etihad and Emirates A380 seats were more comfortable and better food - but this is all before you-know-what so difficult to compare. I also think Emirates has better IFE (more variety of films/TV).
The Al Mourjan lounge was very impressive and huge; the upstairs a la carte dining was superb. I agree signage at Doha airport was poor - not good considering how massive the airport is! I was happy after literally 1 mile of walking from my connection to find the scary yellow bear and then the lounge.
We're very much on the same page. Not flown Emirates or Etihad business, as neither is in a global alliance and it feels like a waste to spend money on them!
@@MattsPlanet Also Etihad/Emirates are both very expensive after y-k-w. I loved flying them (as i really didn't like BA years ago) but now BA are improving vastly and much inspired by your videos ( 🙂 ) I want to stick with the OneWorld alliance so BA/Qatar etc. for me now.
I’ve flown business class with Qatar 8 times and I’ve had to ask for the light options meals every time, they’ve never been offered to me, other than 1 flight attendant I had back in May this year I’ve found the flight attendants in economy a lot more engaging with Qatar
Thanks - I'm pretty sure I've had a second meal without asking before but lots of people are saying this and I can't be certain!!! #savethebuffalos
Another great video Matt, thank you! I was lucky enough to fly to DOH on the upper deck of the A380 and back on a 777 in a Q Suite and I have to say I think I actually preferred the former. The seat felt more padded, it was easier to see out of the window and the cubby hole was less cramped. An A380 flight is always a treat too and the upper deck is so quiet. The major plus howver was having access to the bar which was well-stocked, palatial and quiet but with so few A380s in the fleet maybe it's unfair to compare? Both are exquisite though.
Thanks. I agree that the "older" layout on the A380 is by no means a bad product - it has quite a lot to commend it. And the bar is really nice!
I don’t particularly enjoy them anymore, since 2006 when they started to grow too fast. The crews used to be more professional and with better quality food and service. They are just too big now to be as good. I also know that they don’t treat their staff very well.
Its an interesting question - can a company that achieves success through being good, maintain the quality as they grow. I can see that Qatar is trying hard, and often succeeds, but often they are falling short now. New CEO too, so it will be very interesting to track how things go over the next couple of years
Qatar have a dine on demand service so you need to ask for the second meal I think
That seems to be the consensus.... Very poor communication of that policy if that is the case - I fly a bit and this would be the first time I've come across that as a policy so its not reasonable to expect the passenger to know that!
Yes it’s dine on demand. Not sure if it was communicated when I flew with them in 2020, but luckily was aware from the RUclips videos
£330? Cripes!
On that length of flight, I'd also stay awake to get the most out of the premium pricing.
Good review.
Thanks! I enjoyed it!
Maybe one of the reasons the Qatar premium lounges appear empty is their business class tickets which for a slight discount doesn’t grant you access to their premium lounges 🤷♀️
Even on a recent upgrade offered by Qatar by e mail a few days before departure to upgrade to business class doesn’t allow you to use their premium lounges
So their tactic is obviously keeping as many people as possible out of their lounges 😂
That's a good observation - they let redemption passengers in though!!! They also farm status holders from other airlines off to dedicated status lounges too. The old Al Mourjan used to get really busy - with more than double the capacity with the new lounge that should guarantee a relaxed experience now... One hopes!
Thing thats sad about that, that the lounge is a big part of the point!
Couple of weeks ago, I took a flight from Riyadh Saudi Arabia to Doha. The state of the seat and the toilets in the economy cabin were absolutely disgusting and the service was in much to write home about.
That's unfortunate... On Qatar I assume?
Economy in Qatar is woeful, the toilets are grotesque akin to budget airlines.
Flew to Singapore from Manchester (and back). Not sure if a coincidence or not, but the crew on the 2 q-suite flights sing-Doha were as you described distant and poor. The standard of English language was awful. While the crew on the two 787 flights were outstanding and equaled that of etihad and Singapore airlines crews I have experienced before!
Thanks - interesting suggestion that the equipment makes such a difference to the quality of the crew!
Looking at doing a trip to Doha to burn through some avios, do you think there’s enough there to fill 5/6 days?
There probably would be, but its very easy and inexpensive to hop on to somewhere very much off the beaten track, such as Bahrain, Kuwait or even Saudi.... So 2/3 days in Qatar and 2/3 days somewhere else would be a good solution.... I did something similar 15+ years back and picked Kuwait - a fascinating experience
I did have a look at Bahrain, perhaps BA out direct then a few days in Doha on the way back
I’ve just booked BAH-DOH-LHR as a reward ticket in first then Q suites , am I right in thinking I’ll be able to use the first lounge during my layover ?
@@MH_1-9-9-6 BAH - DOH will be branded as First even though it will look and feel a lot like business! It's a middle eastern thing.... So if you show the inbound boarding pass on arrival in Doha you will be able to enjoy the al Safwa
One of my pupils regularly flies Qatar from Edinburgh to Doha and then to Bangkok and back. she says they are often late, loose luggage and the crew are often as you have found them, but they use them because they are far better than any of the options from Edinburgh. Interesting Video, but I wonder how Qatar will treat Jewish passengers in the current situation in the middle east. At least Emirates and Etihad are Jewish friendly. Are Qatar really better than Etihad?
Thanks. Qatar would have you believe their a neutral peacemaker in the region so you'd hope everyone would be welcome on their planes....
Service on Qatar has declined in the last 2 years.
I think I agree. Although there's signs (with the new CEO) of things getting better again...
You wouldn't get in the LV lounge anyway. Some genius decided its for QR Gold and Platinum members only - and not OW equivalents. A first class ticket alone wouldn't get you in!!
P.S that side storage isnt for shoes! 😂 You've just opened my mind to the idea that people actually do that now! 😅
P.S P.S with dine on demand you have to ask for the 2nd service. I appreciate not all crews will make that known... guess you found out the hard way. You could have reserved the afternoon tea when the FA did your initial order and specified the time you wanted it.
Interesting - it didn't look like there was a secondary access checkpoint. I got the distinct feeling that if my wallet was deep enough, I'd be welcomed....
@MattsPlanet The wait staff will check your BP before you are seated. But it looks like the type of place for Instagram mongs and people with too much money over sense/taste.
Doha was certainly a lot more quiet than when I passed through on my way to Phuket during the World Cup.
Have to agree the signage to the lounges is poor & the staff have no idea which one is available to you for silver status we got the right run around on the way out so much so that we were out of time & knackered from all the walking but managed to find one on the return which was nice with good food.
Am I right that even with gold status (which we are now) we wouldn’t get access to that lounge it was impressive & a nice view onto the garden. It certainly makes BA lounges look poor in relation (although yet to try T5 gold)
On our flight to Thailand with Qatar wasn’t impressed with the staff or food although we were in economy I expected better, the BA staff in premium economy LHR Doha LHR were much better.
Matt have you any tips on bagging a good deal to Brisbane which we want to take next year using BA holidays double tier points flight & car (to go towards retaining gold) want to go premium unless we can get an amazing deal on club but the prices are crazy 😬.
One thing I found is that the price of a flight to Shanghai is half of what Singapore is but getting from Shanghai to Brisbane is expensive & too many changes for the wife.
Ewww that sock!
You see it on regular seat layouts but it takes a bit of doing in a QSuite!