Really don’t understand why you have so few subscribers, just discovered your channel and it’s fab. Thanks for the Avios info. I believe that if you buy Marriott points and convert them on Qatar, you get fantastic value.
Hi Matt , great vid as always ! As has been said the ULDs had to come off as the second the passenger came off along with his family their bags become what we call “red bags” and have to be removed for security reasons rather than the passengers convenience .
Cheers Saul. Almost certainly the explanation, although the reason it didn't occur to me straight away is that we were on the ground for an hour before they started the hunt...
Love the video (that bit about not changing in your Q-suite was very funny). I've flown Q-suites twice (LHR-DOH and return) and it was very enjoyable (7 hours wasn't enough really). I'd love to do this route (without diversions). 21.5 hours is a long time; I pity those in economy - that would be gruelling. I still have a slight preference for Etihad (better food before you-know-what) and Emirates (love the bar area) but really all three are superb.
@@MattsPlanet aircraft servicing of any kind usually takes "too long", i work in an airport and even i don't know why, so don't worry it's the same all the time, especially for unscheduled situations.
Great vicarious flying. Thank you for modeling civil behaviour. We're all a little wound-up travelling again, and can benefit from prepping for a good experience.
Great review Matt would love to come fly with you sometime. Total ave geek and former flight attendant on the 747 classics. I notice every little as you do. So I really appreciate how in-depth you get on your videos. Hope you had a good flight even with all the drama. See you in the next one ☝️ 👍✈️
Thanks Lad! Laddie??? Both sound disrespectful... Some algorithm somewhere is broken as I keep getting ads on Facebook inviting me to apply to be a flight attendant on Wizz air... Everytime I see one I do think about it for a few seconds, but aged 52 with really dodgy knees I don't think I'd pass the medical! Might make for an interesting video though.... Thanks for watching - I do go for detail but try to keep it entertaining!
That was an excellent video and interesting that you perceived a difference on the ultra long haul v the flights between London and Doha. The deal that you managed with Avios was quite remarkable, although for those of us not looking to maximise video footage for RUclips Los Angeles to London via Doha would be counter intuitive. 😀
what an epic flight ! think I would be broken after that ... Yet to fly Q Suites, must look at some redemptions from Doha. Thanks for posting menus and drinks I appreciate reading them as a comparison to BA J, very good selection, I would have been enjoying the lobster and rosé Champagne !
Great video. Only managed ultra long haul Business once, and that was London to Adelaide and back: Qsuite both ways. Your video is so accurate; just great, and a complete one off luxury in all respects. Crew are so important when they are looking after you for 12+ hours and I always make a point of remembering their name right from the start. You are in their hands, so why not make this small effort. Will anything ever match it?
I think they're on the upswing now the dispute is over, although Josh Cahill disagrees.... Got 4 flights with them over the next few weeks so keen to see for myself!
Hi Matt, do you have to book thorough ba get tier point on leg between abu Dhabi to Jakarta via Sri Lanka or can book with Sri Lanka air to get points thank you.
You can book any flight on any OneWorld airline in any way (such as via Expedia) and as long as you put your BA number into the booking before you fly the points will go to your Exec account
at 6'3" 220 lbs., I appreciate your insight on seat space, table space, and foot cubby space. I recently flew business class DOH-KTM but in the old style seat, for which the crew apologized, but I explained that I prefer the openness. I probably would feel claustrophobic in a QSuites. As a leisure traveler, I don't need so much privacy; if I were working on business documents, I probably would prefer the privacy of a QSuites. I always get excellent service from Qatar Airways flight staff, but I always fly from JFK or IAD, which I would think get the best flight staff, and the ground staff at DOH are excellent, of course. I am so used to flying to Asia from America, that I am used to ultra-long haul in economy, and I consider a transatlantic flight to be more of a short -haul. Also, I always pre-order my special meals before my flight, so your review of regular meals is insightful, as I never get them.
Thanks Thomas. I flew back to London on the more open herringbone seats which I quite like and think are excellent seats - in some ways better than the Qsuite, although privacy is certainly compromised... The review will be along in a couple of weeks. I agree about the transatlantics - my "regular" trip used to be 14 hours SYD-LAX so a 6 hour hop barely registers!!!
Hello!!!!! There is an airside hotel, but I thought it was quite expensive... If you're travelling business you can pay into the Al Safwa F lounge which has bedrooms. First come first served so a bit of a gamble but its actually cheaper in the F lounge (with all the food and drink as well as a bed) than a room in the hotel is... Otherwise plenty of people sleep on the chairs - its a big airport so you can find quiet corners, even if I'm a bit old to do that these days... The other option of course is to lengthen the layover so you can leave the airport and see a bit of the cIty. I quite like Doha actually...
Nice one Matt. We are due to fly LHR-BKK in Jan 23 in CW on a 2-4-1 and BA have cancelled the flights. They have rebooked us on Qatar and I think we may have the Q Suite for a couple of the flights so we are very excited to try it. We have not flown business class before on a long haul flight. We normally fly economy to Thailand once or twice a year and it is really tough on my back. I wonder if the LHR-BKK route by BA has been canned altogether? Their SE Asia operations are rather thin these days
Thanks Phin and well done - an "upgrade" to Qatar adds a stop but its a decent result! Even more so as BA has got a lot of bad publicity this last week from not proactively helping all the people it scuppered from cancelling the flights... As a first business class long haul flight, that's not a bad place to start!!! And I believe BA has cancelled everything to BKK through April which I think it a revenue decision for them. BKK was always a leisure heavy route so as they are still limited on equipment, slots and crew they'd prioritising heavier business flights as traffic rebounds. You will have a great time!!!
11:02 That is actually a male kit. They do their homework and check which passenger is supposed to be on which seat before placing kits there. Unoccupied seats have no kits placed there.
Thanks Mark. If you have the baggage space, you can certainly keep the PJs. I pretty much have a drawer full of them... They go for £20-30 on Ebay if they're unworn too...
Hi Matt, appreciate some of this is down to timing, but can you talk through how you booked this flight as you refer to LAX to London via Doha as well as using American Airlines search.
I talked about it in a recent video - ruclips.net/video/vCg5DPWGuiQ/видео.html I used aa.com to find availability for LAX - DOH as they allow you to filter results... Then I was lucky in being able to pair it up with a DON - LON flight to make a through booking.
Thanks - few more videos from this trip then the next one is a month or more off! Avoiding travel during the school holidays plus things are a bit bonkers right now!
Hello Matt, just a correction, Qsuite was offered on Auckland - Doha direct flights. I was lucky enough to enjoy the food, drinks & sleep from Doha to Auckland. It certainly is the water fly.
They cancelled the Doha-Auckland flights due to Covid but are restarting them in September. They are using the A350-1000 now, which is the only plane in the fleet with guaranteed Qsuites. I've just booked for next June, AKL-DOH-EDI 90K Avios.
Thanks 🙏 again for another great video. That was quite a trip. A few years back I was on a BA flight ORD to LHR in 1st. We taxied out & stopped. An announcement came on the tannoy that some one on board was ill. Medics came on & walked past my seat with a stretcher. A few mins later they came past again with a patient on the stretcher. It was the Captain. I said to him I hope your on the mend soon. He said “I hope so to, thanks” We ended up 24hours delay & a hotel stay. I heard the Pilot was ok thankfully. One bonus was I was awarded avios & tier for the abandoned trip also. I have a question. I’ve flown the old BA club numerous times. How do you compare the new BA Club with the Qsuite? I’m guessing BA 1st is still a better bed.
Thanks Spider. Quite a story! I guess pilots get sick too! Quite a dramatic circumstance though.... Never flown Club Suites - tried twice but kept getting cancelled. But.... I am flying them next month. On the longest route.... Or it was the longest route when I booked it. They're using them on the SIN/SYD route from November so it won't be the longest route when I fly it. Which ruins the video title I had planned but I'll cope!!! May well make a 1st v club suite comparison video after that flight...
Hi Matt, just wondering how you managed to book this. I'm assuming you booked one-way to DOH and then spent some time there before moving on to your destination? Because I can't seem to find a way to route LAX - DOH - Europe on a single booking because the Qatar site forces you on BA via LHR.
Also not sure if you've flown on Qatar since, but as of my last flight in October, proper dining service is back. No more single trays or pre-packed towels.
It wasn't hard to book as a redemption but its near impossible to book as a revenue fare... Flying Qatar business again next month and really looking forward to it, even if one flight has been downgraded to the A330 (grrrrr......)
9:27 The one on the left is actually an HDMI port. Which is actually freaking genius! You could hookup your laptop or other electronic devices and project them on a larger screen.
Thanks Sherman - the slightly different shape and the illumination are the clues, I gather? Just need to remember to take a cable but it would be handy if you had movies loaded on your laptop...
matt. Still loving the videos. Very helpful and informative. You and other frequent fliers always talk about grabbing the front seat in Business class, ie seat 1k in this video seat 1A on BA or what ever it is on other planes. But having watched this video and upon viewing others I look at it and think, 1 it is too close to the toilet, people can look over your cubicle making it less private should 1 or 2 people decide to queue for the toilet and 2, it is too close to the Galley and would be noisy. I know the other seats that face forward are closer to the aisle but surely a seat a little further back from the toilet and crew Galley would be more comfortable and private. One other question unrelated. I was recently doing a survey on Avios for thoughts and the following question came up regarding BA airline loyalty programme. The airline loyalty programme benefit I care most/least about is..... Bonus status year to use when you want (no expiry) Do you know what this is or is it something that is in the pipeline? Cheers. Steve. YNWA.
Hi Steve. Thanks for this. Very interesting comment. Re the first point - Qatar is probably a different proposition from other airlines with the QSuite given the walls... You don't really get toilet queueing down the aisle - there's a bit of space the far side of the curtain where you can actually see when the toilet is vacated if you need to wait and there's 4 for the business cabin which seemed ample. There's also an indicator on the wall which goes red when the loo is occupied, so I for one didn't even get up until the light was green. Plus the galley is quite a way away from the seats so I didn't experience any noise... On the other hand, the suites are all very similar (except for the backwards forwards thing) so there's no real benefit from being in row 1. Indeed, all food is ordered so it isn't as important as on some other airlines to be near the front to get the option you want... But in principal you are bang on - row 1 might bring some prestige but in other configurations it might bring some inconveniences (from the conveniences - boom boom!!!) The second point is really interesting... BA allowed you to retain status if you went on mat/pat leave and I think it was a really popular decision. They may well be speculating on whether a more general allowance would be popular. It would cost them money though, so my breath is not held when it comes to it actually happening!!!
Hi Matt just a new subscriber,I was curious if you made an economy flight to LAX in order to make the Qatar video above or were you on a special hunch that the finest truffles are to be discovered in LA? Have watched most of your content this past year and will be hopefully BA silver status by October.Thanks for all the great tips, Also took your advice about pooling avios and credit card perks and am lucky enough to have an economy only companion voucher with British Airways. If I can tap your brain Matt.what would be the best way to use the voucher Long haul to Nashville or a shorter Europe trip? Any thoughts much appreciated. Roger
Thanks Roger! I actually went to Boston on BA (video released) then from Boston to LAX on JetBlue (video coming in a couple of weeks). I do fly economy long haul, but not on this trip! Vouchers are generally best used long haul, the longer the better. So I'd look at Nashville - fun place to visit too, particularly if you're into American music! Cheers
Great video Matt and no real surprises given the Qatar product, though you never elaborated on comparing Qatar Business Class with other First Class offerings. Great (dry) humour. As always, a valued and honest perspective.
Thanks HGR. Video was 25+ minutes long so I thought a comparison to BA F would be a little too much... Plus I can probably eek the comparison out to a separate video!!!
@@MattsPlanet Thank you Matt. We flew BA First to Chicago in Dec and have flown twice with Qatar in their Q suits, which we prefer. Thinks as much to do with service & cost. Appreciate your replying and look forward to your next review. H.
Hi Morgy. I bought this with avios and paid very little in cash for the experience - obviously earning avios is not always easy but this sort of experience need not cost the earth! I recently flew Vueling and just this afternoon I booked Jet2 - I usually make videos about these experiences but they're not always that interesting! Hostels? Not really - I'm a bit old these days and quite like my own space!
Q-suites are excellent. I did SYD-DOH in much solo luxury but unfortunately our joint q-suite experience in a middle pair has just been subbed with a leased Cathay 777 ):
@@MattsPlanet Yes they do - and, unlike BA in this situation, QR actually sell it as an F product. An upgrade with avios may be possible but not sure it is worth it for just under 5 hours in the small hours of the morning. Although it would be interesting to try it out - and even more so if it included the Al Safwa ounge in DOH!
@@geoff544 Of course - in BA speak they call if a FLUB - not sure why actually, but a F seat with a C service on planes where they're not selling the F cabin explicitly. If Qatar is actually selling that cabin as F then its a less interesting equipment change....
Thanks for a great and detailed flight check Matt. LAX-DOH must be a prestige route for QR. No excuse for the flight deck crew not keeping pax fully informed about the delay and so on ... particularly as so many pax were making onward connex from DOH.
Loved the video Matt. Those 20+ hours were exhausting for you but with the QSuites , I won’t mind . One thing has always been on my mind, do they have pyjamas for very big people like me ? 😅
I was handed a set marked "L" and they were long enough in the arm and leg and I'm 6'4" tall... So if you're a little shorter but fuller figured I'd expect them to be OK...
Great video. Spare a thought for the poor buggers in economy! BTW, if you look at the price of Dyptique products, you’ll see just how prestigious these amenities are.
The containers coming off in Iceland we because the passenger that was taken off would most probably had bags in the hold and the plane can’t leave with their bags for security and safety reasons. Rules are rules
That seems to be the consensus... Speculating, but perhaps the reason it took so long is that some of the extended travel group might have taken some time to see whether they would continue the journey...
Do like your dry sense of humour. My guess is the reason for the containers being unloaded is to try and locate the offloaded passengers’ luggage. Probably a painstaking process
The containers were probably pets, just checking them out. Unless you got a good look at them... if they were 6ft long and zinc I think the medical intervention was just a tad late.
The view of the comments section was that it was baggage - the companions of the sick passenger probably had to decide whether to stay or continue, hence they needed to find their bags
Well Matt that turned out to be a really long flight, doubt my back would be complaining after all those hours flying even in your Q suite. Surely they would have to get the passenger luggage of the plane which are stored in containers now on some flights. You done great to get the flight for that amount of Avios well done will have to look out for some myself in the future, but my miles are running down now.
You’re hilarious. Very fun to watch. I’ve flown Qsuites before and agree. It’s tops for business class. That said, my cabin was kept dark the entire flight from DOH to IAH. Made for a nice ambiance. Looks like there was an awful lot of light on your flight.
Thanks Justin. Occasionally I try to be funny!!! I think it was "lights on" for the landing - they needed to get everyone alert in case something went wrong... Then it was deemed a day flight down from Reykjavik... You do have some control of your own window in the suite - I don't think Qatar has qsuites on their 787's with the daft electronic window!
@@MattsPlanet I need to remember to use those nose plugs next flight. Never knew what to do with those things. Thought they were a stopper for a real small bottle of wine or something.
Great video Matt, and yes (I caught your little note on the video), I am excited for my own trip on this route - albeit, I need to wait until March next year! Also, selfishly, I'm hoping mine doesn't end up with any additional hours added to it as I think I'd have a numb bum after nearly a day in the seat. How did you find the food? The menu choices look good, but I'm surprised for a 15+ hour flight they aren't offering 3 meals (or 2 "mains" and a "light") option - the menu (main meal after departure and breakfast as the second meal) seems more akin to an overnight transatlantic flight (circa 7-8 hours), hence i'm curious if you felt under-fed at any time? LAX Oneworld lounge is nice, but if you have time again (and Qantas F still isnt open), the Flagship Lounge in T4 has some fantastic views - the only thing lacking from the Oneworld lounge.
The food was good although they were running low at the end of the 22 hours! If you like truffle you'll be fine... Didn't feel hungry and I don't think you would on a regular length flight. Warm nuts can always fill a void... I have been to the Flagship lounge but I quite enjoyed the Qantas business lounge on this occasion. Wasn't looking to eat and the bar is quite a nice environment to hang out... Walked to the Tom Bradley a few years ago to go to the F lounge and was denied access as the kitchen had a leak and so they were limiting capacity.... Grrrrrrr......
@@MattsPlanet Qantas lounge is on my to do list for that March trip - hope its back open by that point! Not a big fan of truffle but will find something i like :-).
@@MattsPlanet hehe well if I did book, I'd probably opt to have Zurich as my final destination as that's one of the places where Qatar is sending their fleet of leased Cathay Pacific 777s with CX First or as some are calling is Qathay Pacific or Qatar Pacific First 😂
With those menu choices that you picked…. Do you suffer from gout? Yer its a rude question, but you seem to appreciate all comments so respond or ignore this one at your leisure. But I am curious 🤨
Ha ha ha Peter... All comments are welcome! I was craving a nice, bland ham sandwich when I got off but even 22 hours of that diet left me well short of having any lasting medical issues!!!
@I Love Aviation yeah I know but when you think it won’t take that long , the diversion and waiting would have made it feel worse. Especially if in economy
Not being able to get off in Reykjavik was what made it toughest - with a stopover you can at least stretch the legs and have a change of scene... I really felt for those up the back!
My last few flights with QR were OK...ish. They are just not as polished anymore!! They used to give real individual care to each pax. They are less proactive in my view. Presentation, quality of food went downhill too!
Thanks Thomas... Been a few years since I flew them so its hard to spot service differences at a granular level... I sensed they made a real effort on the ultra long haul flight - it was a little less polished on the shorter flight back up to London...
Indeed - I think some of the people travelling with the sick passenger dithered about whether to stay in Iceland or continue on too which also complicated things
@@MattsPlanet well I finished the vid and was feeling quite lame as I realized you had beaten me at my own game! Thanks for the equally quick reply. Great review!
Qatar staff are a bit funny. Was woken up once on a flight because they were doing food service. That was on a connecting flight and i finally had fallen asleep. Who wakes up sleeping passengers?
To be honest two things that really don't appeal. 1. Backwards flying. 2. This continuing cubicle-ising of Business Class cabins really is awful, they resemble something like an unemployment office or some similar horrible place!
Thanks Arun. You really only notice the backwardsness for the first and last minute of the flight but it is a little disconcerting I suppose... And the cubical approach is really popular but as I said in another video, you don't feel like flying that way is a communal experience... Thanks for the comment.
The numerous containers were pulled out and reloaded as it is a legal requirement for the luggage of ALL pax offloaded ( irrelevant of reason) to be removed before the aircraft may continue it's. revised, flight plan. You weren't told the medical offloads current status because, simply put, it's none of your ( or any other pax) business. When you take a train. If you have a 'moment' would you feel it appropriate, fair or legal for the train company to demand the NHS update them on your medical status & to then tell several hundreds of total strangers all about it...... .... rhetorical as obviously not - and THAT is why you weren't told the private medical details of a strangers life. NOT having a go. Simply pointing out, legal, realities of your experience.
Absolutely - this was a long time ago now but I think some of the group decided to continue their journey which probably meant the containers had to come off again to reload their baggage...
@@MattsPlanet i was on an Easyjet flight from BSL to PRG many years ago where they sold bullet proof undergarments on board....maybe fireproof socks as well :-). Very nice videos! Keep 'em coming! I prefer narrated ones to the kind without audio commentary. But you can only take so much of Josh and Dan at once. Refreshing! Grown up!
been rewatching the video a couple of times now. foot cubby wise you should try Oman Air's A330 business class which is actually a first class seat. no cubby :-) or Oman Air's 787 Apex Suite. No cubby :-)
I think that is the consensus - I even think there may have been a question about who from the family was staying in Iceland with the patient which may have caused the delay to the retrieval of bags and may ultimately have delayed our onward departure.
Spare a moment for those in economy class who were on there as long as you 😱😱
I usually go back for a nose around but I couldn't bring myself to do it on this flight!
@@MattsPlanet 😂😂😂😂
Really don’t understand why you have so few subscribers, just discovered your channel and it’s fab. Thanks for the Avios info. I believe that if you buy Marriott points and convert them on Qatar, you get fantastic value.
Thanks so much! I agree I should have more subs, but the count is growing steadily! I'll take a look at the Marriott opportunity - thanks!
Thanks Matt - that was a truly enjoyable video from start to finish! Looks like a great experience
There were a few moments when it dragged a bit, but overall it was great!!!
That's a superb way to fly long haul! Thanks for the info + video!
Looooooooooooong haul! Thanks for watching
Hi Matt , great vid as always ! As has been said the ULDs had to come off as the second the passenger came off along with his family their bags become what we call “red bags” and have to be removed for security reasons rather than the passengers convenience .
Cheers Saul. Almost certainly the explanation, although the reason it didn't occur to me straight away is that we were on the ground for an hour before they started the hunt...
Love the video (that bit about not changing in your Q-suite was very funny). I've flown Q-suites twice (LHR-DOH and return) and it was very enjoyable (7 hours wasn't enough really). I'd love to do this route (without diversions). 21.5 hours is a long time; I pity those in economy - that would be gruelling. I still have a slight preference for Etihad (better food before you-know-what) and Emirates (love the bar area) but really all three are superb.
Thanks Dave - you know you're hooked when you think a 7 hour flight is too short!!!
Thank you for posting and we can hardly wait!
It's a special experience... Doing LAX to DOH?
Great Video! Flying Qsuites soon and Im EXCITEDDD
It's a great experience - enjoy!
I love this video. Matt, you present really well and what's even better, you keep it short and simple without too much "bla bla". Well done
Thanks John... A bit more face pulling than usual but i try to avoid repeating clips in videos and I needed to use the footage!
Great video - amusing and informative.
Thanks!
Great commentary..love your sense of humour 😂
Glad you enjoyed it!
re cargo coming off in Iceland could it be getting the luggage off from the family that had to debark ? Great Video, as usual
I think you're right... What foxed me was that it was over an hour after the passenger was offloaded before the containers started coming off...
@I Love Aviation Debark and Disembark mean the same thing, I believe. Debark requires less typing so I will claim a Carbon saving :-)
@@MattsPlanet aircraft servicing of any kind usually takes "too long", i work in an airport and even i don't know why, so don't worry it's the same all the time, especially for unscheduled situations.
Great vicarious flying. Thank you for modeling civil behaviour. We're all a little wound-up travelling again, and can benefit from prepping for a good experience.
Thanks - getting angry rarely improves things!
You are an excellent RUclipsr. Keep it up
Thanks so much! I certainly will keep it up - new video every Sunday!
Great review Matt would love to come fly with you sometime. Total ave geek and former flight attendant on the 747 classics. I notice every little as you do. So I really appreciate how in-depth you get on your videos. Hope you had a good flight even with all the drama. See you in the next one ☝️ 👍✈️
Thanks Lad! Laddie??? Both sound disrespectful... Some algorithm somewhere is broken as I keep getting ads on Facebook inviting me to apply to be a flight attendant on Wizz air... Everytime I see one I do think about it for a few seconds, but aged 52 with really dodgy knees I don't think I'd pass the medical! Might make for an interesting video though.... Thanks for watching - I do go for detail but try to keep it entertaining!
That was an excellent video and interesting that you perceived a difference on the ultra long haul v the flights between London and Doha.
The deal that you managed with Avios was quite remarkable, although for those of us not looking to maximise video footage for RUclips Los Angeles to London via Doha would be counter intuitive. 😀
Thanks Les. Some say "counter intuitive", others say insane!!!! It's clearly not a recommended way to get from LA and London!
Great report! I hope to experience Q-Suite one day :)
Thanks - avios is the best way - shorter routes cost less than this monster trip!
what an epic flight ! think I would be broken after that ...
Yet to fly Q Suites, must look at some redemptions from Doha.
Thanks for posting menus and drinks I appreciate reading them as a comparison to BA J, very good selection, I would have been enjoying the lobster and rosé Champagne !
Thanks Charlie. Not a huge lobster fan but I think that was a better choice than the truffle fest I picked!!!
Love your commentary ❤
Thanks for watching!
Great video. Only managed ultra long haul Business once, and that was London to Adelaide and back: Qsuite both ways. Your video is so accurate; just great, and a complete one off luxury in all respects. Crew are so important when they are looking after you for 12+ hours and I always make a point of remembering their name right from the start. You are in their hands, so why not make this small effort. Will anything ever match it?
Thanks Charles. Its certainly a special occasion to travel that way... Adelaide is beautiful and well worth the hours in the plane!
Interesting video Matt, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching
Excellent video!
Thanks!
Great video as always!
Thanks!
PROFESSIONAL JOB ❤❤❤❤❤
👍
Enjoyed the Vlog 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Wonderful video! Thanks for the laughs. Your energy and humor is delightful. Sending love from Los Angeles ❤
Thanks! LA looked lovely when we took off... Might have another video from LA next week - something a bit different...
Fantastic thanks ❤❤❤❤❤❤
👍
Nice review. Many great experiences of the Q Suites, a great airline. Shame about the A350 situation.
I think they're on the upswing now the dispute is over, although Josh Cahill disagrees.... Got 4 flights with them over the next few weeks so keen to see for myself!
Good video! 👊
You're working your way through all of them!
@@MattsPlanet Yt recommended them to me and I like them you’re funny I like to see the travel my first plane next week!
Hi Matt, do you have to book thorough ba get tier point on leg between abu Dhabi to Jakarta via Sri Lanka or can book with Sri Lanka air to get points thank you.
You can book any flight on any OneWorld airline in any way (such as via Expedia) and as long as you put your BA number into the booking before you fly the points will go to your Exec account
at 6'3" 220 lbs., I appreciate your insight on seat space, table space, and foot cubby space. I recently flew business class DOH-KTM but in the old style seat, for which the crew apologized, but I explained that I prefer the openness. I probably would feel claustrophobic in a QSuites. As a leisure traveler, I don't need so much privacy; if I were working on business documents, I probably would prefer the privacy of a QSuites. I always get excellent service from Qatar Airways flight staff, but I always fly from JFK or IAD, which I would think get the best flight staff, and the ground staff at DOH are excellent, of course. I am so used to flying to Asia from America, that I am used to ultra-long haul in economy, and I consider a transatlantic flight to be more of a short -haul. Also, I always pre-order my special meals before my flight, so your review of regular meals is insightful, as I never get them.
Thanks Thomas. I flew back to London on the more open herringbone seats which I quite like and think are excellent seats - in some ways better than the Qsuite, although privacy is certainly compromised... The review will be along in a couple of weeks. I agree about the transatlantics - my "regular" trip used to be 14 hours SYD-LAX so a 6 hour hop barely registers!!!
Great video! Small detail 9:30, I believe the left port is HDMI.
Yes - that has been spotted... Excellent eyesight!!!!
Excellent vlog 👍👊😁. Very informative. Your views on staying overnight at Doha airport, for connecting next day? Recommendations?
Hello!!!!! There is an airside hotel, but I thought it was quite expensive... If you're travelling business you can pay into the Al Safwa F lounge which has bedrooms. First come first served so a bit of a gamble but its actually cheaper in the F lounge (with all the food and drink as well as a bed) than a room in the hotel is... Otherwise plenty of people sleep on the chairs - its a big airport so you can find quiet corners, even if I'm a bit old to do that these days... The other option of course is to lengthen the layover so you can leave the airport and see a bit of the cIty. I quite like Doha actually...
@@MattsPlanet thank you 😊
Nice one Matt. We are due to fly LHR-BKK in Jan 23 in CW on a 2-4-1 and BA have cancelled the flights. They have rebooked us on Qatar and I think we may have the Q Suite for a couple of the flights so we are very excited to try it. We have not flown business class before on a long haul flight. We normally fly economy to Thailand once or twice a year and it is really tough on my back. I wonder if the LHR-BKK route by BA has been canned altogether? Their SE Asia operations are rather thin these days
Thanks Phin and well done - an "upgrade" to Qatar adds a stop but its a decent result! Even more so as BA has got a lot of bad publicity this last week from not proactively helping all the people it scuppered from cancelling the flights... As a first business class long haul flight, that's not a bad place to start!!! And I believe BA has cancelled everything to BKK through April which I think it a revenue decision for them. BKK was always a leisure heavy route so as they are still limited on equipment, slots and crew they'd prioritising heavier business flights as traffic rebounds. You will have a great time!!!
11:02 That is actually a male kit. They do their homework and check which passenger is supposed to be on which seat before placing kits there. Unoccupied seats have no kits placed there.
Thanks - I guess other blokes like to put more stuff on their face than I do!!!!
A really good review, thanks. Nice balance between detail and brevity. Do you get to keep the White Company PJs?
Thanks Mark. If you have the baggage space, you can certainly keep the PJs. I pretty much have a drawer full of them... They go for £20-30 on Ebay if they're unworn too...
Everything is fine here thanks so much 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
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Nice review
Thanks!
Hi Matt, appreciate some of this is down to timing, but can you talk through how you booked this flight as you refer to LAX to London via Doha as well as using American Airlines search.
I talked about it in a recent video - ruclips.net/video/vCg5DPWGuiQ/видео.html I used aa.com to find availability for LAX - DOH as they allow you to filter results... Then I was lucky in being able to pair it up with a DON - LON flight to make a through booking.
I recently flew Qatar Airways Q-Suite, and it blew BA First out of the water. The crew were phenomenal.
The crew on Qatar can be less good, so happy you got a good crew! It is a great product
@@MattsPlanet I had 4 flights with them in 2 weeks (LHR-DOH-MNL) and each time, better than BA, and I'm a Silver card.
Great honest review again Matt. Look forward to the next trip :d
Thanks - few more videos from this trip then the next one is a month or more off! Avoiding travel during the school holidays plus things are a bit bonkers right now!
Hello Matt, just a correction, Qsuite was offered on Auckland - Doha direct flights. I was lucky enough to enjoy the food, drinks & sleep from Doha to Auckland. It certainly is the water fly.
Thanks Steven! I think that route was originally served by a non-Q Suite flight which is where my recollection ended but happy to be corrected!
They cancelled the Doha-Auckland flights due to Covid but are restarting them in September. They are using the A350-1000 now, which is the only plane in the fleet with guaranteed Qsuites. I've just booked for next June, AKL-DOH-EDI 90K Avios.
@@MattsPlanetThey kitted out the 777LR with Q suites just before the C word happened.
Beautiful skies in LA , I’d love to visit California . Really enjoyed.
SoCal can give you some pretty great weather... Glad you enjoyed it!
maybe the containers included luggage for those that are to be left in iceland.?
I think that's the consensus!
Thanks 🙏 again for another great video. That was quite a trip. A few years back I was on a BA flight ORD to LHR in 1st. We taxied out & stopped. An announcement came on the tannoy that some one on board was ill. Medics came on & walked past my seat with a stretcher. A few mins later they came past again with a patient on the stretcher. It was the Captain. I said to him I hope your on the mend soon. He said “I hope so to, thanks”
We ended up 24hours delay & a hotel stay.
I heard the Pilot was ok thankfully.
One bonus was I was awarded avios & tier for the abandoned trip also.
I have a question. I’ve flown the old BA club numerous times. How do you compare the new BA Club with the Qsuite? I’m guessing BA 1st is still a better bed.
Thanks Spider. Quite a story! I guess pilots get sick too! Quite a dramatic circumstance though.... Never flown Club Suites - tried twice but kept getting cancelled. But.... I am flying them next month. On the longest route.... Or it was the longest route when I booked it. They're using them on the SIN/SYD route from November so it won't be the longest route when I fly it. Which ruins the video title I had planned but I'll cope!!! May well make a 1st v club suite comparison video after that flight...
Superb 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩💖💖💖💖💖💖🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Long flight, long video!
Excellent and very useful vids but, maybe it’s just me🤔 , but can’t see the link to join your patreon group !😬
Thanks Bella - patreon.com/matts_planet - the more the merrier!!!
Good one.
Thanks!
Great airline👌. High quality video as always Matt👏. Love the nose plugs😂😂🇿🇦
Cheers Peet. What do you do with them???
@@MattsPlanet I thought you bite on them when irritated or impatient😂😂😂
Hi Matt, just wondering how you managed to book this. I'm assuming you booked one-way to DOH and then spent some time there before moving on to your destination? Because I can't seem to find a way to route LAX - DOH - Europe on a single booking because the Qatar site forces you on BA via LHR.
Also not sure if you've flown on Qatar since, but as of my last flight in October, proper dining service is back. No more single trays or pre-packed towels.
It wasn't hard to book as a redemption but its near impossible to book as a revenue fare... Flying Qatar business again next month and really looking forward to it, even if one flight has been downgraded to the A330 (grrrrr......)
9:27 The one on the left is actually an HDMI port. Which is actually freaking genius! You could hookup your laptop or other electronic devices and project them on a larger screen.
Thanks Sherman - the slightly different shape and the illumination are the clues, I gather? Just need to remember to take a cable but it would be handy if you had movies loaded on your laptop...
Hi Matt, Qatar did fly the Q Suite from DOH to AKL, i was very lucky to fly it in November 2019. Flight time was around 18 hours.
Fantastic - thanks. Can you recall which equipment you flew on?
@@MattsPlanet I believe it was a 777-200LR, flight number was QR920
matt. Still loving the videos. Very helpful and informative.
You and other frequent fliers always talk about grabbing the front seat in Business class, ie seat 1k in this video seat 1A on BA or what ever it is on other planes. But having watched this video and upon viewing others I look at it and think, 1 it is too close to the toilet, people can look over your cubicle making it less private should 1 or 2 people decide to queue for the toilet and 2, it is too close to the Galley and would be noisy. I know the other seats that face forward are closer to the aisle but surely a seat a little further back from the toilet and crew Galley would be more comfortable and private.
One other question unrelated.
I was recently doing a survey on Avios for thoughts and the following question came up regarding BA airline loyalty programme.
The airline loyalty programme benefit I care most/least about is..... Bonus status year to use when you want (no expiry) Do you know what this is or is it something that is in the pipeline?
Cheers.
Steve. YNWA.
Hi Steve. Thanks for this. Very interesting comment. Re the first point - Qatar is probably a different proposition from other airlines with the QSuite given the walls... You don't really get toilet queueing down the aisle - there's a bit of space the far side of the curtain where you can actually see when the toilet is vacated if you need to wait and there's 4 for the business cabin which seemed ample. There's also an indicator on the wall which goes red when the loo is occupied, so I for one didn't even get up until the light was green. Plus the galley is quite a way away from the seats so I didn't experience any noise... On the other hand, the suites are all very similar (except for the backwards forwards thing) so there's no real benefit from being in row 1. Indeed, all food is ordered so it isn't as important as on some other airlines to be near the front to get the option you want... But in principal you are bang on - row 1 might bring some prestige but in other configurations it might bring some inconveniences (from the conveniences - boom boom!!!)
The second point is really interesting... BA allowed you to retain status if you went on mat/pat leave and I think it was a really popular decision. They may well be speculating on whether a more general allowance would be popular. It would cost them money though, so my breath is not held when it comes to it actually happening!!!
There are qsuits from Buenos Aires to doha via sao paulo and I think that's abit longer then from lax
gcmap.com says BUE-DOH is 8,280, so 26 miles shorter than LAX! Close! I'd also say a 1-stopper is a different proposition to a direct flight...
@@MattsPlanet you don't leve the plane and it takes about 1:30 for people to get off and on rhe plane
Hi I’m guessing the containers came off to find the families suitcases
That's probably it Andrew... Surprising number of containers with cases in them!
Hi Matt just a new subscriber,I was curious if you made an economy flight to LAX in order to make the Qatar video above or were you on a special hunch that the finest truffles are to be discovered in LA?
Have watched most of your content this past year and will be hopefully BA silver status by October.Thanks for all the great tips,
Also took your advice about pooling avios and credit card perks and am lucky enough to have an economy only companion voucher with British Airways. If I can tap your brain Matt.what would be the best way to use the voucher Long haul to Nashville or a shorter Europe trip?
Any thoughts much appreciated. Roger
Thanks Roger! I actually went to Boston on BA (video released) then from Boston to LAX on JetBlue (video coming in a couple of weeks). I do fly economy long haul, but not on this trip! Vouchers are generally best used long haul, the longer the better. So I'd look at Nashville - fun place to visit too, particularly if you're into American music! Cheers
@@MattsPlanet They've got a full size replica of the Parthenon too!
Great video Matt and no real surprises given the Qatar product, though you never elaborated on comparing Qatar Business Class with other First Class offerings. Great (dry) humour. As always, a valued and honest perspective.
Thanks HGR. Video was 25+ minutes long so I thought a comparison to BA F would be a little too much... Plus I can probably eek the comparison out to a separate video!!!
@@MattsPlanet Thank you Matt. We flew BA First to Chicago in Dec and have flown twice with Qatar in their Q suits, which we prefer. Thinks as much to do with service & cost. Appreciate your replying and look forward to your next review. H.
the video says, aloud, this flight headed over the sea, away from DOHA.....You were already tired minutes into the flight.....:)
I enjoyed every minute though!!! Except perhaps the last 180, which dragged a bit!
Strange you had to prove your vaccine status? What did they look at the app / scan the nhs app?
I went for the app but my phone was misbehaving so I have it printed off as a back up... That's usually quicker in my experience.
@@MattsPlanet ah yes so did they scan it or just quick glance ?
Was this because you were flying to DOH? Shouldn’t need it otherwise
@@IWTBF Just a glance. It was quicker to show him than to argue about whether it was needed!
By the way what day was this flight?
And that day was 3rd July
I hope one day I can afford a flight like that. Do you ever travel on budget airlines, or use hostels?
Hi Morgy. I bought this with avios and paid very little in cash for the experience - obviously earning avios is not always easy but this sort of experience need not cost the earth! I recently flew Vueling and just this afternoon I booked Jet2 - I usually make videos about these experiences but they're not always that interesting! Hostels? Not really - I'm a bit old these days and quite like my own space!
Qatar Airways ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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You definitely overdosed on QSuites 😅😂
I was happy to get off!
Q-suites are excellent. I did SYD-DOH in much solo luxury but unfortunately our joint q-suite experience in a middle pair has just been subbed with a leased Cathay 777 ):
I saw somewhere that the Cathay planes may have an F cabin so all may not be lost...
@@MattsPlanet Yes they do - and, unlike BA in this situation, QR actually sell it as an F product. An upgrade with avios may be possible but not sure it is worth it for just under 5 hours in the small hours of the morning. Although it would be interesting to try it out - and even more so if it included the Al Safwa ounge in DOH!
@@geoff544 Of course - in BA speak they call if a FLUB - not sure why actually, but a F seat with a C service on planes where they're not selling the F cabin explicitly. If Qatar is actually selling that cabin as F then its a less interesting equipment change....
They're still using the bus gates at LAX?
That day they were...
The containers must be bags they needed to offload
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Thanks for a great and detailed flight check Matt. LAX-DOH must be a prestige route for QR. No excuse for the flight deck crew not keeping pax fully informed about the delay and so on ... particularly as so many pax were making onward connex from DOH.
Thanks Alex - the ground crew was clearly ready for us even if the flight crew was of little help....
Loved the video Matt. Those 20+ hours were exhausting for you but with the QSuites , I won’t mind . One thing has always been on my mind, do they have pyjamas for very big people like me ? 😅
I was handed a set marked "L" and they were long enough in the arm and leg and I'm 6'4" tall... So if you're a little shorter but fuller figured I'd expect them to be OK...
Great video. Spare a thought for the poor buggers in economy! BTW, if you look at the price of Dyptique products, you’ll see just how prestigious these amenities are.
Thanks Colin... I usually stroll up and down the plane for exercise but I didn't have the heart to do it after the diversion!
The containers coming off in Iceland we because the passenger that was taken off would most probably had bags in the hold and the plane can’t leave with their bags for security and safety reasons. Rules are rules
That seems to be the consensus... Speculating, but perhaps the reason it took so long is that some of the extended travel group might have taken some time to see whether they would continue the journey...
The closed door is very good, at least it does block you from seeing others
Indeed. Anyone over 5 foot tall can still see in, but you can't see out!
Do like your dry sense of humour. My guess is the reason for the containers being unloaded is to try and locate the offloaded passengers’ luggage. Probably a painstaking process
Thanks Buggsy. Offloading bags is a good theory.
The containers were probably pets, just checking them out.
Unless you got a good look at them... if they were 6ft long and zinc I think the medical intervention was just a tad late.
The view of the comments section was that it was baggage - the companions of the sick passenger probably had to decide whether to stay or continue, hence they needed to find their bags
Well Matt that turned out to be a really long flight, doubt my back would be complaining after all those hours flying even in your Q suite. Surely they would have to get the passenger luggage of the plane which are stored in containers now on some flights.
You done great to get the flight for that amount of Avios well done will have to look out for some myself in the future, but my miles are running down now.
Cheers Peter. I was surprisingly perky when I got off! Cases seems to be the consensus...
You’re hilarious. Very fun to watch. I’ve flown Qsuites before and agree. It’s tops for business class. That said, my cabin was kept dark the entire flight from DOH to IAH. Made for a nice ambiance. Looks like there was an awful lot of light on your flight.
Thanks Justin. Occasionally I try to be funny!!! I think it was "lights on" for the landing - they needed to get everyone alert in case something went wrong... Then it was deemed a day flight down from Reykjavik... You do have some control of your own window in the suite - I don't think Qatar has qsuites on their 787's with the daft electronic window!
@@MattsPlanet I need to remember to use those nose plugs next flight. Never knew what to do with those things. Thought they were a stopper for a real small bottle of wine or something.
0:24 I though BA First Class was the best Business Class in the world ;)
It's a close contest!!!
looked good after 21 hours
Thanks! Felt pretty good... Took a shower in the lounge and was in really good shape all things considered!
Great video Matt, and yes (I caught your little note on the video), I am excited for my own trip on this route - albeit, I need to wait until March next year! Also, selfishly, I'm hoping mine doesn't end up with any additional hours added to it as I think I'd have a numb bum after nearly a day in the seat. How did you find the food? The menu choices look good, but I'm surprised for a 15+ hour flight they aren't offering 3 meals (or 2 "mains" and a "light") option - the menu (main meal after departure and breakfast as the second meal) seems more akin to an overnight transatlantic flight (circa 7-8 hours), hence i'm curious if you felt under-fed at any time? LAX Oneworld lounge is nice, but if you have time again (and Qantas F still isnt open), the Flagship Lounge in T4 has some fantastic views - the only thing lacking from the Oneworld lounge.
The food was good although they were running low at the end of the 22 hours! If you like truffle you'll be fine... Didn't feel hungry and I don't think you would on a regular length flight. Warm nuts can always fill a void... I have been to the Flagship lounge but I quite enjoyed the Qantas business lounge on this occasion. Wasn't looking to eat and the bar is quite a nice environment to hang out... Walked to the Tom Bradley a few years ago to go to the F lounge and was denied access as the kitchen had a leak and so they were limiting capacity.... Grrrrrrr......
@@MattsPlanet Qantas lounge is on my to do list for that March trip - hope its back open by that point! Not a big fan of truffle but will find something i like :-).
Wow what an epic marathon adventure! And that 90K Avios pricetag is really tickling my fancy... 🤔
It's certainly an experience... Build up your truffle tolerance if you attempt it though!
@@MattsPlanet hehe well if I did book, I'd probably opt to have Zurich as my final destination as that's one of the places where Qatar is sending their fleet of leased Cathay Pacific 777s with CX First or as some are calling is Qathay Pacific or Qatar Pacific First 😂
SOOO FUCKING LUCKY I WOULD LOVE THAT EXTRA TIME OF DIVERSION
It was a bit of a chore after the 20th hour but it was still comfortable!
With those menu choices that you picked…. Do you suffer from gout? Yer its a rude question, but you seem to appreciate all comments so respond or ignore this one at your leisure. But I am curious 🤨
Ha ha ha Peter... All comments are welcome! I was craving a nice, bland ham sandwich when I got off but even 22 hours of that diet left me well short of having any lasting medical issues!!!
Containers removed? Hmmmm. Was a person removed or was it an animal issue?
The comment section opinion seems to be that it was the offloaded passengers' bags
@@MattsPlanet ah yeah I guess so
Based on this menu, Lobster Thermador: BA First, is no longer the "Worlds Best Business Class."
If you're my age, you can't hear "lobster thermidor" without hearing Spam... Monty Python has a lot to answer for....
Ouch almost a full day.
@I Love Aviation yeah I know but when you think it won’t take that long , the diversion and waiting would have made it feel worse. Especially if in economy
Not being able to get off in Reykjavik was what made it toughest - with a stopover you can at least stretch the legs and have a change of scene... I really felt for those up the back!
They were offloading the sick passenger’s luggage
That's the consensus! Took them ages though...
My last few flights with QR were OK...ish. They are just not as polished anymore!! They used to give real individual care to each pax. They are less proactive in my view. Presentation, quality of food went downhill too!
Thanks Thomas... Been a few years since I flew them so its hard to spot service differences at a granular level... I sensed they made a real effort on the ultra long haul flight - it was a little less polished on the shorter flight back up to London...
They had to get the offloaded pax bags off the plane.
Indeed - I think some of the people travelling with the sick passenger dithered about whether to stay in Iceland or continue on too which also complicated things
You were kidding about the nose plugs, right?
Tee hee.... Of course! Testing if anyone actually listens to my rambles! Thanks for watching!
@@MattsPlanet well I finished the vid and was feeling quite lame as I realized you had beaten me at my own game! Thanks for the equally quick reply. Great review!
It was the passenger's baggage. they need to find it.
That's the consensus...
Interesting video! Very informative!
I think they had to take out any luggage belonging to the passengers who stayed in Iceland.
Thanks. Good shout on the luggage which makes sense. A lot of containers came off, but there could well have been a lot of luggage!
@@MattsPlanet But I guess they have to get to the one with the appropriate bags in it?
@@geoff544 Indeed. Always going to be the last container you look in!
Oh no 1K. You’re flying backwards :0
You barely notice...
11:25 Is no one going to call out NOSE PLUGS
I think someone has.... They make a repeat appearance in an upcoming video too!!!
Man I couldn’t spend all day on a plane. Ouch
Never say never!
Qatar staff are a bit funny. Was woken up once on a flight because they were doing food service. That was on a connecting flight and i finally had fallen asleep. Who wakes up sleeping passengers?
The food's good but not better than a good kip!
@@MattsPlanet not when you're connecting from a 10-hour one haha .. btw love your channel, super content even though most of it doesn't apply to me
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Thanks for watching!
To be honest two things that really don't appeal. 1. Backwards flying. 2. This continuing cubicle-ising of Business Class cabins really is awful, they resemble something like an unemployment office or some similar horrible place!
Thanks Arun. You really only notice the backwardsness for the first and last minute of the flight but it is a little disconcerting I suppose... And the cubical approach is really popular but as I said in another video, you don't feel like flying that way is a communal experience... Thanks for the comment.
The numerous containers were pulled out and reloaded as it is a legal requirement for the luggage of ALL pax offloaded ( irrelevant of reason) to be removed before the aircraft may continue it's. revised, flight plan.
You weren't told the medical offloads current status because, simply put, it's none of your ( or any other pax) business. When you take a train. If you have a 'moment' would you feel it appropriate, fair or legal for the train company to demand the NHS update them on your medical status & to then tell several hundreds of total strangers all about it...... .... rhetorical as obviously not - and THAT is why you weren't told the private medical details of a strangers life.
NOT having a go. Simply pointing out, legal, realities of your experience.
Absolutely - this was a long time ago now but I think some of the group decided to continue their journey which probably meant the containers had to come off again to reload their baggage...
I never take off my shoes before reaching cruising altitude....who wants to run onto the tarmac through burning JET A1 with bare feet?
That's a very good point! I don't think airline socks are made to be fireproof!
@@MattsPlanet i was on an Easyjet flight from BSL to PRG many years ago where they sold bullet proof undergarments on board....maybe fireproof socks as well :-). Very nice videos! Keep 'em coming! I prefer narrated ones to the kind without audio commentary. But you can only take so much of Josh and Dan at once. Refreshing! Grown up!
@@BaMb1N079 Never heard of bullet proof undercrackers before!
been rewatching the video a couple of times now. foot cubby wise you should try Oman Air's A330 business class which is actually a first class seat. no cubby :-) or Oman Air's 787 Apex Suite. No cubby :-)
The containers were removed and re added to remove the sick persons bags
That's the consensus!
They would have been getting the Ill passengers luggage off the plane ?
I think that is the consensus - I even think there may have been a question about who from the family was staying in Iceland with the patient which may have caused the delay to the retrieval of bags and may ultimately have delayed our onward departure.