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Qatar announces chauffeur service
Qatar announced this week that they would be offering a chauffeur service for passengers. That’s fantastic I thought, considering the bargain prices of their ex EU fares during their very frequent sales. The latest sale is extended until tonight and you can get an extra 10% off using the code QSUITE. More sale details here.
Unfortunately, the chauffeur service is not free. Given that Etihad has just started charging for chauffeurs outside Abu Dhabi, this is probably not surprising. Instead, Qatar has teamed up with Black Lane chauffeur service (which I talked about in this article). The new service is bookable for a charge through qatarairways.com and the Qatar Airways app. All passengers, no matter what cabin they are flying in, can book the chauffeur and choose from a range of cars including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac to take them to and from the airport.
The new service is available for passengers at more than 85 Qatar Airways destinations. Blacklane is also available in over 500 airports worldwide, including the majority of destinations served by Qatar’s codeshare partners.
I had a look at a booking made through Qatar versus making it direct on the Blacklane website and there was zero difference in price. I can’t see what the advantage would be of booking through Qatar, other than not having to have another app on your phone.
You can find the Qatar booking page here.
Qatar limited edition amenity kits
As I reported in this article, Qatar recently introduced new amenity kits for business and first class passengers. They have now announced a new range of limited edition amenity kits for autumn from luxury luggage brands BRIC’S and Nappa Dori.
First and Business Class passengers travelling on Qatar Airways’ medium-haul routes will be offered amenity kits from Nappa Dori featuring a new series of destination images printed on the canvas exterior, including Thailand, the Netherlands, China and Doha. The kits contain socks, eyeshades and lip balm from Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio.
BRIC’S limited edition luxury amenity kits come in a selection of four colours for autumn – yellow, navy blue, blush and tan. Italian luggage brand BRIC’S has created miniature versions of the Bellagio and Sintesis suitcase for the kits which feature a hard-shell with a Tuscan leather trim. Each bag contains exclusive products from Italy’s Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, an environmentally friendly olive oil company. The skin care range includes lip balm, hydrating facial mist, and anti-ageing moisturiser in Business Class, with added Night Recovery Cream for First Class kits. Socks, eyeshades and ear plugs complete the range with the addition of a BRIC’S signature luggage tag for First Class.
I am travelling with Qatar in business class in a few months so I am looking forward to snagging a few on these on my 4 sectors!
Heathrow order ahead restaurants
Since the introduction of BA’s buy on board, Heathrow has been offering a number of takeaway options for food to eat on board. I talked about some of the best options in this article. If you wanted to have something to eat before you got on the plane, however, time can be a concern. Heathrow may now have the answer for this problem and for skipping the queue with food to take away too.
They have now teamed up with Grab to offer a pre-order food and drink service. Heathrow are working with a selection of restaurants across all the terminals and the service is available through the Heathrow App. You can get 20% off your first order by using promo code APP20 when you check out in the Heathrow App. You can only use one code per person once with a maximum discount of £5.00, The offer expires on 31 December 2017.
The service is available with the following restaurants:
- Comptoir Libanais (T4)
- Giraffe (T5)
- Giraffe Stop (T3 arrivals)
- Wondertree (T2)
- The Market Gardener (T3 arrivals)
- Prince of Wales (T4)
- The Curator (T3)
I had a look at one of the restaurants on the app and it seemed pretty simple to use. It showed clearly where the restaurant was and when the food was likely to be ready before you place an order. The food can only be taken away but with a lot of hot items available on the menus I looked at, you would probably want to eat it before you got on board or it would get cold. You can find more information here.
