FLIGHT REVIEW: Qatar Airways A350 Q-suite Including Al Mourjan lounge by Mark Hopwood

Todays flight review is from regular reader of TLFL, Mark. 

I had stayed overnight in downtown Doha and enjoyed a relaxing evening and morning looking at the city and sampling the new Metro and light rail networks before collecting my luggage and heading to Doha Hamad International airport in an Uber which whisked me to the exclusive First/Business Class door of the still relatively new terminal.

Check In & Lounge

My flight was scheduled to depart at 16:45 and if you arrive at Hamad airport just after lunch, as I did, for a flight from Doha you will find the terminal pretty quiet as there are relatively few departures at this time of day and many of those who are flying out of Doha have arrived on connecting flights so the check-in facilities and security channel are quiet. It was even quieter in the exclusive ‘Al Mourjan’ facility, and I was the only passenger in the area upon arrival which seems bizarre considering the scale of the Doha Qatar operation.

Although I had a digital boarding card on my iPhone, I chose to get a paper version too but didn’t check any bags in, choosing to keep my small case as a carry on and I headed through the very quiet security lane and into the familiar surroundings of the Doha Hamad Terminal. I made my way quickly towards the Qatar Al Mourjan lounge complex which is only available to those flying Business Class with Qatar or a flight with a QR flight designator.

The lounge is vast in every respect, but it was, like the check-in, very quiet and I settled in to a seat at the Dining area which combines the ability to help yourself to a buffet selection but also to order from a very good a la carte menu with a selection of freshly cooked meals bought to you.

I chose a soup from the buffet and then ordered a freshly cooked beef tenderloin from the a la carte menu concluding with a strawberry cheesecake for desert served with a barista crafted latte.

The experience in this lounge is hard to describe to someone who is used to facilities in North America or Europe. The space is huge, the choice of food and drink extensive and of a high quality. The facilities, space and environment take your breath away. It must be seen to be believed but you will enjoy time spent here or at the sister Al Mourjan Garden lounge located at the opposite end of the airport.

Boarding

Soon, I had exhausted my available time in the lounge and made my way to the exit then caught the internal people mover transit system one stop towards my gate of C10 where boarding had not yet started on my Qatari A350-1000 but passenger numbers were assembled in anticipation of being able to board shortly. Doha uses its provided infrastructure to link two passenger piers to each long-haul aircraft that parks at the terminal so allowing separate access for Business Class customers with the second pier serving economy.

Boarding commenced shortly after 16:00 for a 16:45 departure and I was called in an early group to board and was one of the first customers to leave the busy departure lounge and join the aircraft as I settled into my Q-Suite seat 3A which was a rear-facing seat on the left hand side of the aircraft. Cabin crews were quickly able to offer me a pre-departure drink and a packaged, scented face cloth. We pushed back from the stand punctually and taxied out to the runway for our departure.

The Seat

Some passengers have a dislike of the rear facing seats found in some airline’s business class cabins, but I have not had a problem with them. It does provide a slightly unusual experience upon take off or landing for a window seated passenger although I’d contend not an unpleasant one and clearly brings some benefits as far as use of space is concerned on the aircraft.

The Q-Suite used by Qatar is found on some, but not all, of their Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s but not their Airbus A380s, A330s or Boeing 787s and some A350s and some B777s retain older cabin designs. Unlike, British Airways, Qatar is quite disciplined about use of Q-Suite fitted aircraft on routes with long sector times and/or of greater commercial importance and, while swaps can occur, generally they do not and, even if they do, the majority of aircraft without Q-suite are offering a seat that is better than many airlines business class products.

Qatar Airways’ Q-suite is a revolutionary business class product that redefines the flying experience with its innovative design and luxury. Available on select long-haul flights, the Q-suite offers fully enclosed private suites that provide maximum privacy and comfort. Each suite features a fully lie-flat bed, adjustable partitions, and a large touchscreen for entertainment. The seats are ergonomically designed with premium materials, offering ample legroom and personalized features such as a do-not-disturb indicator and adjustable lighting.

One of the standout features of the Q-suite is the ability to create “family pods” or “business pods” by removing or adjusting the partition walls between adjacent suites. This flexibility in the central seating area allows passengers traveling together to enjoy a more connected and spacious experience, while still maintaining privacy when needed in either groups of two or four seats. The suite also includes a wide range of amenities, such as noise-cancelling headphones and a large tray table for dining or working.

Qatar wants us to believe that the Q-suite design prioritizes both efficiency and style, with a modern aesthetic and cutting-edge technology that enhances every aspect of the travel experience. I think they go some way to making you feel like this and one of the great triumphs, I feel, bought out by the experience on this flight is the combination of a great “hard” product with top notch food and drink. I found it hard to criticise the Qatar hard product – the design is strong and the seat, generally, does what it says it does. You have space, storage, comfort and privacy.

Service

After departure, as we settled into the cruise above Iraq, service commenced and the London flight is, by comparison to many on the Qatar network, a short flight. While, technically, the flight operates with “dining on demand” the reality was, after departure and climb, food ordered at the first opportunity was not going to be eaten much before 18:00 Doha time, which is not an unreasonable time to eat. As the crew came round to take orders there was certainly as expectation, I believe, that most passengers would be eating at that point. Having arrived at the airport quite early, on purpose, to enjoy the Al Mourjan lounge I was happy to partake.

The menu offered a soup or tuna tataki but, like many of my fellow passengers, the starter of choice for me on a Doha departure is the Arabic Mezze served with Pitta bread. A One World passenger, familiar with BA and American, is always slightly blown away by the Qatar Airways experience. You begin to understand what is coming as you consult the menu, and you begin to interact with the crew but the product itself rarely disappoints. In an environment where BA is still addressing ‘Brunchgate’ its hard to comprehend that Qatar is (a) a member of the same airline alliance as BA and (b) a 20% shareholder in BA’s parent business IAG!

Before my starter arrived, the flight attendant served me an ‘Amuse Bouche’ – a prawn served slightly spiced which was delicious and met the objective of getting the meal off to a good start.

I was also served a selection of breads. The Mezze consisted of a pesto hummus, labneh tahini and avocado muhammara served with a generous portion of small pita breads. It was exceptionally well presented but tasted good too and was as good as legend suggests this Qatar classic is.

I took a risk with the main course and ordered the Lobster murabyan which is a Middle Eastern dish serving lobster cooked with local spices and served with basmati rice, preserved lemon and dried cranberries.

It was exceptionally good indeed and survived the experience of being reheated and served on board.

I did not take any cheese although that looked good too and sought to show restraint by taking the Seasonal Fresh Fruits rather than attempting the dark chocolate praline galette or ice creams! Dinner service concluded for me with a mint tea.

I took the opportunity to have a half-hearted flick through the in-flight entertainment system and its options but was happy to rest and take 40 winks. The choice is good and would entertain most of us for a long flight.

During the flight, Qatar offered a selection of crisps, popcorn, chocolates and biscuits which the crew proactively offered to us at least once. However, what I found slightly odd was that the Qatar Menu stated there was a Light Meal and suggested there would be a choice of Braised beef short rib with truffle gnocchi, Adana lamb kofta pide sandwich with Greek salad or an Afternoon Tea. Yet, despite this, at no point did any of the staff come around to take an order or ask what we may like. I had been alerted by another flight reviewer to this potential and, as we overflew Slovakia, I got up and went to speak to the cabin crew in the galley, where they were relaxing. I said I’d like a light meal of the short ribs with gnocchi. Once, I’d made my intentions clear, my table was set again and the food arrived quite quickly.

The short rib was just amazing and slid off the bone and it paired well with the gnocchi. I did ask the crew, out of curiosity, if they would have offered the light meal and they openly admitted they don’t offer it and very few passengers ask which seems slightly odd but after a hotel breakfast, lunch in the Doha lounge, dinner aboard and an extra snack I was set up for the remainder of the day!

Arriving at Heathrow

Soon, it was time for arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport and we made our approach as the sun set over London. After passing to the north of the Capital, we turned to make our approach from the West and landed on the northerly runway 09L with a long taxi across to Qatar’s stand at Terminal 4, which is Qatar’s home at Heathrow. Terminal 4 has some strong benefits and some unpleasant consequences for airline customers. On arrival, nothing else had landed at Terminal 4 for well over an hour and the terminal was deserted for arrivals. I was first off the aircraft and reached Passport Control to find the E-gates had failed across the UK and passengers were being bussed over from T5 but luckily the first contingent was just behind me! The Immigration Officer explained the chaos elsewhere and described me as the luckiest passenger in the airport! One of the downsides of Terminal 4 is the poor public transport provision and longer journey times for key flows although the choice of hotels and their connection to the terminal is way better than T2/3/5.

With no luggage to collect, I was soon through arrivals off to find an Uber to get me to Slough station for my train home.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a great flight and a fantastic experience both at Doha Hamad but also on board the Qatar A350. Qatar have carefully considered their proposition to passengers and deliver the hard product consistently well with fantastic food and staff who might not have character of some airlines do their job effectively. My only observation is they could be clearer with customers about the light meal option and that it is for the passenger to take the initiative and ask for it or they could ask a couple of hours before landing if passengers would like to partake in such an option. The current arrangements keep costs down but are not as customer friendly as they might be.

I’m looking forward to my next Qatar experience soon!

This flight review contributed by Mark Hopwood who has made a video in support of this review which can be found here: https://youtu.be/78v3XA3jEi0 on Mark’s YouTube channel @markstrainsplanes.