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Leading up to this flight, I had flown in the newest Business Class cabin Qatar Airways operates, the oldest Business Class cabin it operates, and the famed Qsuite cabin, so this was my fourth type of Qatar Airways Business Class cabin in under a week. I think that may be a first for me.
I didn’t have an airport check-in experience with Qatar Airways before this flight as I was connecting on from a flight from Bangkok, but I had time to visit the Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge (South) before I flew back to Europe.
There was nothing particularly notable about the gate area or the boarding process apart from the fact that we had to catch a bus to the aircraft (a bus for Business Class passengers only was provided), so I’ll move straight on to the review of the aircraft and onboard service.
The Business Class cabin
The Qatar Airways 787-8 Dreamliner offers a Business Class cabin with 22 Collins Super Diamond seats set out in a 1-2-1 layout.
As you would expect from a modern(ish) Business Class cabin, all the seats offer direct access to one of the aircraft’s aisles and the reverse herringbone layout they’re set out in is one of my favorite Business Class cabin layouts.
There are no overhead bins above the center seats of the Business Class cabin and while that means that the bins over the window seats are shared, it also means that the cabin feels spacious.
The seats in the center section are the best choice for couples who like to be able to communicate during the flight, but solo travelers finding themselves in one of these seats need not worry about a lack of privacy as a large divide screen can be deployed between the seats.
The best seats for solo travelers are undoubtedly the seats on either side of the aircraft, and it was one of these seats that I had reserved.
The Business Class seat
The first thing that you’ll probably notice about this seat is that it doesn’t have a door, and that’s because this seat has been around for some time.
Don’t, however, let that put you off. Doors on aircraft seats are overrated and are more a symbol of the more recent trend rather than a symbol of guaranteed quality.
The reverse herringbone nature of the cabin layout means that the seats on either side of the aircraft are angled towards the windows …
… and although the seat looks open to the aisle, it can still feel quite private because the center seats are angled away and towards the middle of the aircraft.
The seat is well padded and can be a very comfortable place to relax during a flight thanks to the myriad of positions into which it can be placed via its controls.
And because there’s a lot of room around the head area when the seat is in lie-flat mode …
… travelers who like to sleep on their front (like me), have enough space.
The one aspect of this seat that some people complain about is the space that’s left for a passenger’s feet when the seat is in bed mode.
The space around the seat narrows under the IFE screen when the seat is fully reclined, and some people find the area where their feet are meant to go (on top of the ottoman) to be quite small.
I don’t have an issue with this, and I had a good (if short) restful sleep part way through this flight, but I know not everyone is a fan.
It’s worth noting, however, that if you’re someone who’s keen to maximise the amount of space around their feet, that the seats in row 1 offer larger ottomans.
This is down to the fact that the seats in row 1 have the ottoman fitted into the bulkhead rather than another seat ahead of them.
When it comes to personal storage space this seat really shines.
There’s a shelf at around shoulder height which is big enough to hold most items.
There’s a smaller shelf under the window and, under this shelf is a cubicle which is deep enough to hold a 16” MacBook together with several accessories.
There’s a further cubicle under the armrest on the aisle, but you’ll first have to remove the airline’s headphones if you want to store anything here.
And lastly, from a storage perspective, there’s a drawer which opens up at floor level from the seat back in the seat in front which is just about big enough to fit a pair of size 10 shoes.
Another nice aspect of this Business Class seat is the tray table.
This is stored under the IFE screen and opens in two stages.
And when fully open, it’s one of the biggest Business Class tray tables you’ll find.
For passengers needing to power/recharge devices, there is a universal power outlet positioned out of the way (but still easily accessible) between the window shelf and the storage unit under the window.
And there’s a USB-A port built into the seat next to the entertainment controller.
The Dreamliner aircraft windows are electronically dimmable, and the controller is right under the window itself.
The Qatar Airways Business Class seats all come with 2 lights above them and, importantly, their own adjustable air vents.
What this means is that passengers aren’t entirely at the mercy of the crew when it comes to cabin temperature and, as a lot of Qatar Airways Business Class cabins tend to be on the warm side, it’s nice to have access to the vents to cool the seat area down.
One possible annoyance comes courtesy of the IFE screen across the aisle, but this will only affect passengers who choose not to wear their eye masks when going to sleep.
The IFE screens are all angled back across the aisle which means that if you’re trying to sleep without an eye mask, the cabin is in darkness, and the passenger across the aisle from you is watching a movie or a TV show, the flickering from their screen can be disturbing.
Overall, however, I’m a big fan of this seat.
It’s a comfortable place to relax or work, it’s not claustrophobic, it feels well built, there’s plenty of storage space (something which cannot be said for the considerably newer Ascent seat on the airline’s 787-9 Dreamliners), and it offers a very nice bed on which to sleep.
Yes, some people will have an issue with the narrowness of the footwell and the space around the ottoman, but most won’t, so don’t let that put you off. I’m neither short nor do I have small feet, and I had a very nice rest after I put the seat into lie-flat mode.
A lot of people rave about the Qatar Airways Qsuite, and a lot of people seem to think that nothing other than the Qsuite will do. I, however, am here to tell you that as long as you’re not hung up on having a door attached to your seat, this will be a seat that you will probably really like.
In-flight entertainment
The content on offer from the Dreamliner IFE system is reasonably good but as it’s not the airline’s newest IFE system, you won’t have as much choice as you would if you were, for example, flying on a 787-9.
I’m not listing out the movies, shows and other entertainment that was available on this flight as that information will probably already be out of date, but anyone wanting to see what’s on offer right now can do so via this Qatar Airways webpage.
Fortunately, thanks to the fact that the screens on these aircraft have been changed since the last time I flew in this cabin, the one-time clunky controller is no longer an issue.
The 17″ screens are responsive touch-screens so where selecting what to watch was a once chore that made you lose the will to live, it’s now easy to flip between all the options available.
The headphones that Qatar Airways provides are, however, still very basic …
… and because they’re fitted with the same ridiculous 3-pin jack that you’ll find on headphones provided by American Airlines, unless you carry a special adapter with you (this is the cheap one I carry), your own headphones will only offer mono sound when you use them to watch the airline-provided entertainment.
Wifi
The 787-8 aircraft offer the airline’s older wifi which don’t really like because I find it to be flakey. It cuts out too often and the speeds can go from acceptable to ‘is this thing on?’.
With this system, Qatar Airways gives all passengers one hour of free messaging with WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Instagram, Viber, Messenger and iMessage, but photos and videos are not supported.
The wifi packages start at $5 for an hour of activity (capped at 30MB), they move up to $10 for 3 hours (capped at 100MB), and peak at $20 for the full flight (capped at 200MB).
For working and general internet browsing this service is adequate (at best), but with a maximum cap of 200MB, streaming is out of the question.
Amenities
As is standard for Qatar Airways, each seat in the cabin has a blanket and a pillow waiting for passengers when we they board. The airline has recently also taken to offering a smaller and mostly pointless pillow which just ends up occupying space in the overhead bin.
The small pillow aside, however, the bedding is great. The main pillow is large and strikes a good balance between soft and firm, and the blanket is one of the best Business Class blankets you’ll ever get offered – large, weighty, and very comfortable.
Unlike on two of my previous Qatar Airways flights where a cardboard box was used as an amenity kit, old-style kits were waiting for at the seats when we boarded.
Black bags for men and white bags for ladies.
The black bag was nice.
But the white bag was a little nicer.
The color and design of the bags were the only differences between the two kits as the contents were identical.
- Eye mask
- Socks
- Diptyque lip balm
- Diptyque body lotion
- Diptyque face cream
- Diptyque eau de toilette
The Qatar Airways amenity kits don’t contain toothpaste or toothbrushes because those are offered in the aircraft lavatories.
As this was a night flight, a bag containing pajamas and slippers, was also offered.
The pajamas are made by The White Company which is the same company that supplies British Airways with its amenity kits, bedding, and First Class pajamas (you don’t get pajamas in British Airways Business Class).
Finally, there was also a ‘travel with confidence’ kit placed by the seat which seemed to be a relic of the pandemic.
This was only present on one of the four Qatar Airways flights I took on this trip, so I’m not sure why it was being offered.
Dining and service
Drinks and a hot towel were offered not long after boarding had started, and the menus were handed out shortly after.
The á la carte menu
The wine menu
The spirits and cocktails menu
The non-alcoholic drinks menu
Meal orders were taken before we pushed back and more drinks (this time with warm nuts) were served after we levelled out.
Given that this was a very late flight (we boarded after 01:30) and given that I had already had some food in the lounge, I didn’t want much to eat and as Qatar Airways offers a dine on demand service, I asked to be served as soon as possible.
For my very light meal, I chose the steamed prawn and vegetable dumplings with vinegar soya sauce, wok-fried noodles and fresh ginger, and it was fine.
Nothing special or amazing, but it tasted fresh, and it was light.
I only ordered dessert because I can never say no to a cheesecake (especially one with vanilla and blueberries) and while what was served wasn’t quite what I was expecting …
… it too was ok. More real blueberries and less coloring would have been nice, but the flavours worked quite well.
Having learned (on an earlier flight) just how good the cardamom chai is on Qatar Airways, I ordered one of those to round off the meal and put away the Swiss chocolates that the crew brought round for a snack at a later time.
As I’ve come to expect when flying with Qatar Airways, the meal service was very good. The crew managed to be attentive without appearing to lurk or to hover, and I appreciated the speed at which I was served and the efficiency with which things were cleared away.
The crew’s efficiency allowed me to get to sleep as soon as was practicable so for the next few hours, I rested.
I had asked to be woken for breakfast (more so that I could get a picture for this review than because I needed food) and it turned out to be the same breakfast that I’d seen (but not tasted) on my flight between Doha and Bangkok.
- Seasonal fresh fruits
- Butter croissant with a choice of preserves
- Homemade blueberry yoghurt with toasted pistachio granola
I had orange juice to accompany breakfast (I could have had a mixed fruit smoothie) and I declined the offer of tea or coffee.
The fruit was very nice, the croissant tasted fresh, and the yoghurt was surprisingly good.
Once again, service was the right amount of attentive and efficient, and while I didn’t feel rushed, everything was cleared away swiftly giving me ample time to prepare for arrival. That was good.
Overall, there really isn’t much more to add. The food was fine but not memorable (except for the cardamom chai which I need to learn to make for myself) and what service I needed from the crew (not much) was very good.
Closing thoughts
When it comes to flying in Business Class there’s really only one thing that I’m interested in and that’s the seat.
Yes, great service, nice food, and high-end drinks can be nice, but when you’re stuck in a composite tube for hours on end the seat is key, and this remains one of my favorite Business Class seats in the sky.
It’s well padded, it’s comfortable, it works well as a place to relax, as a place to work, and as a place to rest … and it offers more storage space than a lot of the newer seats that have been introduced in recent years.
In many ways (this is going to be controversial) I prefer this seat to the Qsuite.
Yes, the Qsuite is very cleverly designed and it’s a great seat, and if you have it in your head that you absolutely must have a sliding door between you and the aisle, it’s the best Qatar Airways Business Class seat for you.
But the Collins Super Diamond seats on the 787-8 are less confining in the footwell area, feel more spacious, and offer more storage space than the Qsuite, and for all those reasons, I’d happily fly in this seat for as long a journey as was offered.
Out of the 4 different Business Class seats that I enjoyed on this trip, this one is probably my favorite (just).
All articles in this series:
Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class review (Ascent seat)
Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha mini review
Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class (non-Qsuite) review
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok review
Review: Cathay Pacific Lounge Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Review: JAL Sakura Lounge Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Review: Miracle First & Business Class Lounge concourse G Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge Doha International Airport (South) review
Qatar Airways Qsuites Business Class 777-300ER review
Qatar Airways 787-8 Dreamliner Business Class review
I’m with you on preferring this older suite to the Q-suite, which I find to be rather claustrophobic with its high walls and door, though it is like being a ‘prisoner in paradise’! The older suite is private enough, without that feeling of being hemmed-in.
I also totally agree about the amazing flavour of the karak chai drinks; absolutely delicious. I normally have at least two on my flights, one cardamom and one saffron!
My experience is that you get the amenity kit when departing DOH and the box on flights to DOH.