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Having experienced the newest Qatar Airways Business Class product followed by the oldest Qatar Airways Business Class product just a few days before, I was interested to use this flight between Bangkok and Doha to reacquaint myself with the most famous Qatar Airways Business Class cabin – the Qsuite cabin.
Check-in and airport experience
The Qatar Airways app was inviting me to check-in online at least a couple of days before I was due to fly, but as it kept directing me to an error page every time I attempted to complete the formalities, I gave up and decided to use the desks at the airport.
The line for Economy Class check-in was substantial, but there was no one in line at the Business Class desks so I had a boarding pass in my hand within a few minutes.
The desk agent confirmed that because I was traveling on a ‘Business Lite’ fare I wouldn’t have access to the Qatar Airways Business Class lounge, so I was given an invitation card that would give me access to any of the many ‘Miracle Lounges’ at Bangkok International Airport.
I didn’t really need this invitation because the Miracle Lounges are part of the Priority Pass network and I have Priority Pass select membership courtesy of card_name, but I took it as a souvenir, nonetheless.
Another reason I didn’t really need the invitation was because although Qatar Airways discriminates against Business Lite fares, most other oneworld airlines do not, so my oneworld Emerald status was good enough to get me into the Cathay Pacific and the JAL Business Class lounges at the airport.
- Review of the Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge in Bangkok.
- Review of the JAL Sakura lounge in Bangkok.
- Review of the Miracle lounge at Gate G2 in Bangkok.
Business Lite fares may exclude customers from Qatar Airways lounges, but they don’t exclude them from the Fast Track security and immigration lanes …
… and even though the Fast Track lanes appear to be open to a significant number of people …
… it took me less than 10 minutes to clear security and immigration. That was a noticeable improvement on the 45 minutes that it took me to clear immigration when I arrived.
At this point I moved on to the lounges, before heading to the gate.
Boarding
For me, boarding was straightforward because I got to the gate early and took up a position near the automatic gates to give myself the best chance of getting on board early enough to take pictures without too many other passengers in them.
If had arrived slightly later, however, I would have found myself having to negotiate my way through throngs of Economy Class passengers who had lined up at the automatic gates expecting to be able to board.
In the end, the gate agents sorted things out and made room for the other Business Class passengers, but it was a bit of a mess for a while.
Once boarding was called, the automatic gates worked fine, but we were then held at the aircraft door (for around 5 minutes) while the crew finished up whatever it was they were doing onboard.
The Qsuite Business Class cabin
This is what the Qsuite Business Class cabin layout looks like on the 777 operating on the Bangkok – Doha route:
The Qatar Airways Qsuites are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout across the aircraft, so each suite offers its occupant direct access to one of the aircraft’s two aisles, but this is a Business Class cabin that offers a variety of seating options, so knowing what those options are (and choosing the right one) is important to ensuring that you get the best possible experience on board.
The Central Qsuites
In the center section of the aircraft the Qsuites come in two different layouts.
- There are seat pairs where the seats face rearwards and where the seats are quite close together (the odd-numbered rows on the 777-300ER).
- There are seat pairs where the seats face forwards and where the seats are quite well separated (the even-numbered rows on the 777-300ER).
The central seats that are closest together are mostly going to appeal to couples traveling together, but even if you find yourself in one of these seats and next to a complete stranger, a suitably high central divider can be raised to give you a lot of privacy.
Another difference to note is that the center seats that are close together (odd-numbered rows) are set away from the Qsuite door (a fixed table fills the area between the seat and the door), while the central seats with a degree of separation between them (even-numbered rows) are positioned next to the suite door (the fixed table is positioned between the two seats):
A solo traveler with only central seats to choose from will have to decide if they prefer to have their seat close to the central divider or close to the suite door – I would choose the latter.
If you happen to be traveling in a group of four (and if the necessary seats are available) the Qsuite Business Class cabin has a party trick designed especially for you – 4 Qsuites can be opened up to form one large suite for the whole traveling party:
The Window Qsuites
Just as with the central Qsuites, there are differences between the Qsuites found on either side of the aircraft cabin.
On this 777-300ER, the window seats in the odd-numbered rows face rearwards and are positioned up against the frame of the aircraft (with a fixed table between the seat and the suite door).
The seats in the even-numbered rows face forwards, are positioned away from the windows, and are closer to the suite door:
It is easier to look out of the windows if you’re seated in a Qsuite which is located further from the suite door but as long as you don’t really care whether you travel facing forward or backward, there’s no big difference between the experience that both seat configurations offer.
Inside a Qsuite
My Qsuite was rear-facing and on one side of the aircraft, so I was positioned close to the windows and away from the suite door – the perfect Qsuite (to my mind).
The suite has a reading light at around head height …
… a small, concealed storage area in the armrest …
… and a fixed unit made up of two shelves and which incorporates the suite’s power outlets and the controls for everything in the suite.
This is where you’ll find the universal power outlet, two USB-A ports. the headphone socket for the inflight entertainment, a HDMI input, and a contactless payment point which appears to serve no useful purpose.
Unlike the seat controls in the newer Ascents suite on the 787-9 Dreamliners, the controls in the Qsuite can be used to manoeuvre the seat into just about any position a passenger wants to put themselves in, so getting comfortable when working or relaxing isn’t difficult, and as a seat for when you want to work, to read, or to watch some movies, the Qsuite seat is very good.
In lie-flat mode it’s not that great.
When the seat is placed in its horizontal position, the Qsuite can feel a little confining, and the limited amount of space for a passenger’s feet will be an issue for some.
If you sleep on your back, you’re likely to be fine, but I suspect that anyone who sleeps on their side or their front may need to experiment with a few different positions before they get comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep.
I managed to sleep reasonably well on this flight (for a bit), but the Qsuite didn’t make my sleep any more comfortable than a lot of other (less acclaimed) Business Class seats that other airlines offer, so no one should be expecting miracles when they fly in this cabin.
Storage space is another issue in the Qsuite.
The hidden storage area in the seat armrest is small and comes (mostly) prefilled with the complimentary headphones and a water bottle …
… and what space is left won’t fit very much (certainly not a laptop).
The only other place to keep any items close to hand is on the two shelves above all the controls.
To a degree, this is fine for things like laptops, tablets, and phones, because the proximity to the power outlet and the USB ports means that devices can charge while they’re sitting there. But it’s a less than ideal storage spot for more personal items like a wallet or a passport, and it’s not of much help during turbulence where the whole aircraft is shaking, and things are liable to move around.
If you compare the storage space in the Qsuite to, for example, the storage space in the British Airways Club Suite …
… the Qsuite comes out second best. In fact, when it comes to storage space, the Qsuite even comes out second best when it’s compared to the considerably older seats that you’ll find in an American Airlines 777-300ER.
A more impressive aspect of the Qsuite is its tray table which deploys from under the entertainment screen.
It’s both sturdy and huge (as the 16″ MacBook in the image below will show).
For comfort while working, I don’t think there’s a better table in the skies, and it feels incredibly spacious during mealtimes as well.
Also in the Qsuite’s favor is the fact that from a passenger privacy standpoint, it’s about as private as it gets.
Sure, if someone wants to look into the suite while the door is closed, they can. But they have to make a bit of obvious effort, and that’s where the Qsuite differs from some of the copycats that have followed it.
All the suites that have followed the Qsuite screen their occupants from other seated passengers, but where the Qsuite differs from a lot of these other latecomers is that it offers more privacy from passengers walking by.
The Qsuite door comes up to the middle of my chest when I stand next to it (I’m 6ft tall) while, for example, the doors on the suites on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic suites (and possibly even the Delta One suites), only just come past my waist (by 3-4 inches).
For some, that will be a bit deal. For me (who often forgets to close the suite door), it’s not really a big deal.
I should point out that one major advantage that all airline suites have is that they protect their occupants from the glare of other passengers’ IFE screens.
On a lot of aircraft (like the older Qatar Airways 777s), some seats get a full view of their neighbor’s IFE screen, and for those of us who don’t like wearing an eye mask, this can be a huge distraction when trying to get some sleep. With the Qsuite (and all other airline suites) this isn’t an issue that can arise and that can be a big selling point for this style of seat.
The final two things that I should mention in this section are the air vents (which the Qsuite offers, and which help to regulate the temperature around the seat) …
… and one of my favorite little features that more Business Class seats are now offering.
The Qsuite comes with a ‘do not disturb’ (DND) button which, when pressed, lights up red …
… and which also lights up the suite’s number in red so the crew knows not to disturb you.
An important feature? Probably not. A good one? Definitely!
Overall, the Qsuites are a good place to get some work done or to relax, and they’re not cramped, tight, or claustrophobic, but they’re not hugely spacious either, so no one should be booking this seat with the idea that it offers a considerably larger area than all other Business Class seats. It doesn’t.
Amenities
As was the case on my flight between Oslo and Doha, the amenity kits on this flight came in Diptyque cardboard boxes. Black for the gentlemen and white for the ladies.
The color is the only difference in the kits, however, as the contents are identical.
Inside the boxes are …
- An Eye mask
- Socks
- Diptyque Lip balm
- Diptyque Body lotion
- Diptyque Face cream
- Diptyque Eau de toilette
Boxes were also offered on my Bangkok – Doha flight, but standard toiletry bags were on offer from Doha to Bangkok and from Doha to Brussels and as I’ve mentioned before, that makes me wonder if boxes are kept at outstations while toiletry bags are kept in Doha.
You may be wondering why these kits don’t contain toothbrushes or toothpaste, and the answer to that lies in the lavatories which is where those items are offered (alongside razors and shaving cream).
As well as the amenity kits, each seat in the cabin gets a blanket, a pillow, and pointless smaller pillow, and the standout item amongst this lot is the blanket.
If there’s a larger or more substantial blanket offered in any other Business Class cabin, I haven’t seen it or heard of it.
Finally, I should mention the pajamas which, because this was a flight taking off in the evening, were provided on this flight (there are no pajamas available on flights that Qatar Airways classifies as daytime flights).
The bag that the pajamas come in also contains a pair of slippers and while I don’t have an image of the pajamas to share here, you’ll just have to believe me when I say that they’re comfortable.
Entertainment
The Qsuite offers a large IFE screen that sits directly ahead of the seat and which cannot be moved.
Unlike the screen that you’ll find in the Qsuite on the Qatar Airways A350-1000s, there are no inputs or USB ports under this screen and there are no screen controls here either.
The IFE controller is built into the fixed shelving unit to one side of the screen (near all the other Qsuite controls) and can be removed and used just as you would use a remote control at home (except this one come attached to the unit by wire).
The entertainment system in the 777 Qsuite is the latest ‘Oryx’ system from Qatar Airways and according to the airline, it offers ‘over 7,000 options’ (a number which must include individual music tracks to get to that number).
I didn’t watch any of the entertainment provided (you can use this link to see the latest offerings from Qatar Airways), and I also didn’t use the basic but acceptable headphones that are provided.
Wi-Fi
The Qatar Airways 777s that have the Qsuite fitted come equipped with the better of two wi-fi systems that the airline operates, and Privilege Club members get 1 hour free.
As this was a night flight and as I needed to get some sleep, I didn’t use the internet for more than checking emails (I used the free hour), but it was good to see that the cost of wifi was as reasonable on this flight as it was on my flight from Oslo to Doha.
Dining and service
Drinks were offered before departure, and they were offered again after take off. Menus were also provided.
The dining menu:
The non-alcoholic drinks menu:
The alcoholic drinks menu:
I only had a single glass of the rosé Champagne of this flight (which was good), but the rest of the list looks ok to me, so it should keep most passengers happy.
As always, I made sure to request the best drink that Qatar Airways serves when the hot nuts were served – the ‘signature mint and lemon’ drink.
As far as I can tell, this isn’t mentioned on any menu, but it has been available on every Qatar Airways flight that I’ve taken and is a ‘must try’ drink if you haven’t already tried it.
As always with Qatar Airways, you can ask to have your meal whenever you want it, so as I wanted to get to sleep as soon as possible, I asked for my meal to be served as soon as the crew was ready.
This is how it went:
There was a salmon amuse bouche (which was nice):
That was followed by a starter of seared tuna with herbs, avocado, sea grapes (no, me neither), and chilli which was delicious.
For my main course I chose the grilled Angus beef tenderloin ‘with jus’, gratin potatoes, roasted shallots, and asparagus …
… and while the potatoes, shallots and asparagus were nice, the beef was terrible.
It was so overcooked and dry that it was almost impossible to cut and while I’ve had worse on other airlines, this was the worst bit of food I have ever been served on Qatar Airways.
I considered sending it back and ordering something else, but as I was more interested in getting some rest than eating, I decided against it.
For dessert, I ordered something called ‘Spago’, which turned out to be a tart with palm sugar ice cream, taro, and coconut.
It was ok, but I won’t be keeping it in mind for my next trip with Qatar Airways.
After my dinner had been cleared away, I resisted the temptation to order the cardamom chai (another ‘must try’ drink if you’re flying with Qatar Airways) and settled for a couple of Swiss chocolates.
Service was ended with a Diptyque ‘refreshing towel’.
Even though this flight lands in Doha after midnight, an ‘afternoon tea’ is also offered closer to landing, but as I asked not to be disturbed, I didn’t get to see what it looked like.
This, however, is what I’ve been served as afternoon tea on a previous flight, so it should give you an idea of what it looks like.
Overall, the food I tried was disappointing. Dinner got off to a good start with the amuse bouche and the starter, but things went rapidly downhill (into a crater) when the main course was served, and the dessert did nothing to save the situation.
Fortunately, the service throughout the flight was as great as I have become accustomed to expecting from Qatar Airways crews – the flight attendants were friendly, polite, and helpful (three of the things I often find are missing when I fly with US airlines) – and that always goes a long way to making a long-haul flight better then it may otherwise be.
Arrival in Doha
Upon arrival in Doha (in the middle of the night), it quickly became obvious that there wasn’t a gate available for us because we taxied for so long that you could have been forgiven for thinking that the captain had decided to take the aircraft home with him.
When we finally came to a stop at a remote stand, busses were provided to ferry passengers to the terminal, and while there’s nothing particularly unusual about that, the fact that Business Class passengers were given their own bus was a little unusual.
What was a lot more unusual was what the interior of the bus looked like.
You don’t get a bus like this at LAX or Heathrow when you’re getting moved to the other side of the airfield.
Still, it was just as well that the bus was comfortable because the only thing that was longer than our aircraft’s journey to the stand, was this bus’s journey to the terminal.
I really wish it had been daylight because I’m pretty sure we drove around the entire airport complex before being dropped off.
Final thoughts
The seat
This may be because I had recently flown in the newer Ascent Business Class seat (which I really did not like), but I liked the Qsuite more on this trip than I did the last time I tried it out.
It still has the same flaws as last time – poor storage space and a less than optimal sleeping position – but this is still a very good Business Class seat.
It’s not as good as some overexcitable fanboys (and fangirls) may have you believe, but its still pretty good.
Everything else
Two of the diner courses aside, everything else about the onboard experience was very good.
The crew performed their usual trick of being attentive and yet not overly attentive, I managed to get some decent sleep, the 1 hour of free internet was very useful (and the cost had I needed more internet time was very good), and as I said on my last Qatar Airways review, the blanket was as large, heavy and comfortable as ever and that’s surprisingly important when you want to rest … I just wish the airline would let me have one to take home! 🙂
In summary
The Qsuite continues to be one of the world’s leading Business Class seats, and if you don’t do much Business Class flying, if you usually flying Business Class with Lufthansa, if you’re used to the British Airways ying-yang seats, or if you’re usually stuck flying short-haul Business Class, it will probably blow you away.
It isn’t, however, the perfect Business Class seat (I’m not sure such a thing exists yet), so anyone who has yet to try it out should keep that in mind.
If you’re expecting perfection, you may be disappointed, but if you’re just looking for ‘great’, you should be just fine.
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
Why did you need to wait 45 min for immigration on arrival? Did you not use the priority line?
Btw: The exit priority line to the left, behind ThaiAirways is now open for everyone and normally quite empty. Normally it is even less than 5 minutes incl security going through there…
Unlike on my previous visit to BKK with QR, no invitation to the priority line was handed out before landing.
Also, when I showed my boarding pass to the agent guarding the priority line, I was sent to the regular immigration line (as were other business class pax on my flight).
They stopped handing out invites before covid. (to much reselling)
Now (and I had never ever been refused with BPs from any airline) you just show the business BP. The priority entry is now to the right of general immigration and yes it can be a bit more crowded, but still better than the normal one.
BKK priority line is now shared with families Y class, so waiting time there when I arrived last was longer than the normal Y class line. So priority lane at BKK airport is a waste of time
Great review and totally agree with all aspects of your experience. It’s definitely the same old food on rotation. I loathe the remote stand situation and the dreaded buses – over the past 10 years of flying them have never once arrived into Doha at a gate !! Premium not so sure. Were you not interested in purchasing seats with the lite fare – not that it would have guaranteed you anything in any case and the aircraft swaps are ridiculous
I was fortunate in that my oneworld status gave me free seat selection despite the lite fare.
I now turn my watch workout on, to retrace the way by bus through DOH.
once the plane was parked near the sheiks special terminal, basically “outside”/ in front of the main terminal building, it felt like we were given the great airport bus tour. since the ongoing building extensions works, they seem to have far less gates available