Review of Qatar Airways flight Doha → Munich in Business

introduction

Middle Eastern carriers are among the best in the world. Flying from the Arabian Peninsula, you face a hard decision with Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air all being based in the region. All of them are considered to be excellent airlines, compared to US and European competition.
We were flying back to Munich via Doha, to try out Qatar Airways business class. Although QR has been using Q-Suite equipped Boeing 777 to MUC in the past, we were left with the older business class on our flight. Since the “older” Airbus A350 cabin was still said to be very good, we were very excited, following the outbound LH flight to DXB earlier. 

 After a short hop from AUH to DOH on a Qatar Airways Airbus A320-200 in economy, we were landing in Doha at 05:43 a.m.

ground experience

Since we were connecting, we didn’t leave the transit area. There is a separate check-in area for Oneworld business class passengers, located next to the first-class check-in area.
The airport itself was beautiful and looked very modern, been opened in 2014. There is only one big terminal handling all flights. 

Airport lounge

At the time of this flight, there were just three Qatar Airways lounges in the airport:

-Al Safra Lounge (first class passengers on QR & Oneworld flights)
-Al Mourjan Lounge (business class passengers on QR & Oneworld flights)
-Oryx Lounge (Oneworld status holders)

Note that Qatar Airways has cut lounge access for business class saver tickets (booking class R) in 2020. Passengers upgraded to business class won’t get into the lounge since 2018.

This is a measure to battle the huge overcrowding issue during peak times, which we were about to witness first hand.

We arrived at the lounge at 06:10 a.m. and had about two hours to explore the lounge. At the entrance there were quite a few passengers queuing up in front of the reception.

And there it was. The Al Mourjan Lounge, considered to be one of the best business class lounges in the world. Inside of the lounge it was complete mayhem. It was really difficult to find seating for two people and there were passengers everywhere. Even worse, since this lounge is open 24/7, there are many people sleeping all over the place without shoes or socks, resulting in a very unpleasant atmosphere and bizzare smells at times. 

We went to the full service restaurant, located on top of the lounge, only to find out that there was at least a 20 minutes wait due to overcrowding. 

At this time, I began to wonder why this lounge was reguarded  as one of the world's best. But this was about to change…

As we were shown to our table, I noticed that our flight was delayed by an hour. I never felt happier about a flight delay, since it meant that we could explore the lounge after the morning peak chaos had cleared. Time to celebrate with a glass of Champagne (despite the early hour) 

(The check-in agent in AUH was out of business class tickets and gave us these nice looking first class tickets instead).

Now that we had plenty of time, we ordered some breakfast, as half of the world’s population streamed out of the lounge to board their flights. This created a bit of a Titanic vibe, as crowds of people suddenly tried to escape the place and we stayed "onboard" with only a few other passengers and the crew.

 Anyway back to the review, the food was very delicious and could be ordered à la carte.  

If that wasn’t enough, there is even more food at the serviced food buffet. There was also a serviced bar, next to the food counter. I cannot remember if it was open at the time of visiting, but I didn’t bother to ask, as I sticked to the delicious Champagne.

It was time to explore the lounge, as it became deserted. The restaurant was nearly empty by the time we were finished with our Champagne indulgence and left the restaurant.

The windows behind the food counter offer partial apron views. 

Now that there were less than 30-40 passengers altogether in the lounge, it was time to check it out.
Within 60 minutes the lounge turned from a state of chaos, into a place of silence and tranquility. It was so quiet, that you could even hear the water fountain in the artificial lake. 

The fountain lake is located below the restaurant and to the right of the entrance. 

The lounge consists of one big room with a high ceiling, creating an airy atmosphere. The restaurant takes in all of the upper floor. As you can see the space was completely abandoned.

Even now and then I saw a passenger (if you look closely you can spot their feet). As this might be a plus for foot-fetishists, I find it rather inadequate in a lounge. I can understand that people want to take off their shoes after a flight, but they could at least keep on their socks on my opinion.

Now that the lounge was empty, there was plenty of various seating in the center of the lounge. The design was simply stunning.

Thanks to the massive windows, there was plenty of daylight.

As you go deeper into the lounge, there are "family rooms" with big and cozy couches. The high walls create a little private room.

The sleeping / relaxation loungers were arranged in pairs.

Qatar Airways even bothered to install some plants. There was another restaurant at this far end of the lounge.

A last photo and it was time to head to the aircraft. 

Qatar Airways is trying to fix the one big issue, to this otherwise incredible business class lounge. The lounge simply couldn’t keep up with the demand at peak times, as QR has introduced several new smaller lounges in 2022, with their biggest lounge expected to open in mid-2023.

From the restaurant to the artificial lake, Qatar Airways’ intention was to impress. The experience would have been very different without our delayed departure time. 

aircraft

Carrier:                        Qatar Airways
Type:                             Airbus A350-900
Registration:               A7-ALS
First flight:                   08/06/2017
Cabin configuration: 36J / 247Y 

cabin / seat

Qatar Airways was the launch customer of the new Airbus A350 back in 2015. In 2017 QR announced the introduction of the new Q-Suite cabin. This specific A350 was however still configured with the older 1-2-1 Super Diamond seats.

 The 36 business class seats were divided into a bigger cabin with six rows and 24 seats and a smaller cabin, with only half of the rows and seats. Economy class filled the rest of the aircraft with two large cabins and 247 sets. The carrier does not offer premium economy class. 

Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 business class layout @aerolopa

Qatar Airways decided against installing overhead bins above the center rows. This created a very open and bright impression. 
As expected from a reverse herringbone configured cabin, every seat is (almost) created equal in terms of legroom and personal space.

What are the best seats for couples?
If you’re traveling with a companion, the center seats (seats D and E) are best for you. These seats slightly face each other and make it easier to communicate.

What are the best seats for solo travelers?
As a solo traveler, you should definitely go for the window seats (seats A and K). The seat angles towards the window, away from the rest of the cabin.

Note that the bulkhead seats don’t come with any advantages over the other seats. In matter of fact, the storage bin under the seat controls is not accessible for some reason, giving you less storage space compared to the other seats.

This is the bigger forward J cabin, shown from seat 7F. The roses and the QR design just adds so much more to this beautiful cabin.

Waiting at the seat were two pillows, a blanket, a bottle of water, a "COVID care package" and an amenity kit. The seat looked very nice. The seats on the A350s are made out of a dark red fabric (window seats) and an even better-looking grey material (aisle seats). You could easily store your laptop on the two spaces near the window, when eating for example.

As you can see the seat has no privacy partitions and is exposed. I didn’t mind, because there weren’t many passengers in the mini cabin, and there was no passenger in front of me thanks to the bulkhead. 

The IFE controler was located between your right elbow and the window. It was modern and easy to use. A reading lamp could be found next to your right shoulder, with the literature pocket nearby.

I love the combination of the grey fabric and the small red lines of the center seats.

The middle seats featured a small privacy provider, which could be deployed. It wasn’t very high though.

Here you can see the seat controls and the wooden spaces for your belongings.

This was the forward view from my seat. 

The space between doors 2 was planned to be a gathering and socializing area for passengers. It was nice to have a space to move around.

Overall, I really liked the cabin layout and design. It felt open, bright and every passenger had direct aisle access. The seats were comfortable and colorful. I didn’t have a problem with the absence of privacy shells / providers on this flight. Despite sitting directly next to the engine, the A350 cabin of course was very quiet.

food / beverages

Qatar Airways is known for having one of the best catering, on flights originating from their hub in Doha. 

There was a menu for food and a seperate menu for wine and beverages. The menu's were presented so nice and were of a high quality paper. 

Food / drink options were displayed in English and Arabic. 

Food menu:

Wine / beverage menu:

The friendly flight attendant brought some of the Laurent-Perrier Champagne to my seat during boarding. She explained that dining was on demand, which meant we could eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.

I think more carriers should apply dining on demand, since international passengers have widely different body clocks and should be able to decide when to eat and when to get some rest.

This is a big plus on Qatar Airways. 

We decided to have lunch a few hours later. It started off with warmed nuts and a white wine.

I went for the soup of the day, which was a mushroom soup, accompanied by a mix of bread and olive oil. Although the soup looked a bit unappetizing, it was delicious and a great sign for the main meal to come.

The seafood main was presented very nicely. The colors looked gorgeous. The lemon sauce was flavorful, the salmon tender and juicy and the vegetables were crunchy. I wasn’t a big fan of the prawn as I don’t like crustaceans, so I can't say how it tasted.

Altogether the main dish was fantastic.

You simply cannot go wrong with a chocolate dessert on an airplane, right? This chocolate fruit cake didn’t disappoint.

Shortly before landing I wanted to see what their light options were like, so i ordered the brunch platter.
It basically consisted of everything and was also very delicious, especially the tuna. I was absolutely stuffed at this point.

Well, what can I say? You will definitely not go hungry in Qatar Airways business class. The catering deserves full marks. From the presentation to the ingredients, the food service was world class.
Combining the excellent food with on demand dining is something that is standing out.

lie-flat bed

With all the Champagne and wine, it was time to take a nap. The seat can be converted into a fully flat bed. Both armrests can be lowered, increasing shoulder space. The pillow and the blanket were so comfortable, I wished I could have taken them home. I am 180cm tall and had enough space at the feet.

There was more than enough space to get in and out of the bed with ease. Some other carriers out there require a Yoga session to get into your bed again, or even a game of Twister if there is a seat neighbour in your way.

The only issue I had with this bed was the tray table under the IFE screen. I had the feeling that there was less vertical space because of it. As I tried out the bed, my legs hit the underside of the table, while lying sideways. 

The bed was otherwise comfortable and there was enough shoulder space. The bedding was high quality and more than adequate for this six-hour flight. 

service

Service was top notch. From boarding to leaving the aircraft, the cabin crew as attentive and very friendly. Drinks were refilled frequently and the cabin was kept meticulously clean during the flight. How does this crew compare to flight attendants on Singapore Airlines? Well, in my opinion the SQ cabin crew is a bit more natural and less robotic at times.

But this is complaining at a very high level and an absolute first world problem (if it even is a problem). Qatar’s cabin crew is highly professional and considered to be one of the world’s best for a reason. 

ife

The IFE screen was about 17-inches in size. There were plenty of options to choose from. I sticked to several episodes of Serengeti documentaries for the majority of the flight.
The aircraft had cameras installed, which could be streamed on the IFE screen.

The screen quality was good and you could watch a movie in bed mode, without having to adjust the screen. 

amenity kit

There was a proper amenity kit on this flight. The bag was branded by Brics and came in green (male version) and white (female version). 

The bag contained a moisturizer, facial mist and sanitizer. Along with this there was a pair of socks, a sleep mask and ear plugs.