Flight Review: Qatar Airways First Class

Introduction

Qatar Airways is one of the best airlines in terms of quality and luxury.  Most of their planes are new and with beautiful interiors, excellent entertainment units, and comfortable seats.  Recently, I flew their first class product on their A380 plane en route to India from Paris.  Qatar Airways is based out of Doha where all their flights connect to over 150 destinations.

Booking

Qatar Airways is  member of the OneWorld alliance which means that Qatar Airways award flights can be booked using OneWorld partners such as British Airways or American Airlines.  To search for award availability, you have to go to BritishAirways.com since American Airlines does not show award availability online for Qatar Airways.  In most cases, the redemption rates for Qatar Airways is less on American Airlines.

If you find award availability for Qatar Airways on BritishAirways.com, you can then proceed to call American Airlines and book the flight over the phone.

If you are looking to book a first class flight on Qatar Airways on their A380 planes, there are not many options.  Coming from Europe, the only options are from Paris or London.  The amount of American Airlines miles required for this flight is currently 62,500 miles.

It is also possible to continue on to India or to another Middle East destination for the same amount of miles.  Well worth it considering it would allow you to check out the First Class Lounge at Doha International Airport while transiting to the next destination.

Cabin

Compared to other first class seats on other airlines, the seats are not compartmentalized and walled off.  While this takes away from some privacy, it makes the cabin feel more open and airy. This is good for those that can sometimes feel claustrophobic.

This is the best looking interior I have seen on an airplane by far.  The plane also seemed to make the most use out of the fancy LED lighting features that the new airplanes seem to have.  The lighting alternates between purple, blue, and then orange for simulated sunset and then sunrise before landing.

The first & business class lounge area is by far the best, largest, and most beautiful I have seen on an A380.  The design and color scheme was perfect and I loved the lighting fixtures.  It was pretty much empty whenever I want to the bar so it was like I had it all to myself.

Seat

The seat was comfortable with an insane amount of legroom.  I liked the foot rest which also can be used as a seat for your flying companion to sit across from you while meals are served.

The amenity kits were the best I have ever received on a first class flight.  The kit included the a large eye mask and a big bottle of cologne.  Even though this was a night flight that landed at 23:45pm, they did not provide pajamas on this flight.  Bummer since the Qatar Airways pajamas looked really nice.

Drinks

There were plenty of high end alcoholic drinks available such as Krug.  Additionally, there were plenty of tasty non-alcoholic mixed drinks available.

Food

The food selection was pretty good with an adequate selection.  However, I found to food selection more exciting on Etihad and Emirates First Class.

Bathroom

While the Qatar Airways A380 first class cabin does not have a shower on it like Emirates Airlines, it had the most stylish interior of any airline bathroom I’ve seen.  It is also the largest bathroom I have seen on an airline.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you have the opportunity to fly on the Qatar Airways A380 first class flight, take it.  Its open spacious cabin, large entertainment screen, and good selection of alcohol make any flight a breeze.  While it doesn’t have showers, the large first class bar area, big bathrooms, and airy cabin makes it seem like you are not even on a plane.

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Related Posts:

• Flight Review: Etihad Airways First Class A380
• Flight Review: Emirates First Class A380