Overnight on a Qatar Airways Dreamliner from Doha to Dublin

Qatar Airways operate an overnight service between Doha and Dublin using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Departing after midnight, the entire flight is in darkness which is perfect for sleeping.

Boarding at Doha on this night was via a bus transfer. I am not really a fan of having to get a bus to the aircraft, but it is what it is and eventually we all climbed the stairs and entered the aircraft.

QR19 – Doha to Dublin (DOH-DUB)
12 July 2018
Boeing 787-8 – A7-BCS
Seat: Economy Class 12C
Departure: 01:40 Arrival: 07:30

Settling in to my aisle seat, I hoped for no-one sitting next to me. My wish came true, to an extent, with a lady appearing late in the boarding to take the window. Having the middle seat free is always a good thing!

Prior to departure, all passengers received a refreshing towel to wipe off the sweat of the airport. I then set about checking out the Oryx One entertainment system to choose a movie to watch for the night. The selection is very good!

A Snack Before Sleeping Overnight

Once everyone was on board, we had the safety demonstration and were in the air in short order. On this flight, a snack is the first service with breakfast provided before landing.

A Chicken and Bell Pepper Arabic pastry with Rich Chocolate sponge was delivered and duly inhaled. I asked for and received a second one later on in the flight. Washed down with pineapple juice and later a Baileys, I was quite content.

Flying and Sleeping

Deciding to watch Star Wars – The Last Jedi, I settled in. The headphones provided gave plenty of sound, so I could watch and hear the movie quite well. Once it was done, it was time to try to sleep. Qatar Airways provide an amenity kit in economy class on overnight flights. This contains an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, socks and lip balm.

Due to the fact there were about 250 babies on the flight, I popped the earplugs in and tried to sleep. One baby was one row behind in the middle and screaming the place down all night. It was so loud that even the earplugs were no use. A sleepless night ensued, broken only by a drinks run by the cabin crew.

Breakfast Time

Approximately two and a half hours before landing, the lights came back up and it was time for breakfast. Three choices are offered in economy class and I elected to try the Sweet Pancake with Strawberry Compote. I had a look at the Aloo Mutter Poha, but decided against it. Bread is heated separately and plated when you choose your meal which means it tastes lovely.

Both the apple slices and the yoghurt were also good. The pancakes were only average. I found them to be somewhat dry, but I still ate them of course. Another Baileys was downed in an effort to block out the constant – and I mean constant – screaming from the baby behind me. We landed in Dublin after this, the baby still screaming away and all of us wishing to be off the aircraft immediately.

Overall Thoughts

While a calm overnight flight is easily ruined by the shrieking of a baby, this is not Qatar Airways fault. Short of a tranquiliser dart, there wasn’t much they could do about it.

On board service is perfect, from the moment you board until you leave. Nothing is too much trouble for the crew and they always remember your requests. Breakfast was fine enough, while the snack service is outstanding. I could have had several more of those easily!

Have you ever had a memorable flight due to a baby? How about an overnight flight, any one that particularly stands out? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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The writer travelled as a guest of Qatar Airways.
Featured image by Mujadid Abdullah Ali via History of PIA – Forum.