Flying from Australia to Europe usually means a connecting flight along the way. After flying in First Class on the Qatar Airways Airbus A380, it was time to connect to the Boeing 787 service from Doha to Dublin.
On arrival in Doha, I passed through transfer security screening very swiftly. From there I went straight ahead to the lifts and went up one floor for a visit to the Al Safwa First Class lounge, which I had access to as I arrived in First Class.
Al Safwa Lounge Doha
My first stop was the spa, to ask if I was able to go in the jacuzzi like my last visit. Unfortunately, someone else already had it booked so it was not to be. No swimming for me, which was a shame.
-
- The Al Safwa lounge is calm and spacious.
Since I was not hungry, I camped out on a seat and people watched for most of the time I was in there. I’m not a fan of the lounge at all, so I wiled away the time until it was time to head to the gate and board my flight.
QR17 – Doha to Dublin (DOH-DUB)
22 February 2024
Boeing 787-8 – A7-BCA
Seat: Business Class 2A
Departure: 07:40 Arrival: 12:20
Once on board, I stowed my cabin bag and sat down to relax. While the business class seat is hardly cutting edge, it is still a very comfortable cabin all round.
-
- Looking forward from Doors 2.
-
- A spacious feel due to no overhead lockers in the centre.
-
- An older business class seat, but a good one.
-
- A welcome drink and towel.
While waiting, I was offered a welcome drink and I took a Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Rosé to wet my whistle. Eventually everyone was on board and we headed to the runway.
-
- It’s a bit dusty in Doha!
-
- Here’s the city.
-
- Desert life.
Once in the air, we turned completely around and were afforded views of Doha. I’ve heard it’s a vastly different place compared to many years ago, which is not too surprising.
Doha to Dublin Menu
There is both a breakfast and a lunch menu on this flight from Doha to Dublin, so you can choose which way you want to eat. Qatar Airways offer a dine on demand service in business class, which sets it ahead of the pack. Orders were taken on the ground before take-off, where you’re asked for the dishes you want and importantly, when you want them.
-
- À la carte dining options.
-
- Breakfast choices.
-
- Drinks.
-
- Alcoholic drinks!
-
- Duval-Leroy Brut and Alexandra Rosé Champagne.
-
- Carmel Road Chardonnay and Montes Sauvignon Blanc.
-
- Dopff & Irion Reisling and Château Cantemerle Bordeaux.
-
- Yalumba Shiraz and the Albert Bichot.
-
- Dessert wine and Port.
An array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available, from cocktails to digestifs. Regardless of whether you drink or not, you will not lack for choice.
Time To Eat
I wasn’t particularly well on this set of flights, so my appetite was not what it usually is. Since Lobster Thermidor was on the menu, I ordered that. I’d rather enjoyed the lobster in first class on my Doha to Sydney flight, so I wanted to see how it would compare. Besides that, I almost never eat lobster, so I took advantage of the fact it was served here.
-
- Traditional Arabic Mezze to start.
-
- It’s always really good!
-
- Lobster Thermidor is served!
-
- Looks good, doesn’t it?
-
- Meanwhile, outside…
-
- Dessert!
-
- It’s a dark chocolate praline galette.
-
- Steve McQueen and a refreshing towel.
From start to finish, the meal was very nice, with the lobster tasting very in your face. After the three courses, I was quite full and spent the rest of the flight relaxing with some movies.
Oryx One
Qatar Airways have an inflight entertainment system called Oryx One and it is filled with options. I watched Top Gun: Maverick and also checked out other classic movies. I generally like to watch classic movies on Qatar Airways.
-
- Viewer discretion is advised.
The reason I do that is because any new release movie is edited for content – and edited hard. There is no way I will watch a movie I have wanted to see, knowing it’s been edited to take out anything offensive. It’s really the worst part about flying the airline, which is why I stick to the classics, as they’re generally inoffensive. Plus, there are a lot of them, and I like classic cinema.
Overall Thoughts
Flying from Doha to Dublin on Qatar Airways business class is quite fine. There is nothing much to complain about, apart from the fact the crew member serving me seemed annoyed when I asked for another glass of Champagne a while before landing. He had to open another bottle and seemed put out by the request.
When it was time to clear in the service items, he almost snatched the glass away with an irritated expression on his face. Considering I was drinking very lightly as I wasn’t feeling well, I wondered why I was getting a bit of attitude. Perhaps he was tired!
I’m done with flying Qatar Airways now, as I’ve flown all classes multiple times, experienced the lounges and all the rest of it. There is nothing wrong with the airline or the service provided, but I’ve ticked all the boxes and only a cheap deal will get me back on board in future.
What do you think of Qatar Airways business class from Doha to Dublin? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
Like planes? See my “Does anyone remember” series.
Flight reviews your thing? Mine are all indexed here.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Featured image by Aero Pixels via Wikimedia Commons.
Quit complaining. Fly Spirit then talk about it.
Hahaha!
The menu certainly looks good, substantially better than the one I had in first class Thursday LHR-JFK on American where short rib was the beef option. AA had surprisingly good service though from a senior crew. I appreciate your advice on lounges in T3.
Have you considered doing a periodic ranking of lounges and/or airlines? I think it would be interesting and insightful.
Yes, I was surprised to see lobster on the menu. They also had lobster in first class to Sydney and it was spicy and nicer to my taste. Good to hear you had good service on AA! I’ll see what I can do re a ranking post – appreciate the suggestion!! Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with a topic, so it’s helpful to hear your thoughts.