Flying Qatar Airways

Forums › Travel (planes, train, cruise) › Flying Qatar Airways

MurrayM

2502 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 742

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#251728 9-Jul-2019 10:31

In August I'll be flying from Auckland to London with Qatar Airways, via Doha.

Is there anything I should know about Qatar Airways, their planes, Doha airport (eg suggestions, warnings, etc)?

1 | 2 | 3

6028 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 461

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#2272258 9-Jul-2019 10:31

Allow me to introduce you folks to our new travel community: TravelTalk NZ.

We hope to see you there!

I am the Geekzone Robot and I am here to help. I am from the Internet. I do not interact. Do not expect other replies from me.

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

steve2222

504 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 42

#2272668 9-Jul-2019 22:52

Not really.

Great service and friendly staff. I have flown with them to Europe return twice via Doha.

Last time flight left Auckland an hour late and a few on board (me included) were stressing about missing connecting flights (Qatar allow quite small transfer times at Doha, I guess because they are probably 95% of the flights there). So I ran to my next flight at Doha, but all the ground customer service staff said don't run, the plane is not going without you.

I am able to get access to a lounge/shower at Doha for a small fee via one of my credit cards and that is great after a 17/18 hour flight from NZ.

Only issue I would be mindful of now is their flight routes with the tensions around Iran/USA drone. I see a number of other airlines have re-routed their flights away from this area, but Qatar has no choice.

chevrolux

4962 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2638
Inactive user

#2272756 10-Jul-2019 08:25

They were great.

Auckland to Doha is a loooong flight though. I find 12 hours not a problem, but just those extra few hours really made a difference. Then with only a 2-3 hour stop over in Doha before the 5-odd hours to London meant being absolutely stuffed by the time we got there.

I preferred via Dubai with a day in Dubai for a break before carry on - just much more relaxed when you get to London.

Beccara

1473 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 517

ID Verified

#2272757 10-Jul-2019 08:37

Great flight company, Used them last year Auckland to Amsterdam. In flight had no wifi which was a shame but the staff kept me very well feed and drinked up. On par with the Singapore Air service.

Doha was a nice airport, I highly recommend using the pool. We had a 2 hour stop over and just soaked in the pool which helped massively with jet lag I found. Not much to do in the airport but taxi's and uber's were dirt cheap so on the way back when we had 7 hours I went on a harbor cruise over to the pearl for dinner. Fantastic service from everyone in country, Found them to be much better than Duabi

Most problems are the result of previous solutions...

All comment's I make are my own personal opinion and do not in any way, shape or form reflect the views of current or former employers unless specifically stated

MurrayM

2502 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 742

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2273890 10-Jul-2019 11:50

Beccara:

Doha was a nice airport, I highly recommend using the pool. We had a 2 hour stop over and just soaked in the pool which helped massively with jet lag I found.

Ooo a pool! I've just checked the website, QAR 175 (about NZD 72) to use the pool? Does that sound about right?

Beccara

1473 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 517

ID Verified

#2273913 10-Jul-2019 12:15

Yep that's about right, There's a big pool, A separate male/female spa pool. Your own locker and a full hygiene pack + space for shave/cleanup. Felt like a million bucks.

I like how they also tie in rail services. Our trip to Amsterdam landed in Belgium and high speed trained to Amsterdam. Was really awesome and got to see bit more of EU

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

Behodar

11094 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6071

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2273943 10-Jul-2019 12:34

All I can suggest is to confirm your bookings in advance of your flight; a few years ago Qatar cancelled ours without any notification and we didn't find out until we tried to check in.

mrdrifter

589 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 294

ID Verified

Trusted

#2273988 10-Jul-2019 14:21

As with the others above, great service and facilities. Two separate trips via Qatar/Doha to Europe and the UK with no issues at all. prices were also quite a bit cheaper than others at the time I booked.

I'm not sure if they are still running it, but they were giving away free hotel stays if you were flying Qatar and had an extended stopover in Doha, discoverqatar or something similar.

I find the airport kind of like a casino, the lighting doesn't change much and you feel like you need to keep an eye on the time. the facilities are great, and the lounges I have been in have all looked after us even for a 6 hour stay.

Personally I found the 17 hours on the 777-200 more comfortable than the 12 hours on the AirNZ 777-300 to the US and realistically after that long they are all pretty much the same. I managed to get two of the AKL-DOH legs in business class where the already great level of service was exceptional.

The airspace concerns caused lots of noise, but in reality I don't think it has changed much except for a slight detour in the flight path? maybe helps with the pricing as well.

Handle9

11924 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9675

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2274000 10-Jul-2019 14:34

The Qatar 777-200lr is 3-3-3 which has a nice seat width. Service is good. Doha is a nice airport.

Working for Qatar airways is a different story...

MurrayM

2502 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 742

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2274014 10-Jul-2019 14:55

Thanks for all the comments guys!

mrdrifter: the facilities are great, and the lounges I have been in have all looked after us even for a 6 hour stay.

Since we'll be in the airport for about 4.5 hours I was thinking it might be worth paying for a lounge. From what I can see there are two lounges that plebs like me can pay to enter: Oryx Lounge and Al Maha Services Lounge. They're both the same price QAR 200 (about NZD 83) and both offer the same services (food, drink, reading material, TV, showers, quiet rooms, WiFi). The reviews I've found have been mixed, with some saying they're great and others saying not so good, but most of the reviews are a couple of years old.

@mrdrifter can you remember which lounge you used?

KiwiSurfer

1722 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 993

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2274020 10-Jul-2019 15:04

Handle9: The Qatar 777-200lr is 3-3-3 which has a nice seat width. Service is good. Doha is a nice airport.

Be aware they are in the progress of switching to 3-4-3 in line with most other airlines operating the 777.

I flew both directions (i.e. AKL-DOH and DOH-AKL) in October last year. The plane in the AKL-DOH direction had the old 3-3-3 seating configuration which I loved. It is definitely better than the 3-4-3 config I've experienced on Air NZ for example. However I was displeased to find on the return leg (DOH-AKL) the plane had a newer 3-4-3 config. it made for an uncomfortable flight on par with similar configuration on Air NZ. I did some research after my arrival home and found Qatar were in the progress of switching their 777-200LR to 3-4-3.

I can only assume that by now most (if not all) flights operating on this route will be carrying 3-4-3 seating.

I found the service to DOH to be very good, but I found the service on the return leg to be not as good. I suppose carrying more pax makes it harder to deliver the same level of service.

I've also flown on their 787 DOH-MAN which was alright as well as their 320 PRG-DOH which was surprisingly good considering it was a narrow-body service.

I know Qatar fares are very good so if you are just after a cheap flight and don't mind 3-4-3 seating then I suppose Qatar would be a good bargain. However if you're wanting a bit of comfort I'd look elsewhere.

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

KiwiSurfer

1722 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 993

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2274028 10-Jul-2019 15:08

MurrayM:

Since we'll be in the airport for about 4.5 hours I was thinking it might be worth paying for a lounge. From what I can see there are two lounges that plebs like me can pay to enter: Oryx Lounge and Al Maha Services Lounge. They're both the same price QAR 200 (about NZD 83) and both offer the same services (food, drink, reading material, TV, showers, quiet rooms, WiFi). The reviews I've found have been mixed, with some saying they're great and others saying not so good, but most of the reviews are a couple of years old.

I got in the Al Maha for "free" both ways last year (using my Diners Club card which is now sadly no longer available). I'm not sure if I would have paid NZD 83 each way for it. It was very basic with a fairly limited range of food and drinks (compared to even the domestic Koru Club). It was nice to be able to shower though if that was what you wanted. For that money though I think if I went to DOH again I save it and use it towards buying better food within the terminal and simply just exploring the terminal. I hear the other (more expensive) lounges are more worthwhile but again I'm not so sure about the cost:benefit.

Handle9

11924 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9675

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2274077 10-Jul-2019 15:22

KiwiSurfer:
Handle9: The Qatar 777-200lr is 3-3-3 which has a nice seat width. Service is good. Doha is a nice airport.

Be aware they are in the progress of switching to 3-4-3 in line with most other airlines operating the 777.

I flew both directions (i.e. AKL-DOH and DOH-AKL) in October last year. The plane in the AKL-DOH direction had the old 3-3-3 seating configuration which I loved. It is definitely better than the 3-4-3 config I've experienced on Air NZ for example. However I was displeased to find on the return leg (DOH-AKL) the plane had a newer 3-4-3 config. it made for an uncomfortable flight on par with similar configuration on Air NZ. I did some research after my arrival home and found Qatar were in the progress of switching their 777-200LR to 3-4-3.

I can only assume that by now most (if not all) flights operating on this route will be carrying 3-4-3 seating.

I found the service to DOH to be very good, but I found the service on the return leg to be not as good. I suppose carrying more pax makes it harder to deliver the same level of service.

I've also flown on their 787 DOH-MAN which was alright as well as their 320 PRG-DOH which was surprisingly good considering it was a narrow-body service.

I know Qatar fares are very good so if you are just after a cheap flight and don't mind 3-4-3 seating then I suppose Qatar would be a good bargain. However if you're wanting a bit of comfort I'd look elsewhere.

That sucks. The 777-200LR is pretty tired but comfortable. The only comparable service is an A380 3-4-3 or Singapore 3-3-3 on the 777.

I flew Emirates Dubai to Bali 777 earlier this week and the 3-4-3 was pretty average due to the seat pitch, much the same as Air NZ. I still.like the Emirates A380 product though.

MurrayM

2502 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 742

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2274104 10-Jul-2019 15:50

We should be on a 777-200LR from Auckland to Doha and then a A380-800 up to London.

mrdrifter

589 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 294

ID Verified

Trusted

#2274107 10-Jul-2019 15:51

@mrdrifter can you remember which lounge you used?

The stopover in 2017 was Oryx, which we paid ~$75 per person for.

The stopover last year was Al Maha, this cost ~$32 per person via Dragon Pass.

We only used them on the way over as we have the 7-8 hour stop over in that direction and wanted somewhere quieter to sit/rest/shower/eat. They aren't up to Koru Level of comfort and food, closer to the Strata Lounge in AKL.

The airport is massive and you could spend quite a bit of time wandering around and there are plenty of seating areas.

The back row of our 3-3-3 layout had 2-3-2, and I found the 2 seats quite good for leg room and space, although it was near the galley I never noticed any with my headphones on. I could have enough should space and leg room. Can't always bank on that though.

1 | 2 | 3