Qatar Airways: A350 Business Class DOH-SIN, 787 Economy DXB-DOH, Al Mourjan J Lounge

[yflyer]

After 2 hours of very sound sleep, I woke up and went across to the bathroom to freshen up.

A fresh rose on the counter, along with disposable toothbrushes and shavers (Those items were not found in the amenity kit.)







Adjustable, illuminated, magnifying mirror…

[yflyer]

By then, some other pax had begun waking up for breakfast, and the cabin crew came round to take breakfast orders for those pax who were awake. Remember that all this was on-demand – you could have breakfast any time you wanted, up to one hour prior to landing.





I had originally asked Barbara, the cabin crew member taking care of that part of the cabin, to wake me up an hour before landing for breakfast, but as I was already awake prior to that, I decided to have breakfast at that point in time.

The table was set...



I was torn between choosing the congee and the scrambled eggs. In the end, I picked the scrambled eggs because congee tastes like congee whether it is 30 minutes old or 3 days old, whereas it takes real skill to do good scrambled eggs, even on the ground, let alone in the air. How would QR fare in this test?



As it turned out, QR passed with flying colours. The scrambled eggs were delicious. Soft, fine texture and flavour…not too firm, not too wet. Not as creamy as the best I have had, but tasty enough. Just right, in fact! Better than some scrambled eggs I have had on the ground.



The accompanying hash brown potatoes, and tomato were good as well. The breakfast steak, with dark grill lines on the surface, was well done and moderately firm, but hey this was breakfast steak. Perfectly good in that context.



I accompanied that with a mango and lime smoothie, which was near perfect…



…and also an expresso macchiato which actually was perfect….



Overall, one of the most satisfying airline breakfasts I have had. Alongside a spectacular dinner, I have to say that I found that QR’s overall catering on this flight to be miles ahead of J catering on BA, QF, CX, LH and even SQ.

[yflyer]

A note about the window shades on the A350: Unlike the 787 which has electronically dimmed windows, the A350 has convention pull down window shades in Y, and automatic mechanical window shades in J. The J shades were quite remarkable: A fully dark shade which blocked out all light, and a light sunshade which provided a translucent screen but still allowed some light in, both fully adjustable. Here is the window with the sun screen…



…and here it is with the window partly open.

[yflyer]

A few more cabin shots in daylight…

[yflyer]

As we flew down the Malacca Straits, the cabin crew began to prepare the aircraft for landing.



We flew a holding pattern for a while before commencing our final approach into Singapore. This gave everyone a good view of the Indonesian islands surrounding Singapore…





We also flew over parts of Johor in Malaysia before lining up for landing in Changi on Runway 20R.



Landing gear down…



Flying over Nicoll Drive, close to Changi Beach Park…





Lined up on runway 20R...



Very little crosswind that day...



Touchdown, with speed brakes extended…



Turning off the runway…



…and parked at the gate.

[yflyer]

What a memorable flight…

I was very impressed with Qatar Airways Business Class on the A350. The hard product was top notch. Near ideal J class seat layout and comfort, and pleasing cabin ambience.

Cabin service was very warm and attentive. The level of service, amenities and catering really made it very close to what First Class would be on other airlines. In fact, if you added caviar service, premium champagne, and a few big name wines, and I suspect you would have a product comparable to many airlines’ First Class product.

How does all of this compare with other airlines?

In terms of J catering and amenities, Qatar is superior by a large margin to J on almost all other airlines I have tried, SQ included. (A question for SQTalk regulars: What other airlines offer such elaborate catering in J?)

The catering format on the DOH-SIN sector is a feast, especially considering this is a red-eye departing at 2.25am, with a full dinner and full breakfast service available on this 7+ hour flight if the passenger choose to dine rather than sleep. Where other airlines have cut back on "red eye" flight catering, citing feedback that most customers prefer more time to sleep (Yes, many customers do, but not all), QR gives passengers a far more appealing choice of eating anything, or everything, anytime.

Although I did not change into the beautiful set of pyjamas I was given as I was already in casual clothes, if I had been in business attire, I would definitely have changed into QR’s PJ’s for a comfortable rest.

Purely in terms of business class hard product, the QR seat is among the best I have tried. I think it is comparable in excellence to the CX longhaul Cirrus J seat, and superior to BA's current lie-flat seat on the 787. I quite like QF's A380 J seat: it is long and wide, and I sleep well in it, but it has less storage and surface space to put stuff, and the 2-2-2 J layout on QF's A380 means that not everyone has aisle access.

All that said, I personally still prefer SQ’s long haul J seat to QR (And all others) by a small margin. By this I am referring to the 77W/A380 seat, not the newest 77WN J seat, which I have not yet tried. While QR’s seat is excellent, the SQ seat just provides more space and privacy, and at least for me, a larger and more comfortable flip-down bed for sleeping (I don't mind getting up to flip).

In terms of cabin service, QR’s cabin crew were very good overall, but there is still something almost magical about how well SQ’s cabin crew take care of passengers that gives SQ a slight edge.

What is very clear is that QR is now offering one of the best products in the sky, and if SQ wants to remain number one, they should watch what QR is doing very closely.



Thanks for reading!

[9V-JKL]

Thanks for sharing, QR does look like a carrier I'll try in the future. I wonder how much award space there is on QR

BTW, no run report

[SQflyergirl]

Thanks for the report!

I've snuck/bluffed/barged my way into all the lounges you mention above - and yes, I would agree Al-Mourjan is good. It's a good Business class lounge. Possibly one of the best in class. But to me the CCR LHR, TPR Wing F, Pier F , QF SYD F - all still come out ahead. There is something Al-Mourjan cannot beat: Intimacy. But that's just me

[yflyer]

Thanks for sharing, QR does look like a carrier I'll try in the future. I wonder how much award space there is on QR

Thanks, 9V-JKL! QR is definitely worth a try...

BTW, no run report

You're right -- I didn't go outside for a run this time! While I was in Dubai, the day time temperatures were over 40 degrees, but that wasn't the showstopper: what really discouraged me from going out was the haze. It seemed very hazy and dusty on the days I was there. And my time in Doha was all spent in transit. I may be in Doha in future for a business meeting...hopefully then I will do a proper running tour of the city...

[yflyer]

Thanks for the report!

Thanks for reading, SQflyergirl!

But to me the CCR LHR, TPR Wing F, Pier F , QF SYD F - all still come out ahead. There is something Al-Mourjan cannot beat: Intimacy. But that's just me

Yes, agree that in terms of intimacy and other perks like private cabanas, nothing beats a true F lounge. Wonder what the upcoming QR F lounge will be like.

I've snuck/bluffed/barged my way into all the lounges you mention above

Not going to ask you to reveal your trade secrets here, but that is quite an achievement, considering how tightly access control is enforced at the top lounges...

[SQflyergirl]

Not going to ask you to reveal your trade secrets here, but that is quite an achievement, considering how tightly access control is enforced at the top lounges...

I've found a nice smile works wonders ! My next al-mourjan visit is next weekend so will try the smiley thing and see how that goes too ! Maybe I've been super lucky all this time. I can't really tell.

[yflyer]

I've found a nice smile works wonders !

A far better approach than making an angry scene! When I was at the other QR Business Lounge in HIA (Not the Al Mourjan) on my outbound sector, there was a passenger arguing with the lounge staff, who would not let him in. Apparently the staff assessed that his ticket, which was not on QR, did not meet the conditions of entry. He was angry, almost shouting at the staff ("I will never fly with the airline again"..."I got in last month with the same ticket"..."You call this customer service?" etc.). The staff stood their ground, and he didn't get in.

My next al-mourjan visit is next weekend

If you eat something from the a la carte menu in Al Mourjan, do take a picture, and post it here! That is one thing I wasn't able to do on my last visit. I didn't want to order a main course just to take a photo of it, without any realistic hope of being able to finish it...

[kt74]

Hey there, I just wanted to say thanks for a terrific review, yflyer!

I have AMS-DOH-BKK coming up in a few weeks, on the 787 and A380 in J, and I was a bit reticent because my last LHR-DOH-KUL a couple of years ago was only so-so (great lounge in LHR, but offset by sloping A330/A340 seats and rushed service on full LHR-DOH flights)

...but I'm really looking forward to it now! The new cabins and DOH lounge look awesome

[SQflyergirl]

A far better approach than making an angry scene! When I was at the other QR Business Lounge in HIA (Not the Al Mourjan) on my outbound sector, there was a passenger arguing with the lounge staff, who would not let him in. Apparently the staff assessed that his ticket, which was not on QR, did not meet the conditions of entry. He was angry, almost shouting at the staff ("I will never fly with the airline again"..."I got in last month with the same ticket"..."You call this customer service?" etc.). The staff stood their ground, and he didn't get in.

Ah so he was flying on another airline. Yes that works. I'll see if I can bluff my way into the SKL when flying Garuda, failing which I'll lose my temper and become a youtube laughing stock cum sensation for all the wrong reasons. Winning!

If you eat something from the a la carte menu in Al Mourjan, do take a picture, and post it here! That is one thing I wasn't able to do on my last visit. I didn't want to order a main course just to take a photo of it, without any realistic hope of being able to finish it...

I'll try - it'll be early in the morning and I'll be dragging my feet on the floor

[jammed]

thank you yflyer for the very detailed TR. Provides good reference as i contemplate QR among the options (including SQ of cos) for a fly into Gulf area in September.

Abt the only downside for the otherwise exceptional QR is the remote stand, will you agree? I always find carrying a cabin-trolley up and down stairs quite a pain, given that's my only piece of luggage.

And I'm disappointed you didnt include your signature Run Report in this TR, couldnt you like run from DOH to SIN for eg, with a few iPhone pics to boot