Flight: Doha to London Heathrow

Airline: Qatar Airways

Flight Number: QR07

Plane: Boeing 777-300ER

Cabin: Qsuite

Seat: 6J

This Flight

This is my return trip from Qatar, on the 9:05 Qatar Airways from Doha to Heathrow, in Qatar Airways’ flagship Qsuite.

I’d previously reviewed my Qsuite trip to Doha – but this was a very much different experience – and was absolutely excellent! I shall therefore say from the outset, I have given this a 100% rating, it was pure excellence.

Quite how many flights Qatar Airways operate to Heathrow from Doha and when I’ve found hard to decipher – but it’s at least 4! Some on the 777-300 and others on the A380, seemingly.

For various logistical reasons, I took the QR07, which was 9:05. This perhaps wasn’t the smartest move as (a) I wanted to get the lounge early to review and (b) had been working a late one the night before! So it was a very much redeye flight for me!

Checking In

Check in for Business Class passengers have their own wing (in a similar way to BA’s First Wing) – this, of course, has its own set of doors at Doha’s Hamad Terminal 1. However, unlike BA’s First Wing, it doesn’t connect to any lounge.  

When I arrived around 04:30 (I also couldn’t sleep much!), there were about 4 agents working the desks – so I had to wait a short while, before checking in.

The check in process was (as you’d expect) smooth, straight forward, and the staff incredibly polite and courteous.

From here it was a quick check through Security.

The Lounge

Qatar Airways have three main lounges at Doha;

Al Safwa, which is for First Class passengers. Annoyingly, I was refused access, despite being OneWorld Emerald, which is supposed to get you into First Class lounges.

Al Mourjan, which is for Business Class passengers. This is where I spent most of my time, you can read my review here.

and

Al Maha, which is operated by Qatar Airlines but is really for a Priority Pass holders or may be flying with non-OneWorld airlines. You can read my review here.

Boarding

My gate was C13, which is a good 15minutes walk from the lounges – and then my bags had to be scanned again.

It only really dawned on me on the flight back that it seems on Qatar Airways there is no actual boarding group number for Business Class passengers. I had assumed that as there was no First Class on this plane, as a Business Class passenger I would be Group 1.

Seemingly not…..Business Class appears to be a license to push right to the front of the queue.

Boarding was relatively quick, Business Class passengers were called first, and it was a quick walk down the air bridge onto the plane – where I was, of course, escorted to my seat.

The Plane

This was Qatar Airway’s Boeing 777-300ER, equipped with Qsuite – currently Qatar Airways have 52 of these in their fleet. 

I didn’t manage to get the Registration, but this plane was fitted with 42 Qsuite and 312 or 314 Economy. There is no First Class and no Premium Economy.

The Qsuite  

I have decided actually to split my seat reviews up, as it’s made the blogs slightly longer than necessary.

You can see my Qsuite review of this trip here, or my general review of Qsuites here.

Amenities Kit

Once again, the Amenities Kit was waiting for me on my seat.

I had the ‘green pencil case’. However this time, I was very cheeky and asked if there were any spare ones for Mrs Neil. To my surprise the cabin crew member bought my one instantly, more of a makeup bag style.

I was blown away! The female bag is made by BRIC’s and I believe retails at closer to £200 – with mine also made by BRIC’s retailing at around £100.

The contents of both washbags were the same. Inside each was;

• Castello Monte Vecchio Lip Balm
• Castello Monte Vecchio Moisturiser
• Castello Monte Vecchio Facial Mist
• Ear Plugs (which were in their own case!)
• Socks
• Eye Mask

Similarly to my inbound flight to Doha, I was also provided with a ‘Covid Kit’, which contained;

• Gloves
• Face Mask
• Hand Sanitiser

There were no slippers or PJ’s offered on this flight – I guess as it was a daytime flight

Food and Drink

Once again, immediately after sitting down, I was introduced to my cabin crew member (so served me throughout the flight). She offered me a series of drinks, but I settled at the champagne.

Again, champagne was Charles Heidsieck Rose Millesime 2005. I don’t know much about wine (or champagne), but I do know that this costs around £100 per bottle to buy!

Before we took off, I was asked what I wanted to eat and drink. I asked for a Stella and it was bought fairly quickly after takeoff along with a bowl of nuts.

At this point, Champagne + Stella + Tiredness kicked in, so I decided I would sleep and have my on-demand meal later. This is why Qatar really are excellent.

Three hours later, I pressed the Call Bell, said I was ready to eat and it was served 20 minutes later. I should add that I was told in advance dinner on demand would be around 25 minutes after requested – so no surprises there.

Prior to the appetizers being delivered I was offered beef and caviar – I politely declined – that kind of food is a bit too much above my pay grade!

Dinner options were;

• Artisan Breads
• Soup of the Day (this was mint)

Followed by Appetizers;

• Classic Arabic mezze
• Seared beef with chermoula sauce

Followed by Mains;

• Poached nova scotia lobster
• Braised lamb belly thareed
• Duo tear drop crockets with vegan BBQ sauce

Followed by Desert;

• Dunce giner and orange cake
• Fresh berries
• Gourmet ice cream

Followed by;

• Cheese plate

The breads come as standard – I didn’t fancy the soup this time.  

My appetizer selection was actually governed by the main course. I don’t eat fish, and I didn’t fancy lamb.

So, I had the seared beef to start – which was undeniably absolutely excellent.

Then I had the crockets, which were made of vegetables. Not my usual dish at all, but these were excellently presented, and actually quite nice!

I guess it’s a British thing to have cheese after desert – so next up was the ginger and orange cake. Again, this was excellent.

I possibly could have had the ice cream, but I decided not to be a complete pig!   

Characteristically, the cheese plate was also excellent. As I’ve said previously it was nice to have a large set of crackers – often there are never enough crackers of the cheese!

In general terms, the food was excellent. It was faultless, presented excellently, and tasted excellent.

Another thing I think is absolutely excellent is that Qatar Airways have a separate wine menu, with more detail thank you could ever want about their wines. Bravo!

I had the Bordeaux with my dinner, which was of course superb, and refills were plentiful.  

I’d asked for dinner at 12:10, it arrived at 12:30 – and was cleared by 13:40. It wasn’t rushed, nor did it feel too slow – it was about right for a 6hr flight.

There were some secondary food options, which included;

• A brunch platter
• Hot pot pulled oxtail
• Quiche Lorraine
• Croissant and preservatives
• Various light snacks

Because I had a late lunch, there was a lack of time and hunger for any of the lighter options, which was a shame – as I am sure it would have been excellent! But with just a 6hr flight, 3 of which I’d already slept – there just wasn’t time!

Just before landing, the cabin crew brought a box of chocolates around, which was the same as my flight out to Doha. However, this time, the cabin crew member remembered I had asked for the amenity kit for Mrs Neil, and brought about 6 boxes of chocolates over – and said, “here’s some for your partner” – what a lovely gesture!

As I said before, there are a few really nice details about the dinner service, and Qatar’s F&B in general. The mini salt and pepper grinders are great and showed high quality (BA currently offer salt in a paper packet in their Business Class offering). The drinks are in appropriate glassware (champagne in flutes, beer in tumblers, wine in wine glasses) – compared to BA’s approach of serve everything in a tumbler.

With the only regret there wasn’t time or hunger for lunch – there is nothing I can criticize whatsoever about the food and drink on this flight. Not one thing!

Entertainment

There was a very large screen which was perfect for the entertainment, which ran similar to BA’s Club Suite. The screen is about the same size, and entertainment controlled via a remote.

Content was also not dissimilar to BA’s offering, with much of the same material – but by far more choices!

There were endless films on board, including the recent James Bond film, and many many new releases.

The audio side was also very impressive. There was a HUGE range of audio choices, and I was very impressed!

The entertainment system is controlled via a remote control, similar to the BA Club Suite.

The slight let down was the flight map. BA’s offering in their Club Suites is fully customizable – whereas the Qatar’s offering continually changed views as well as changing between English and Arabic – so I turned it off! 

Wifi

There is apparently free Wifi on this flight, but I couldn’t seem to make it work.

I said I would review the paid Wifi on this flight…….but then I decided to sleep. So I guess I need to book another Qatar Airways flight……ohh well……

Cabin Crew

I just can’t fault a single thing about the service I got for the cabin crew.

It wasn’t just training – it was thoughtful, kind and went wayyyy beyond the standard training.

I was extremely well looked after! I only ever want to fly Qatar Airways with this team – that’s the bottom line!

I gave the previous example of the warm towels were not handed to me with tongs – they were placed on little plinths and the member of Cabin Crew checking the temperature of the towel before giving it to me!

It really is down to the small attention to detail – and there is no doubt Qatar Airways have the leading edge.

Landing in Heathrow

Landing at Heathrow was a doddle, as it usually is. The only annoyance was that I was connecting – and seemingly it’s necessary to go through Security again, which had HUGE queues!

In fact, it would have been quicker to leave, go back to First Wing and do security that way!

Conclusion

This flight was exceptional.

On my flight from LHR to DOH I got to understand the hard and soft product that Qatar Airways offer.

However, on this trip, I learned the powerfulness of combining it with kind and thoughtful cabin crew who go to the extra mile.

And what a world-class combination that is!

Score

100%

There is literally NOTHING I can do to criticize this trip – other than the refusal into Al Safwa! So, I won’t even try to score it as I know what the answer will be, 100% all day long!