Qatar Airways Flight Review and Doha Airport

QATAR AIRWAYS FLIGHT REVIEW AND USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT DOHA AIRPORT

Qatar Airways is one of the airlines that came up most often when we were looking for flight tickets to destinations in Asia. Although we had never flown with this company, we had read a lot of good things about it, including the fact that it is one of the most awarded in the world. This gave us a lot of confidence when purchasing our first flight. We knew that we did not have to worry about aspects related to organization, safety and comfort.

It is an airline that owns fairly new aircraft, both Airbus and Boeing, and passengers have the option of choosing the level of comfort they want, depending on the tickets purchased, either in "economy class" or in "business class". Some aircraft also have a "first class" option available.

Flight tickets can be purchased from the official website of the company. In addition to this site, Qatar is part of the One World program, an alliance of the world's major airlines, with partners such as American Airlines, British Airlines, Iberia, Royal Air Maroc. The biggest advantage of the program One World is the fact that you can purchase a plane ticket that has flight connections from multiple airlines (from the list of partners) and be considered a single flight.

SERVICES INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF THE AIRPORT TICKET

Unlike low-cost airlines, Qatar Airways offers several services that are included in the ticket price, regardless of class, without additional fees. For economy class flights, these are included:

• check-in at the airport counter;

• checked baggage + one hand luggage;

• the company takes care of moving your checked baggage from one flight to another;

• people with the same reservation number will stay together;

• meals; usually, meals are served depending on the time of the flight. If it is a morning flight, it will be breakfast, if it is lunchtime, it will be lunch and so on. Usually, there are two to three options of dishes for each meal and at least one is vegetarian.

• in-flight drinks - water and juice, alcoholic beverages;

• blanket, headphones, napkins - provided during the flight;

• if the layover is between 8 and 24 hours and there is no other flight alternative that would shorten the layover, passengers are entitled to accommodation and transfer to accommodation. To check eligibility, fill out an application on the official website. There may be additional fees for this benefit;

• entertainment: movies, TV shows, games;

  
  

What extra do you get at business class?

• more comfortable seats, with more legroom and space between passengers. Depending on the aircraft, the seats have a side door so that they can be converted into a private cabin;

• if applicable, transfer from the plane to the airport terminal, with a minivan, instead of a bus, as happens with economy;

• access to airport lounges;

• in-flight internet - offered on most Qatar Airways aircraft (not all have wifi);

• priority boarding and disembarkation, or separate lanes, depending on the plane and airport;

• one extra piece of luggage, one hand luggage and one checked luggage;

• a mini-kit with products necessary for the flight. Usually, an eye mask and earplugs are indispensable;

  
  

QATAR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE REVIEW

Our first flight with this company was, like most of them in Europe (if not all), in two pieces. We flew on the route Bucharest - Doha, then Doha - Phuket. We chose Qatar Airways, as expected, both because of the price and the flight, in two pieces, not in three, as were most of the more affordable options to Phuket. We searched for the best deals on Skyscanner, who directed us to the best option for us.

Once we arrived at the airport, we went to the check-in counter, which was divided into three: one for business class passengers, one for economy passengers who had already checked in online, and one for those who had not checked in. Our luggage was dropped off here and picked up at our final destination, Phuket. We didn't have to worry about transferring it to Doha.

The Bucharest - Doha flight was operated with a small plane, an A320, and lasted 4 hours and 30 minutes. We had a choice of 3 dishes: chicken rice, vegetarian pasta, or beef. I chose the vegetarian pasta option and I can say that it was the best food I had on the 4 flights. My husband chose chicken rice, which was also very good.

Because I chose the cheapest flight combination, I had quite long layovers, more precisely 10 hours at night on the way there and 15 hours during the day on the way back. For the return option, I left the airport and visited Doha.

The Doha - Phuket flight was operated with a much larger aircraft, a Boeing 777-300er and took 6 hours and 25 minutes. Because it was a morning flight, for meals we had to choose between 3 breakfast options and unfortunately, we chose chicken sausage and spinach. We didn't like it 😂. Later we also received a snack, which we also didn't like. For the return flights, it was pretty much the same dishes, with small differences.

As for the flights, there were no delays, neither during takeoff nor landing. Everything went according to schedule.

DOHA AIRPORT - USEFUL INFORMATION

Because we had a fairly long layover at night on our return flight, we chose not to leave the airport and didn't even book an accommodation, so we had time to explore the entire terminal and see what it had to offer.

Personally, I had high expectations for this airport, but they were not met. Since we spent so many hours there, we realized that if we don't have access to the lounges, there aren't as many activities to do and we should have booked accommodation instead of the 10 hours we spent there. My recommendation for layovers over 8 hours, after this experience, is to reserve an hour, maybe even two, to explore, and spend the rest at an accommodation. Accommodation in Doha is quite affordable, and transportation by metro is easy and cheap.

The accommodation options near the terminal are a bit more expensive, and what they offer doesn't seem to me to be worth the asking price, so I recommend other areas, even if they are a bit further away. Among the options listed on Booking, I leave the ones that caught my attention, which can be reached in about 30 minutes:

• Ramada by Wyndham Doha Old Town - 4-star accommodation unit, which has standard double or twin rooms. The location is equipped with its own restaurant, and on request services such as room service or airport transfer are offered;

• Hampton By Hilton Doha Old Town - 3-star accommodation unit, which has standard double/twin or family rooms. It is equipped with its own restaurant and fitness room;

  
  

Hamad International Airport in Doha is considered one of the most modern and largest in the world, so I leave below a small list of the most important aspects:

• inside it there is a free train, which connects the northern and southern parts and runs quite often.;

• there are an extremely large number of stores, both luxury and mass-market, with clothes, cosmetics, accessories, jewelry and much more;

• it is equipped with a green area, with many plants and trees, but also an artesian fountain;

  
  
  

  
  
  

• there are free sleeping areas, called "quiet rooms". Unfortunately, the air conditioning in these areas is unbearable;

• wifi is free. If you leave the airport, you can opt for internet on e-sim;

CONCLUSION

The flight with Qatar Airways, as I expected, went very well. The fact that it has received many awards over time, made me raise my expectations a lot, but even so, I was not disappointed. After all, the final goal was to arrive safely at the destination, without delays and lost luggage, and the fact that I slept almost non-stop on all flights, I could say that the seats were also comfortable :).

If you have a day layover longer than 6-7 hours, you can consider a visit to Doha.

If you happen to fly to Phuket, you can also read about things to know before visiting this island, about top excursions, about beaches and places to visit, or about how we organized a 7-day itinerary.

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