thepinkginpassportQatar Airway’s Q Suite product is widely considered the best business class ticket in the world and even rivals many airline’s first class. I travelled Dubai to London via Doha (QR15) and made the most of the business class experience.
How to get the best deal booking Business Class
After full time travelling for 2 years I have never once been upgraded to business class for free. After working a lot of overtime over the Christmas period in Perth, Australia I had more disposable income that usual and decided to treat myself to a Business Class flight. I had been monitoring prices for business class flights for a few years and knew a good deal when I saw one. While I do have lots of Avios point with British Airways, I actually found it was cheaper to book directly with Qatar Airways during on online sale they had than trying to get a reward flight. The flight I saw was several thousands pounds cheaper than if I booked through British Airways and for a 7 plus hour flight I knew I wouldn’t get the opportunity again.
The best advice is to keep an eye on prices, look at shaving money off with Avios points but specifically on reward flights to compare how to get the best deal.
I build up avoid points on my British Airways Amex Card which includes reward flights on partner airlines such as Qatar.
Dubai to Doha (First Class)
As there was a stop over in Doha the first 1 hour flight I was actually sat in First Class (as there was no Business on this flight). This meant that I had a first class ticket to hand and could use the First Class Lounge at Dubai Airport. I arrived 4 hours early to make the most of the lounge, ordering eggs Royale and champagne whilst also sampling the buffet.
When I got on board I had a welcome glass of champagne, lemon and mint iced tea (the airline’s signature) while the hostess took my order. On a 1 hour flight I managed to have 2 glasses of champagne, a croquet Monsieur, maze of starters as well as a raspberry cake dessert. All of the food was fantastic and the staff were so attentive.
I then had a 90 minute layover at Doha. I wish I had slightly longer to explore the airport and spend more time in the lounge. I did manage to fit in a cheeky cheese plate in one of their lounges before boarding the second leg and finally experience the lauded “Q Suite”.
Doha to London (Q Suites)
What makes Q Suites so special is having your own area/door that makes it feel like a first class suite. In my suite there was a velvet blanket and a Diptyque amenities bag on arrival.
I ordered a glass of champagne and a pink gin cocktail which was served with warm nuts as I browsed through the menu. On Q Suites it’s dine on demand so you can order whatever you want on the menu for whenever you want. While Qatar is one of the only business class flights you can order caviar I had heard rumours that it sometimes runs out so I made sure I ordered that for the beginning of the flight. I then had beef filet steak, the cheese board (with port) then afternoon tea with more champagne for a few hours before landing. This flight was 6.5 hours so was the perfect amount of time to try everything I wanted to on the menu, watch a few films and have a little sleep on the lay down bed.
I sat in seat 1K which faced backwards which was also a very cool experience. When there is turbulence you actually don’t feel it much at the front of the plane, plus you can still be lying flat in your bed as long as your seatbelt is on.
Would I travel business class again?
For me, this was a once in a lifetime experience. I had no mortgage or kids and thought it might be the only time I have the disposable income to treat myself like this. I actually felt a bit silly when I booked this flight and thought I might look “silly” boarding First and Business Class flights. Yes it was mainly businessmen in the lounges and on the flight (many who only ordered water and didn’t look out of the window to enjoy the view) but I didn’t feel weird at all. All the staff from check in and the flight crew were so nice and polite I didn’t feel one ounce of “you don’t belong here”- even when checking in my 60L backpack in the priority lane!
So in summary I had an amazing experience but would only book business class again if I could use my Avios points and pay under £200 for Business over Economy. I paid £700 more than an economy flight for this journey which is still the cheapest deal I had found without using points, but for me that £700 could be used to visit a whole other country.
Spending money on travel experiences like this really is an each to their own.
