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

[yflyer]

Back in Singapore after a week in Dubai (And Doha Airport…), all set for the SG50 long weekend!

I hope SQTalkers have some time to spare this weekend, in-between the fireworks, parade and the RSAF Black Nights, to read a long TR...

Why did I fly Qatar Airways to Dubai via Doha?

Dubai and Doha are located close to each other, about 380 km apart, which is less than an hour’s flight away, and travelling from SIN to DXB via DOH involves some backtracking. But the airfare was good (Cheaper than SIN-DXB direct on either EK or SQ, in fact), and I judged the additional transit time to be insignificant in the greater scheme of things. At least on this occasion, I decided to fly QR because I was keen to check out the new Qatar Airways A350, and also the facilities at Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha, Qatar.

Let me tell you straight out: I was bowled over by the whole experience. These were some of the best flights I have ever experienced. Qatar’s A350 Business Class product is, in many ways, closer to F than J in conception. And this vision of what premium cabin flying was about was perfectly executed by the superb cabin crew onboard, who were warm, attentive and unrushed despite a full J cabin.

There was more than a little luck involved. First, there were no delays or aircraft going tech anywhere in my itinerary.

Not just that, fortune smiled on me twice. I had one DXB-DOH sector which was originally scheduled for a 777 (Nothing wrong with 777’s of course): this was sub’ed for a 787 Dreamliner, so I got to sample not just the A350 on this trip, but QR’s Dreamliner as well.

Next, my return flight was overbooked in Y, and I was op-up’ed to J, which meant I got to sample the A350 at both ends of the plane: I tried Y on by SIN-DOH-DXB sector. And now I would get to sample their A350 J product (Which I am beginning to suspect is F in disguise…).

And thanks to the op-up, I also got to check out Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in Doha, an exclusive lounge available only to passengers with a J boarding pass. If you are flying Y, no matter what your frequent flyer tier, no amount of FF status kung fu (Not even Oneworld Emerald) will get you in there.

So this TR continues from Part 1, and begins in DXB for my short flight from DXB to DOH.

[yflyer]

QR uses DXB Terminal 1, which is the original terminal in Dubai. This terminal is really showing its age, and there are refurbishment works in progress everywhere in the landside areas. At the moment, it is not a pleasant experience using this terminal, which is starting to feel a little “third world” in comparison to the gleaming, luxurious DXB T3 which Emirates uses, for example. The designated QR business class lounge in DXB T1 is also a generic J lounge, which is fairly old and basic in its facilities.

My flight QR1019 DXB-DOH was operated today by a 788, registration A7-BCA, a 2+ year old aircraft delivered in December 2012.



Boarding for our 10.30pm departure commenced on time…

[yflyer]

Entrance “lobby” on the 787…



The J-cabin on the 787 is very similar to the A350. Similar mid-cabin “lobby”, and practically identical J seats to the A350.



The J-cabin is laid out 1-2-1 in herringbone layout, with lie-flat seats.



The 787 Y cabin is laid out 3-3-3.



Large windows, and decent seat pitch.



However, subjectively speaking, at 9-abreast, the seat width was not ideal. It is not as claustrophobic as a 10-abreast 777, but it does not feel as spacious as a 9-abreast 777 or A350. I am not sure I would like to spend a longhaul flight on these seats.



Emex row…





Cabin ambience…

[yflyer]

Electronic window dimming…windows open…



….and dimmed…



Distinctive wingtip…



Take-off into the night sky, with the lights of Dubai below…

[yflyer]

IFE with touchscreen and also touchscreen controller…



Full AVOD. UI looks similar to the A350 UI. I could not locate any camera views, though.





Very good video picture quality (Subjectively the screen quality on the A350 is slightly better, more contrast etc).



No headphones distributed on this short sector, but the IFE was fully operational. You could use your own headphones, with adapter.

Sound quality was good too, but note that on the 787, my Shure headphones were a little loud, even at minimum volume (I did not have this issue on the A350).



A very short flight, less than 45 minutes….



Movable leather headrest…



This is as high as the movable armrests can go.



Individual airvents.



A/C power with universal plugs (110V only).

[yflyer]

The IFE boxes under the seat were slim, and didn’t really block legroom, however they did look a little ugly, as they were just metal boxes. BA’s Dreamliner IFE boxes are the same.



I did find that the IFE box by the window seat got in my way a little bit. Just a minor quibble.



Decent seat recline.



The seat pivots and moves slightly forward when you recline. Quite a comfortable Y seat.



As this was a 45 minute flight, the seat belt sign practically remained on throughout the flight.

[yflyer]

Even on this short sector, a hot refreshment was served. This was the standard Qatar Airways refreshment: A cardboard box with a savoury snack, typically pastry/puff with meat or vegetarian filling, and a cake/tart/crumble.



The standard beverage for each pax is orange juice, but water and coke is also available.



The pastry itself came very hot. Almost burned my tongue on it. The crust is fairly thick, and the filling not that generous, but if you were hungry, this made a good snack.

The sweet pastry/crumble was quite delicious. Hot, soft and moist.

Not that many people chose to eat on this flight, though. I noticed that many pax declined the refreshment.

The 787 bathroom…



Before long, we were descending into Doha.

[yflyer]

We parked at a remote stand, and were bussed to the terminal.



Unless I have a tight connection, I actually prefer remote stands on this type of trip, as it provides a rare opportunity to get up close to these beautiful aircraft.



Most airports don’t like you to take pictures from the tarmac, and I've been politely asked to stop taking pictures in the past, so these days, I board the bus, stand at a strategic spot inside the bus, and then take pictures of the plane through the open bus doorway.

[yflyer]

Inside the terminal, prior to transit security, I headed to the airline transit desk.

“Good evening! I’ve got my boarding pass for my connecting flight to Singapore already, but could you help me check if I still have the same seat?”

I already had my Y boarding pass in hand for my DOH-SIN flight at 2.25am. Why did I check at the counter again?

When I checked in earlier in Dubai for my connecting flight, the check-in staff scanned my passport, looked at the screen, and muttered “Oh my God” to himself. And unprompted, he gave me my onward Economy BP for DOH-SIN with the remark “They will upgrade you to business class if there are are seats available”.

Encouraged by this turn of events, while waiting for my DXB-DOH flight in the lounge, I checked the QR online website to do a dummy booking for the 2.25am DOH-SIN departure later that day. J was wide open with more than 4 seats available. Y was sold out. Odds for an op-up were good!

But at the transit desk in DOH, I still didn’t ask “Have I been upgraded?”. I wouldn’t do this, as I think it is bad form to “ask” for an upgrade. And even on that day, I didn’t ask if I was upgraded, I just asked if I had the same seat.

The friendly lady at the counter smiled, took my boarding pass, and scanned my boarding pass. After a moment, she looked surprised and began tapping away furiously at the keyboard.

“You have been given a complimentary upgrade to Business Class, as the flight is full in Economy.”

I broke out in a wide grin. “Thank you! That’s great news!”

“Is the flight always full?” I asked.

“Very often! Three flights a day to Singapore, and always full.”

I am glad I checked on the status of the upgrade as soon as I landed in DOH, because if I was still holding on to my Y boarding pass, I would not have been allowed into the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge.

So J boarding pass in hand, and an added swagger in my step, I went through transit security.

[yflyer]

DOH is not a large airport, and while many pax were connecting to other flights, there wasn’t a big crowd, and I was through security very quickly. So far a very smooth transit experience.

I emerged into the airside departure area of Hamad International Airport.



This is a gleaming, beautiful, and more importantly highly functional airport terminal. It is not large, by megahub standards, but I view that as a positive. You don’t need a people-mover to get from one part of the terminal to the other. You do not feel like one drop of water in a swirling ocean of other transit pax, in the way that you are sometimes engulfed in crowds in large hubs like DXB, LHR or FRA. Here, at least on the two occasions I transited here, the transit experience was more civilized and less frenetic / chaotic. You didn't have to deal with huge crowds at DOH. Everything was logically laid out and easy to navigate. [Quick Update: mr_botak, who has had many more experiences in DOH than I have, has said that at peak hours, the transit area can get really busy too, so I guess it all depends on luck and timing!]

There is a very strong focus on design, style and the arts in the design of this airport. There are works of public art in the terminal, including the striking yellow “Lamp Bear”, which sits in the middle on the main concourse.



“Lamb Bear” is a creation of Swiss artist Urs Fischer. This was on display in various places, including several months on display at Park Avenue in New York, before it was bought at auction for USD 6.8M by a member of the Qatar royal family, and moved to its current location in the airport terminal.



Well if any SQTalkers are travelling to Doha and have the opportunity to meet at the airport, we could just say "Meet at the Bear"... :-)

[yflyer]

I made my way through the concourse to the Qatar Airways flagship Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, accessible from the terminal concourse via a long escalator.



Your boarding pass is scanned for entry eligibility at the bottom of the escalator, even before you get to the lounge entrance level, which is useful because of the number of people who probably get turned away and redirected to the other Business Class lounge (Only J pax get to use the Al Mourjan lounge. FF status pax in Y need to use the other J lounge.)



A large and open lounge reception area…



…which leads to a massive lounge, with a variety of seating and refreshment areas on one level, and a dedicated bar and sit down dining area on a separate mezzanine level.



High ceilings and wide open space…

[yflyer]

There are two dining areas in this lounge. One is a casual dining area, and the other is a full service bar and restaurant on the mezzanine level.

The casual dining area is a stunning hall with high ceilings, counter-top seating with high chairs, and a sandwich and salad bar where your selections are prepared to order.







Full bar service…



…including champagne…



Freshly tossed salad, prepared to order…



…from a stupendous range of ingredients…



Sandwich bar and appetizer selection…also prepared fresh to order…

[yflyer]

Dessert buffet…

[yflyer]

There is a separate Games Room.



Where can I get one of these?



Racing car shell for driving simulator. Not fully functional, however, there was no game installed.



Another one of several seating/lounging areas in the lounge.



These seats come with A/C power, USB charging, and an LCD touchscreen-based information service.





You can check flight details, and even set an alert for your own flight…



Lounge map…

[yflyer]

The main bar and dining room is located in a mezzanine level, above a stunning water feature, and accessible via spiral staircase or elevator.







Upstairs the wraparound bar counter had a lively buzz to it…



Some of the wines on offer…



There was no drink list, but I saw a wide range of liquor and cocktail standards being served, including this delightful margarita…



There was a large sit-down dining area…



…with an a la carte menu…



I didn’t order an a la carte main myself, and didn’t snap any pictures of other diner’s food (I didn’t have my camera telephoto lens with me…), but the main courses were quite substantial, and dishes like the rosemary crusted lamb chops looked as good as anything that would come out of a restaurant kitchen.