Tray Tables and Time Zones

The Ramble: A Review of Qatar Airways Qsuites

• Josh Bogle

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Ever wondered what sets Qatar Airways apart as one of the best airlines in  international travel? Join me, Josh Bogle, as I recount my own airborne adventures with Qatar, from the admirable economy service on a bumpy Kathmandu to Doha flight to the epitome of luxury in the Q-Suites aboard the A350 and 777-300. Discover the differences between the older business class seats on the 787 and the newer, more luxurious Q-Suites. Whether you're in the mood for lie-flat beds or private suites with on-demand dining, there's something to satisfy every traveler's palate. Experience firsthand the exceptional service that makes long-haul travel not just bearable but truly enjoyable.

As we take off on another journey, we also celebrate the burgeoning community of travel enthusiasts surrounding our podcast. Through shared stories, photos, and videos, I invite you to become part of this growing network by sharing with friends and family who crave travel insights. The support and positive feedback from listeners have been heartwarming, and I'm committed to keeping the momentum going. Let's continue to explore the world together, nurturing this vibrant community ready to embark on the next adventure. Here's to your future travels—may they be as inspiring and fulfilling as the stories we share.

Josh Bogle:

Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of Trad Tables and Time Zones. Presents the Ramble. I'm your host, josh Bogle. Today we're going to do a quick review of what is currently my favorite airline for international travel, and that is Qatar Airways. So, as of present day, I have flown Qatar Airways eight legs and of those eight legs, seven of them have been in business class and one time in economy. Now, of those seven business class trips, four of those have been in Qsuites, which is Qatar Airways' premier business class product, and three of the legs were in an older style business class seat that Qatar maintains on some of its 787 aircraft.

Josh Bogle:

So I'm going to break this review up into four parts. The first will be economy class, the second will be the older business class, third will be Qs uites and fourth will be the experience at Hamad International Airport when transiting the airport as a business class passenger. So my lone experience in economy class was a flight between Kathmandu and Doha on a 787-800. Now, this was a perfectly acceptable flight in economy class. The seats were pretty much a normal major airline economy class seat, although it did have access to the Oryx One in-flight entertainment system, which is a great IFE, but for the most part the seat was an economy class seat and the food was, while elevated above other economy class food, it was still economy class right, and so the food was fine, it tasted fine, it was perfectly acceptable. Now I will say that I am a bit jaded when it comes to this economy class flight and it's because, if you've listened to the podcast before episode one, misery at 40,000 feet well, that flight where I got the horrible case of food poisoning or where the food poisoning actually kicked in, was on this economy class flight between Kathmandu and Doha. And so, while I enjoyed my experience up to the point to where the food poisoning hit me, it kind of jaded my view. But from my experience that I've had, the in-flight staff of Qatar Airways was fantastic, very attentive, very professional service, friendly but certainly professional, and it was an enjoyable flight. I mean, it's a five-hour flight, so perfectly doable in economy. But I've had some other issues that kind of glossed over any enjoyment I had of that flight. So, as I mentioned, three of these flight legs were in business class but in an older business class, and they all happened to be on the same exact plane as I flew on in economy and that is the 787 out of Doha to Kathmandu and then Kathmandu back to Doha.

Josh Bogle:

Now, as I've mentioned, this is a five-hour flight, so perfectly easy to do it in economy. But having the opportunity to fly it in business class, have a lie-flat bed and the elevated service that Qatar offers, certainly makes that a more enjoyable flight. And while this is an older style business class, it's a lot more exposed, there's less privacy. It does have the good IFE, a bigger TV, certainly a lie-flat bed and the elevated dining that comes with business class on Qatar Airways. So, while it may not be the newest product out there, it's certainly acceptable and enjoyable on a flight of this length especially. So I would not hesitate, given the opportunity, to fly this product again, but it is certainly overshadowed by probably what is my favorite business class product at the present time and that is Qatar Airways Qsuites. Now, before I talk about Qsuites that I've experienced, I will mention that Qatar Airways has announced a new version of the Qsuites that will be rolling out, and while this is certainly exciting news, I will say the existing Q-suite that is being used currently is a fantastic product. I've had the opportunity to fly Qsuites in both the A350 and the 777-300. Both were fantastic experiences, although my favorite commercial aircraft is the A350. So I'm a little biased toward the Qsuites on that plane, just because I enjoy flying the A350 so much.

Josh Bogle:

Most of you that are listening to this are probably well aware of what the Q suite is and it's basically a one-two-one. But it's not a traditional one-two-one in that you're basically in your own little suite, so the seats that are against the windows are one seat suites. It's just a fantastic product. It's extremely comfortable. It has the Oryx One. It has the on-demand dining, which is probably my favorite feature out of everything. Having the freedom to order dinner or meals or snacks or drinks whenever I want them and not have to adhere to any set time.

Josh Bogle:

It's just a fantastic option to have when flying, especially on these really long distance, long haul flights, such as the flight from Houston to Doha, which is around 16 hours. So having that option of whenever I want to eat is such a great, great option and Qatar Airways executes it flawlessly. There's been many times when I have deferred having any type of meal until later on in the flight and each time, you know, I've pushed the call button for the flight attendant. They've come over, taken my order and you know they said it'll be, you know, 20 to 30 minutes and we'll have it all ready for you, and that's how it works out. After about 20 minutes your courses start coming out and it's a lovely meal that's made fresh for you. When you order it, they do some nice little touches, like the little tea light, so it's sort of like candlelight, and their Arabic mezze appetizer is really really good. Actually, all the food I've had on Qatar Airways has been really good, including the desserts. And so having that ability to have a private space to eat, to sleep, to watch movies, to do all of those things, to do all of those things, and then, on top of that, have the dream high level of service that you get with Qatar Airways in-flight staff, it makes it just an absolute joy to fly, and if you can find a way to experience it, it is absolutely worth it.

Josh Bogle:

Now, not only is flying on Qatar Airways, especially in business class, a really fantastic experience, but if you're flying on them long haul and you're transiting through Hamad International Airport in Doha, which is Qatar Airways' home, then you're in for a really good treat, because Hamad International is a fantastic airport. It's got everything you could ever imagine for an airport. It's got tons of places to eat, tons of places to shop. It's also got the brand new addition of the Orchard Garden, which is, if you've ever been to Singapore and Changi Airport and seen the Jewel, well, the Orchard is a lot like that, almost like an indoor garden, slash forest. That is a beautiful, serene place to kind of hang out. When you're stuck inside of a terminal building it's really nice to be able to go and walk among some trees and flowers and plants and it's just a beautiful space and it's huge, beautiful architecture around it with the roof and everything. So it's a fantastic airport all the way around.

Josh Bogle:

And it only gets better if you're flying business class on Qatar Airways, because then you will have access to the business class lounges that Qatar Airways offers. In Doha there's two of those. So if you've ever seen pictures of Hamad International, you'll recognize the giant yellow teddy bear that sits kind of in this main hall area of the terminal. So near that teddy bear is the original Al Morjan business class lounge, and this lounge is for Qatar Airways business class passengers and let me just tell you, this thing is huge. So when you walk in to your left. Basically it's just seating of all types, for as far as you can see, and kind of in front of you, is this really pretty water feature, reflecting pool kind of thing and then to your right is a set of stairs that will take you up to an a la carte sit down restaurant.

Josh Bogle:

So you have several dining options in this lounge, including hot and cold buffets, the a la carte sit downdown restaurant and then, of course, multiple refreshment stations. The lounge also has some quiet areas for you to rest, showers and those types of things that you would expect in a business class lounge. So this is a great option, especially if you're staying down in the southern part of the airport, southern part of the terminal, and you really don't have a reason to go to the north terminal. But if you've got the time or you're already in the north terminal area, which is up near the orchard, then you're. I would recommend that you go to the new North Almorjan Business Class Lounge. So this lounge has been open now for, I think, about a year, maybe just slightly under a year. I got the opportunity to experience it last time I flew through Doha, and boy it's a nice lounge.

Josh Bogle:

So, like the older version in the southern part of the terminal, this new lounge is massive, but it offers basically the same exact things. It has hot and cold buffets, a sit-down, a la carte restaurant, refreshment stations, but it also has some private rooms that you can use to rest in and it overlooks the orchard, so a whole section of it. You can sit there and you're looking over into this garden forested area and it's a really nice relaxing place to spend some time. And another nice feature about it is connected to the regular lounge is the Louis Vuitton lounge. Now, this is what you would expect from a lounge being curated by Louis Vuitton, so it's certainly got all of the flair of a Louis Vuitton bag. It has a bar and a restaurant, but those will cost you extra. So it's not like in the regular business class lounge where it's all included. If you go into the Louis Vuitton section, if you want to have something to drink or something to eat, you can do that, but it will cost you extra. But it's a nice option to have if you want to go experience that. So, all in all, the product that Qatar Airways offers in the air and on the ground is top notch, some of the best you'll ever find.

Josh Bogle:

But I will say that what really makes a good airline great is the staff. Whether it's ground staff, whether it's the in-air staff, it all matters right, and the experiences you have with those folks will make a bad trip good or a good trip bad. And I will say that some of the best interactions I have ever had with any airline staff has been with Qatar Airways. Their flight attendants have been amazing. It is an extremely wide-ranging international crew. Their flight staff are from all over the world. They're engaging, they're friendly, but they're professional and they're always there to help. If they can make something better for you, they will go out of their way to do that and, frankly, I've had that same experience on the ground.

Josh Bogle:

Qatar Airways has people all over the place that are willing to help. You know whether it's just directions in the airport, whether it's help you know changing your flight or changing a seat on a flight or whatever. I haven't had a bad interaction with any of them. They've all been extremely helpful and extremely nice, and that's probably the thing that has sold me on the airline the most. Yes, the Qs uites are fantastic and there is nothing like a really good meal and a nice lie-flat bed and to be pampered and taken care of on a long-haul international flight. Those are all great things and it's a really fun experience and it makes your flight and your overall trip so much better. But what really sets it off is the staff and, like I said, they have been nothing but first rate to me. I'm sure there are some people that have had bad experiences it always happens but 99 times out of 100, you will have a enjoyable, first-rate experience when it comes to dealing with the staff of Qatar Airways, and so I can't compliment them enough. So then really, the big question becomes would I recommend them? And, as you can probably tell, yeah, I'll recommend them. I think they're a top rate airline. I think they have a top rate staff with top rate products and they just make flying long haul international an absolute joy and, given a choice, I would likely pick them over most other airlines. So if you have any upcoming international travel and you have the option or the opportunity to give Qatar Airways a try whether that be in economy or whether that be in Qsuites I would absolutely recommend that you do so, because, more than likely, you're going to have a really great experience and it's just going to enhance your trip. So give Qsuites, give Qatar Airways a try. They're definitely worth it.

Josh Bogle:

All right, everyone that will wrap up this episode of the Ramble. I really appreciate everybody taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please go to Apple Podcasts and Spotify and give us a rating and review. That really helps the podcast grow and come up more in the searches when people are looking for this type of content. So I would really really appreciate that. Also, check us out on all our socials Instagram, TikTok, Threads, you know. Go and check those out. Give us a follow.

Josh Bogle:

I tend to post a lot of pictures and a lot of video from various trips on those websites, so give that a try. And lastly, if you have any friends or family that enjoy travel type content, then please share with them about the show and help us grow. I'm really proud of all the progress we've made so far on this little podcast and hopefully it'll just keep the momentum going and we'll continue to grow and see more and more folks joining our little travel community. So I really appreciate all the listens and the kind words I've received. They mean the world to me and I really appreciate it. So until the next time, happy travels and I'll see you on the next episode of Trade Tables and Time Zones. Outro Music.

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