For the second flight of my two-part birthday trip to the Golden Triangle, I flew Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER Qsuites business class on the 6hr35min flight from Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK). This flight came after arriving in Qatar Airways’ Airbus A350-1000 Qsuites business class from Miami (MIA).
Assuming you end up on a plane with Qsuites, Qatar Airways offers a remarkably consistent experience, and continues to set the standard in business class, in terms of both hard and soft product. While I definitely have a preference for the A350 over the 777, this product is an absolute pleasure to experience, regardless of which fleet type you end up on.
From the seats, to the service, to the food and drinks, to the amenities, to the Starlink Wi-Fi and excellent entertainment, this is one well rounded experience.
How I booked my Qatar Airways business class ticket
I booked the entire outbound portion of my journey as one ticket. Specifically, I redeemed 95,000 Qatar Airways Avios and paid $298.10 in taxes & fees to book the following in Qsuites business class:
4/14 QR778 Miami to Doha departing 7:40PM arriving 4:50PM (+1 day)
4/16 QR836 Doha to Bangkok departing 3:30AM arriving 2:15PM
I even acquired those points with a transfer bonus, so suffice it to say that I got an incredible deal on this redemption.
Qatar Airways business class lounge & boarding
I had a very long layover in Doha, though ultimately that didn’t bother me, since I can basically work from anywhere, and am happy to just turn a lounge into my “office” for an extended period of time.
While I wish I could provide updated reviews of the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge and Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge, the former was operating with limited service, and the latter was closed altogether, during my visit, in light of the conflict.
However, at this point it’s my understanding that facilities are more back to normal, once again. It definitely felt like a once-in-a-lifetime transit in terms of how eerily quiet the whole airport was.
My flight was departing from gate C31, which was a remote stand — I was a bit surprised by that, given that I figured all flights would depart from gates with jet bridges.
Boarding started 45 minutes before departure, at 2:45AM, with business class passengers being invited onto a separate bus. It’s always fun to pull up under the wing of a heavy, as it really makes you appreciate how massive these planes are. I was flying on A7-BEI, a roughly 10-year-old jet.
Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class cabin & seats
I boarded the Boeing 777-300ER via stairs at the second set of doors, where I was greeted by a couple of friendly crew members, and pointed toward my seat. On these planes you’ll find 46 Qsuites business class seats, spread across two cabins.
Qsuites is the name of Qatar Airways’ custom business class hard product, which was developed in partnership with Collins Aerospace. Seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration, and are staggered, and also alternate between being forward and rear facing.
On this plane, the forward cabin has 24 seats spread across six rows, while the rear cabin has 18 seats spread across five rows.
While I was seated in the rear cabin, I first quickly took a glance into the forward cabin, which is the larger of the two cabins. Unlike the A350s, the 777s have overhead bins over the center seats, so the cabin doesn’t feel quite as spacious (though at least there’s plenty of storage space!).
I sat in the rear cabin, which I personally prefer, as it tends to be less occupied (assuming the flight isn’t full), and I also love the view of the engine and wing you’ll get from these seats.
In the center section, every other row has two seats that are rear facing and very close to one another (these are seats E & F). If you’re traveling alone, there’s a partition between seats that gives you a lot of privacy. However, the seats are best if you’re traveling with someone, as you can literally be right next to them. These are often referred to as “honeymoon seats,” and they can even turn into a (sort of) double bed.
In every other center row you’ll find two seats that are forward facing and are further away from one another, and closer to the aisles (these are seats D & G). These would generally be my less preferred seats in business class, since you don’t have so much distance from the aisle, and also can’t look out the window.
One unique feature of Qsuites is that if you’re a group of four traveling together, you can potentially create a “quad,” whereby parts of the partitions can be lowered. So I’d ideally only choose these seats if traveling as a group of four, and not if traveling as a couple.
For those sitting at the window seats, there you have two different options. In every other row you’ll find window seats that are forward facing and closer to the aisle, while being further away from the windows (these are seats B & J). These would also be my less preferred of the window seats, since I generally prefer to sit closer to the fuselage and windows rather than closer to the aisle.
In every other row you’ll find window seats that are rear facing and closer to the windows, while being further away from the aisle (these are seats A & K). These are my favorite seats on the plane, since they offer the most distance to the aisle.
I assigned myself seat 8A, the first window seat on the left side in the rear mini cabin. This is one of the true window seats that’s rear facing.
The Qatar Airways Qsuites product is a customized staggered seat with a door, so let’s take a look at some of the individual features.
The seat has a console to the side of the seat, where you can place things during the flight. Underneath that, you’ll find even more storage, along with the seat controls, the entertainment controller, and the charging ports. The Qsuites business class seat has AC power plus USB-A outlets — there’s no USB-C or wireless charging.
Opposite the console and next to the seat you’ll find what almost looks like an ottoman that you can sit on. When you open that up, you’ll find quite a bit of enclosed storage space, which is useful to have, given that all too many business class seats nowadays have almost no storage.
The tray table extends from underneath the entertainment screen. When stored, it’s folded over in half. Then when you pull it out and flip it over, you’ll find the full sized tray, which can easily be moved around a bit.
Underneath the tray you’ll find the footwell, which is quite a good size, in terms of depth, height, and width.
The Qsuites business class product has a privacy door that can manually be slid open or closed while inflight. As you’d expect, the door is latched shut for taxi, takeoff, and landing.
Lastly, I appreciate how Qatar Airways has individual air nozzles on its 777s, which helps with avoiding feeling too warm while inflight. I think all too often we don’t place enough value on this as an amenity.
While the technology is no longer cutting edge, the overall quality of the Qsuites product is unbeatable, in terms of comfort, privacy, and customizability, depending on the type of trip you’re taking.
Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class entertainment & seats
Qatar Airways Qsuites business class features 21.5″ high definition entertainment monitors at every seat. Qatar Airways has its Oryx One entertainment system, offering an absolutely massive library of movies, TV shows, music, games, and more.
It’s simply an endless selection, among the biggest you’ll find out there. The only thing to keep in mind is that there’s quite a bit of censoring, as is common on Gulf carriers.
One thing I should mention is that the entertainment system on the A350 definitely feels more modern than on the 777, so don’t be surprised if you notice a difference between the two (despite Qsuites otherwise being nearly identical on the A350 and 777). For example, the map feature on the 777 isn’t nearly as interactive. The A350 also has a high definition tail camera, which you won’t find on the 777.
My flight also had Starlink Wi-Fi, which was both fast and free, as this is now available on all Qatar Airways 777s. There wasn’t even any log-in required — you just had to connect to the network, and could then immediately start using the internet.
This was my first trip experiencing Starlink during long haul travel, and I found it to be a complete game changer. Speeds were every bit as good as at home, so I was able to stay productive without any sort of a lag. The only thing I’d mention is that Starlink isn’t yet certified over India, so that meant the service was unavailable for a couple of hours in the middle of the flight (when I was sleeping anyway).
Qatar Airways business class amenities
Qatar Airways Qsuites business class offers an impressive selection of amenities. Waiting at each seat upon boarding were two pillows plus a very plush blanket. This is only part of the bedding that’s offered onboard, and ultimately I find it to be excellent across the board. Also keep in mind that you’re allowed to take the smaller white pillow with you off the plane.
Also waiting in the storage area of my seat were a pair of noise canceling headphones. Since there’s no bluetooth audio, this is your best bet for actually enjoying the entertainment.
Shortly after boarding, the flight attendant taking care of me came by to introduce herself, along with the cabin manager. I was presented with the menu and drink list for the flight, and was also offered a pre-departure drink of choice.
I ordered a glass of champagne, which on this sector was Duval-Leroy Brut. That was accompanied by a refreshing packaged towel from Diptyque.
Diptyque amenity kits and Formula 1 branded pajamas were also offered. The below pictures are from the previous flight, since I didn’t feel like it was necessary to stage the same thing again. 😉 The kit contents are the same between flights, while the actual kits differ.
Qatar Airways 777 departure from Doha
The flight to Bangkok was a bit fuller than my flight from Miami, especially in economy. At 3:10AM it was announced that boarding was complete — business class was around half full, with only three others in the rear business class cabin.
At 3:20AM the main cabin door closed, at which point the captain was on the PA, to advise us of our flight time of 6hr35min, and our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. He anticipated we’d depart soon, but that didn’t end up being the case. 10 minutes later he was back on the PA to inform us that due to congestion in the region, we’d have to wait 30 more minutes before we could depart.
The crew did a good job providing drink refills while we waited on the ground, which was much appreciated. The safety video was screened while we waited, and then eventually at 4:05AM we began our pushback, and at 4:10AM we began our taxi.
We then taxied out to runway 34L, only to encounter a very long queue. We ended up having to wait for nearly another 30 minutes, and only took off at 4:40AM, around 70 minutes after our initial departure time.
We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off around 10 minutes after takeoff. We were also treated to a beautiful sunrise as we made it to our cruising altitude.
Qatar Airways business class breakfast service
Qatar Airways Qsuites business class offers dine on demand. This is of course a somewhat awkwardly timed flight, given that it departs in the very early morning hours, and arrives in the afternoon. So there’s both a breakfast menu and an all-day dining menu, and I decided to have breakfast first.
You can find the Qatar Airways business class breakfast menu and drink list below.
To start, I ordered the mango, coconut, and passion fruit smoothie, which was served with warm mixed nuts (an odd pairing, though in fairness, I was asked if I wanted them, and I assume they would’ve given me packaged biscuits otherwise). That drink was served just 15 minutes after takeoff, so I appreciate how quickly the service was started.
My table was then fully set in typical Qsuites fashion, with a faux-candle, bread basket, etc. Qatar Airways really knocks presentation out of the park.
For the first course, I ordered the greek yogurt with banana pineapple compote and toasted nut granola. The bread basket also had a croissant and two pastries, and then I had a cup of the midnight hour tea to drink, which seemed appropriate.
Then for my main course, I ordered the cream cheese omelet with chicken sausage, served with sauteed spinach, tomato relish, asparagus, and roasted potatoes.
It was a simple and excellent breakfast, and I was grateful about how quickly it was served, as my tray was cleared within 45 minutes of takeoff, allowing me to maximize rest.
Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class lavatories
After the meal, I checked out the lavatories in the Boeing 777 business class cabin. This is the one area where the 777-300ER beats the A350-1000 in Qsuites. The former has four lavatories for 42 passengers, while the latter has three lavatories for 46 passengers.
On the 777, there are two lavatories at the front of the aircraft (one on the left, and one in the center), and then two lavatories by the second set of doors (one on each side). The two center cabin lavatories are absolutely huge, and the one in the front left is also pretty big, so that’s a nice advantage.
The lavatory had products from Dyptique, as well as dental kits.
As usual on Qatar Airways, the lavatories were kept spotlessly clean throughout the flight, which was much appreciated.
Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class bed
While I went to the lavatory, the crew prepared turndown service for me in Qsuites business class. Beyond the typical bedding at the seat upon boarding, this includes a mattress pad, as well as placing the larger pillow in a pillowcase.
While the Qsuites product is definitely a bit boxy, I find this to be a really cozy bed, and the individual air nozzles also help with getting comfortable.
I fell asleep well under an hour after takeoff, thanks to the very quick service.
Then I woke up around four hours later, with around 1hr40min remaining to Bangkok.
For a flight of this length, I’d consider that to be an unbeatable amount of sleep (at least by my standards).
Qatar Airways business class lunch
It’s impressive how Qatar Airways allows passengers to have two full meals on a flight of this length. I had breakfast just after takeoff, and then selected from the all-day dining menu before landing, which you can find below.
For the starter, I ordered the tuna nicoise with citrus vinaigrette, and asked for a Diet Coke and still water to drink. I also received the full presentation, including a bread basket, olive oil, butter, etc.
For the main course I ordered the braised short ribs, with fried rice, sesame broccolini, kai-lan, and pickles. While I don’t often order beef on planes, this dish was excellent.
Then to finish off the meal I ordered a cheese plate, which I almost never order on planes. This one was great, though.
After the meal I was asked if I wanted anything else. Since it had been a very long couple of days in transit and I wanted to hit the ground running, I ordered an iced latte for a caffeine boost, which was served with ginger biscuits.
Qatar Airways business class service
Qatar Airways crews are consistently great, and this crew was no exception. They were friendly, attentive, and polished. As I always say, Qatar Airways business class flight attendants are probably the hardest working in the industry, so I find they’re often more task-oriented than overly chatty, which I don’t mind.
Qatar Airways 777 arrival in Bangkok
At 2:15PM Bangkok time (also our scheduled arrival time), the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be descending in around 15 minutes, and would be landing in around 45 minutes. Sure enough, we started our descent around 2:30PM, and the seatbelt sign was turned on around 2:40PM.
A while later the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be circling a bit due to traffic, which added another 15 minutes or so to our flight time. I enjoyed the views on approach…
We ended up touching down at 3:15PM on runway 19, and from there, had a roughly 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 3:25PM, 70 minutes behind schedule.
I quickly cleared immigration, and then headed to the Rosewood Bangkok, where I’d be spending my first night.
Bottom line
Qatar Airways Qsuites business class on the Boeing 777 is a stellar product. From the comfortable and customizable seats, to the great entertainment and free Starlink, to the impressive food and drink selection, to the amenities, to the service, it’s a product that’s hard to beat in business class.
I ultimately have a slight preference for the Airbus A350 over the 777, but all-in-all, I appreciate the level of consistency offered by all planes with Qsuites (of course the real issue is the planes without Qsuites, and the risk of a swap).
What’s your take on Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class?