Review – Qatar Airways A380 First Class, Sydney To Doha

by Zac George
a seat in a plane

For a long time now Qatar Airways first class has been a product I’ve wanted to try, and I was finally able to try it. Qatar operates their A380 to Paris, London, Guangzhou, Sydney and soon Melbourne, so really this is their only long-haul service at the moment.

As Qatar are in Oneworld, they use the brilliant Qantas first class lounge in Sydney. I visited for about three hours before boarding. The inbound flight was two hours late which meant the outbound would also be late. Normally the flight would depart at 10:10 and our boarding started at 10:00. We managed to depart Sydney at 10:30, very impressive considering the cleaning, catering, and passengers were all boarded.

a row of televisions in an airplane

Qatar A380 First Class

For this flight, there was only one other passenger in first, so it was a very quiet flight. I selected 1A.

a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class Seat 1A

Qatar’s first seats are wide and very comfortable, I often prefer the fabric over leather, especially in hotter weather.

a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class Seat 1A

Each seat in first is equipped with a 26-inch screen, the screen itself isn’t touchscreen but comes with a remote that is.

a tv on a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class Seat 1A

On the left side of the seat is where you’ll find the IFE controller, light and seat controls and reading materials.

a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class Seat

You’ll also be given a bottle of water.

a phone in a device

Qatar A380 Business Class

On the right side, you’ll find more seat functions.

a device on the armrest of a plane

Qatar A380 Business Class

Qatar’s A380 first cabin consists of 8 open suites configured in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats themselves were designed by B/E Aerospace.

a seat and a television in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class

Each seat has a divider which can either raised or lowered for takeoff and landing.

a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class

 

a seat in a plane

Qatar A380 First Class

 

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

 

As I sat down, I was greeted by one of the crew who would be looking after me. She also handed me my amenity kit and pyjamas. These are the new BRICS amenity kits and pyjamas I wrote about not too long ago.

a bag and a pillow on a seat

Qatar Firs Class Amenity Kit

She also asked if I wanted a drink, she offered Krug, but due to age, I couldn’t have it, so I went with the So Jennie non-alcoholic champagne which is really really nice.

a glass of wine on a table

So Jennie

Each side has a little self-service area for snacks, drinks (non-alcohol) and reading materials.

a shelf with drinks and magazines

Self Serve Drinks And Snacks

I was happy to see the water onboard is Acqua Panna and flavoured & sparkling water by San Pellegrino.

a group of bottles of soda

Self Serve Drinks And Snacks

Qatar has two bathrooms for first guests however unlike their opposition (Etihad and Emirates) they don’t feature onboard showers.

a bathroom with a sink and a mirror

Qatar Airways Bathroom

They feature lovely Rituals amenities in the bathrooms.

a group of bottles on a shelf

Qatar Airways Bathroom

The bathrooms are large and easy to move around in, the mood lighting is also awesome.

a sink and towels on a counter

Qatar Airways Bathroom

 

a bench with pink lights

Qatar Airways Bathroom

 

a bathroom with a sink and a bench

Qatar Airways Bathroom

 

a toilet with a seat and a seat on the wall

Bathroom

One of my favourite parts of the bathroom is the tap head. It’s water comes out like a waterfall, and it’s cool to look at.

a faucet running water

Bathroom

Qatar also provides the basic amenities for use.

a drawer with a few boxes and bottles of toothpaste

Bathroom

 

a shelf with drinks and glasses on it

Self Serve Drinks And Snacks

Shortly after we took off the meal service started. I was asked if I wanted to dine now or later on and I elected to dine after takeoff.

a bottle of water and a glass on a table

Acqua Panna Water

The service started with a small snack of salted caramel popcorn.

a bottle of water next to a bag of popcorn

Acqua Panna And Popcorn

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

 

a white paper with black text

 

a piece of paper with text on it

 

a menu of beverages

 

a menu with a bottle of champagne

 

 

a bottle of wine on a white background

 

a bottle of wine with a label

 

a bottle of wine on a white background

 

a bottle of wine on a white background

 

a menu with a bottle of wine

 

a poster of a wine bottle

 

a bottle of wine on a white background

 

a bottle of wine on a white background

 

a poster of a bottle of wine

 

a menu with black text

I was served crab cakes as the amuse bouche

a plate with food on it and a fork

Amuse Bouche Crabcakes

For the appetiser, I choose the caviar which was a little salty for my liking.

a plate of food on a table

Oscietra Caviar

 

a bowl of black caviar and a bowl of cottage cheese

Oscietra Caviar

For the main I had the cod which was cooked beautifully, the whole dish fit well and tasted brilliant.

a plate of food on a table

Pan Fried Cod Sayadiah With Rice

And for dessert, I choose the fruit plate as I was quite full.

a plate of fruit on a table

Fruit Plate

After dinner, I went and had a look at the bar, safe to say it’s the best in the air.

a bar in a plane

Inflight Bar and Lounge

It can seat four on each side and has a lot of room for standing.

a seat in a plane

Inflight Bar and Lounge

 

a table with fruit on it in the middle of an airplane

Inflight Bar and Lounge

 

a bar in a plane

Full Inflight Bar and Lounge

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Qatar used to offer Krug at the bar even to business guests, but it became too popular, and I’d say cost cutting had an influence in the decision for it to be kept just for first passengers.

two silver buckets with bottles of wine

Inflight Bar and Lounge

The bar offers a variety of snacks and drinks.

a group of bowls of nuts and peanuts

Inflight Bar and Lounge

 

a row of glasses filled with food

Inflight Bar and Lounge

 

a bowl of snacks on a table

Inflight Bar and Lounge

The bar is located right behind the business class cabin, to my surprise just behind the bar is a small economy section, not more business seats.

a group of people sitting in chairs with computers on the seats

Qatar A380 Business Class

Qatar’s A380 business class seats are B/E Super Diamonds are my favourite type of business seat.

a seat with a pillow and a tv in the middle of the seat

Qatar A380 Business Class

There are only 48 business class seats on the A380 in a 1-2-1 configuration.

a tv on the side of a plane

Qatar A380 Business Class

I made my way back to my seat and found the seat behind me made into a bed. Pretty impressive service considering I didn’t ask for it to be made. I managed to have around 8 hours of sleep and woke up feeling refreshed but also very dry. One thing that is quite annoying is the cabin was hot for the whole flight, I’ve experienced this is a few times on middle eastern carriers.

a bed in an airplane

Qatar A380 First Class Bed

I got up and decided to have a light breakfast, eggs, chicken sausages and hashbrowns. I also tried to use the wifi, but it probably worked for 5 minutes then shut off, the speed was terrible, so I wasn’t really worried about it.

a plate of food on a table

Qatar A380 Business Class Breakfast

I also had a cappuccino and a date and cinnamon smoothie; both were brilliant.

a cup of coffee and a glass of milk on a table

Coffee and Date & Cinnamon Smoothie

To finish off, I had another fruit plate, as you can see I’m trying to reduce my calorie intake while flying 😉

a plate of fruit on a table

Fruit Plate

Despite our pretty late departure we actually landed in Doha a few minutes early, kudos to the flight crew for that!

a row of seats in a plane

Bottom Line

I really enjoyed my flight on Qatar. First, the food was great, the seat was comfortable, and the service was done well. Is it the best product on the market? No, but for what it is it’s pretty damn great and would recommend it.

 

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5 comments

RH January 24, 2017 - 3:52 am

Thanks for the review. You mean “competition” not “opposition” where used above (and in previous posts).

Graciela March 26, 2017 - 2:42 pm

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Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.

dan July 31, 2017 - 7:09 pm

where you able to use qantas first checkin? and qantas first lounge?

Zac George July 31, 2017 - 7:34 pm

As it’s a Qatar flight, you need to use the Qatar check-in desks and yes I was able to use the Qantas First lounge.

John Wilson May 9, 2018 - 8:22 am

Great article. You present with both detail and great clarity. I disagree with your judgements, however. Compared with the A380 business class seats or even better the Q Suites on Qatar – not much difference. Compared with First on Emirates or Singapore, nowhere near their standards. I refer to the lack of privacy and shower facilities

Interesting how you note how they heat the cabin on overnight flights. Must be some sort of policy to keep passengers drowsy, but for frequent travelers that require their sleep, much less comfortable than a colder cabin and a blanket. You can shield against too cold but hardly undress against too warm …

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