Review – Qatar 777-200LR Business Class Doha – Auckland, The Longest Flight In The World

by Zac George
the inside of an airplane

In February of this year, Qatar Airways commenced the longest flight in the world from Doha to Auckland. The non-stop service covers a massive 9,032 miles. The carrier uses a 777-200LR which is currently the only aircraft that can fly the route, it’s even said that the A350-1000 will just fall short of the range. The Doha – Auckland leg is around 15.45 – 16.30 hours but the leg back to Doha is even longer at 16.30 – 17.40 hours long.

For this flight, I used 80,000 AAdvantage miles which is pretty fantastic for a flight of this length. The award space out of Doha is much better than out of AKL.

Qatar’s 777-200LR features 42 flat bed seats which are in a 2-2-2 configuration. For this flight, I selected seat 7A which is the last row of Business Class and it’s found in the second section of the Business cabin which is a lot smaller.

a plane with red seats and white towels

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The seats may look aged and they are fairly old however, in the coming years all of Qatar’s 777’s will be fitted with their new Qsuites which is a massive improvement.

a seat in a plane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The seats are still well cushioned and have more than enough comfort. If you’re travelling with a companion, these seats are brilliant for you. Another thing I noticed is Qatar is very good at blocking seats for Oneworld Elites and I was able to tell thanks to Expertflyer.

a seat in a plane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Row 7 is directly in front on Economy, there is of course a curtain to block people from coming into the cabin. Also note that the first row of Economy has bassinets so you may encounter screaming and crying babies but I didn’t have any which was great.

a seat with pillows and a tablet

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

As you can see, the seats are spacious and offer a ton of legroom.

a person standing in front of a large screen on an airplane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The IFE system is a high-quality touchscreen and it’s packed with a lot of content. The 777-200LR doesn’t have Wifi so watching TV series and movies is the best thing to do to pass the time on the long flight. Your IFE remote is found where your right arm rest is.

a screen on the wall of an airplane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

At your seat, you’ll find your duvet. The crew also come around to offer pyjamas and the BRICS amenity kit.

a plastic bag with a white pillow

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

There’s also slippers in the front storage section of your seat.

a black sock in a plastic bag

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The new BRICS amenity kits include refreshing face mist, moisturiser, lip balm, socks, ear plugs and an eye mask.

a group of items on a tray

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

After you’re given your pyjamas and amenity kit you’ll be given the menus and offered a pre-departure beverage. I opted for the So Jennie non-alcoholic champagne which I absolutely love. 

a glass of wine on a tray

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

There’s two menu’s provided, one for food and one for beverages.

a stack of paper on top of a machine

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Here are the menus for both food and drink on the Doha – Auckland leg:

a menu of a restaurant

a menu of a restaurant

a menu of a restaurant

a menu with a bottle of champagne

a menu of a champagne bottle

a bottle of wine on a white background

a bottle of wine on a white background

a bottle of wine on a white background

a bottle of wine on a menu

a poster of a wine bottle

a menu with a bottle of wine

a bottle of wine on a white background

a bottle of wine on a white background

a menu of liquors and alcohols

We left Doha on time after our very long taxi and the crew didn’t waste any time in starting the meal service. The service started with an Amuse Bouche which was a few pieces of spiced chicken.

a table with plates and food on it

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

They tasted fantastic and would of had them as an appetizer!

a plate with food on it

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Next was the appetizer. I went with the Arabic Mezze and it proved to be a good choice:

a plate of food on a table

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Just as I started eating the sun was starting to rise. The cabin is made completely dark so passengers are able to maximise their rest.

an airplane wing and the sky

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

And for the main, I went with the Arabic spiced biryani:

a plate of food on a table

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

And for dessert I had the hazelnut and salted caramel tart:

a plate of desserts on a table

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

I do really love the details in the cabin, especially the Oryx which is the logo of Qatar Airways.

a sign on a wall

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

As you can see the cabin is kept dark with all of the shades closed. The mood lighting is only turned on when the meal service is happening.

a row of seats in an airplane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Qatar’s 777-200LR has 4 washrooms for Business Class passengers. 2 at the front of the cabin and 2 at the back of the first Business Class section.

a person taking a selfie in a bathroom sink

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

There’s dental and shaving kits available as well as Rituals amenities:

two bottles of liquid on a counter

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

After having the fantastic meals, I was ready to get some sleep.

a seat in a plane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The crew put a mattress topper on the bed and it’s quite comfortable. Not the most comfortable I’ve slept on but it did the job and I was able to get over 12 hours of deep sleep which was well needed.

a bed in a plane

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

After waking up about 1 hour and a half out of Auckland, I decided to have some breakfast. Good tip – request what you would like early as the catering is limited and they ran out of a number of things like the date and cinnamon smoothie and grilled fillet of beef with breakfast.

a plate of food on a table

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The crew instead offered a sausage with eggs which I was more than happy with.

a plate of food on a table

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

Shortly after having breakfast we started our decent into Auckland. I felt fantastic and full of energy which I was quite happy with. Next to the seat, there’s a storage section for reading materials.

a rectangular object on a shelf

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The seats have both power plugs and a USB point which is found inside the right armrest if you’re seated at a window seat.

a white usb cable plugged into a rectangular object

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

The crew came around the cabin to hand passengers a box of Godiva chocolates and New Zealand arrival cards.

a box on a counter

Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class

We arrived just after 4:00 in the morning and Immigration was empty at that time of the morning. I was able to get through in around 10 minutes and proceed to check into my flight back to Brisbane.

Overall

really enjoyed the world’s longest flight and would definitely take it again in the future. I can Imagine once the 777’s get their suites fitted and the aircraft gets wifi, that will be a very, very enjoyable flight to take and one I’m really wanting to do once all of that happens.

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9 comments

Louis May 11, 2017 - 11:09 pm

Thanks for a very detail food and wine report.

Victor May 12, 2017 - 12:42 am

I flew this leg 3 wks ago and am flying the return tomorrow!
Excellent service and great matress on top of the seat which helps with sleep.
The akl to doh J cabin looks full though!

36 Hours Left: Qatar Biz July 5, 2017 - 3:22 am

[…] means that you’d be taking the World’s longest flight from Doha to Auckland…one that Zac from Points from the Pac reviewed earlier this year. It’s serviced by a 777-200LR and features a similar business class to what I flew from Hanoi […]

Sarah August 19, 2017 - 12:04 am

That’s it! I’m definitely choosing to fly business class after reading your review when I’m going to New Zeakand in October. 🙂 I think the price is worth it when you are traveling for so long.

Christl September 25, 2017 - 8:34 am

Hallo
Can you help me?
I have in march a flight with qatar from doha to Auckland in a 777-200. I hear some mixed comments about the seats in business!
Are they full FLAT seats and or recline seats?
Are they comfortable enough for such a long flight?
Thanks
Christl

KIM November 13, 2017 - 8:03 pm

So Jennie is a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Not a champagne.

Bri January 25, 2018 - 3:31 am

I fly from LAX to Doha several times and really enjoy my flight each time , the crew is excessively courteous, the food is great , comfortable seats
After a night in hotel in Doha , I go back to airport to finish my journey to Kathmandu Nepal
I always ask my travel agent to book me on Qatar Airlines

Dotti January 31, 2018 - 4:23 pm

Nice when are the Q suites coming !???

Heather Easdon May 31, 2018 - 12:55 am

Hi there

Please can you pass on our sincere thanks to the in flight staff listed below who looked after us so well. They truly went the extra mile to make sure our trip was enjoyable. This was my second time flying Qatar Airlines, I travelled by myself to London and back to Auckland last May and on this trip my husband is travelling with me.

QR921 Akl to Doha
We were in seats 2 E & F
The crew who looked after us were
Warineton (in flight manager)
Yu – Tzu
Lavita

QR09 Doha to London
We were in seats 14 E & F
The crew who looked after us were
Sonchico (General onboard manager)
Kwame Enoch Kwakgye – 65638

I have always requested the crew’s name when I have had exceptional service from them.
So I hope that you will pass my email to the crew above and their senior management.

I hope I have spelt their names correctly.

We will be travelling back to New Zealand in 11weeks, this time we will be flying out from Frankfurt. So we are looking forward it.

We also wish Qatar all the best for being nominated for “Worlds Best Airlines” by Skytrax.

Kind regards
Heather & Steve

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