Following my experience of a low-cost approximation of business class on Air Asia X, it was time for a taste of the other end of the business class spectrum, Qatar Airways’ world renowned Qsuites.
This flight had been a last minute decision, after I had been inexplicably denied an Indian eVisa, necessitating a change of plan on-the-fly, so to speak.
After sifting through award availability via several frequent flyer programs, I decided that a month in South Africa would fit the bill.
Finding that short notice award flights from Melbourne were very slim pickings indeed, I booked from Adelaide to Johannesburg, via a 22-hour layover in Doha.
After a run of the mill positioning flight on Virgin Australia, I was ready for the real deal.
Upon boarding, I settled into suite 9K, where I was served a glass of Lanson Le Rosé Brut pre-departure.
After a 10pm take off, I decided to take dinner as soon as cruising altitude was reached.
After a small tuna appetiser, I opted for the butternut squash soup, which was smooth and tasty. During the starter courses, I decided to stay with the Lanson Rosé.
In terms of the main course, I was disappointed that the Tasmanian lamb had been under-catered and was unavailable. Instead, I opted for the chicken biryani, which was instantly forgettable.
The biryani was not up to business class standard, and the barramundi would almost certainly have been a better choice.
The accompanying Languedoc Chardonnay was at least pleasant and liberally topped up.
The disappointment of the main course was short lived as I moved on to the delightful Yuzu cheesecake for dessert, along with a glass of port.
I rounded off the meal with the cheese board and another couple of glasses of port.
By this point, we were about to leave the coast of Australia with a little over ten hours of the flight remaining, so I changed into the provided sleep attire, enjoyed a few cognacs and asked the crew to make up my bed.
I slept soundly for seven full hours and awoke a little less that two hours from Doha, in time for a leisurely breakfast and coffee before the 4am landing.
I chose the assiette of cold cuts, followed by the Tuscan frittata with grilled chicken.
Upon landing, I was given a small box of Swiss chocolates and escorted to the Qatar Airways Arrivals Lounge with its attached smoking room, where I was served espresso and sparkling water.
In all honesty, long haul flights do not get much better than this. The twelve-and-a-half-hour flight time allowed for a leisurely and relaxing meal and a few drinks before a full night of sleep. I was then able to hit the ground running for my full-day layover in Doha.
All things considered, this was an excellent use of 85,000 AAdvantage miles, which included the onward connection to Johannesburg.