Qatar Airways Archives - Rebel Flying

After a quick tour of Doha and a few hours of sleep at my hotel, it was time for my connecting flight to Johannesburg.

This flight was rather oddly timed, taking off at 02:15am, but it actually worked rather well for me, as my 4am arrival in Doha had me retiring at 6pm for a few hours of sleep beforehand.

Upon boarding, I settled into seat 1A for the eight-hour flight. Although this was not the famous Qsuites product, it was a comfortable flat-bed product in a 1-2-1 configuration, offering direct aisle access from every seat. This is, in my opinion, the benchmark for a first rate business class hard product.

I was welcomed with a glass of champagne before departure.

After a rather spectacular night time departure from Doha, I settled down to peruse the dinner menu.

Despite the late hour, a comprehensive meal service was offered.

I chose the Black Angus beef tenderloin with bobotie sauce, which I can say without exaggeration was the best dish I have eaten on a flight. It was tender and cooked to perfection, the bobotie sauce complemented it perfectly, and it paired supremely well with an excellent Bordeaux.

I rounded off the late night meal with a nicely varied cheese platter, accompanied by a glass of port.

After a couple of cognacs, I reclined the seat to flat bed mode and slept well for around four hours. Having had a long evening nap at the hotel in Doha, this was all I needed and I awoke around two hours from Johannesburg, ready for the breakfast service.

I chose the fruit to start, followed by the omelette, served with a chicken sausage, potato rösti and mushrooms.

In conclusion, this was an excellent flight experience, and I disembarked in Johannesburg, ready for the day ahead.

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.

Tag: Qatar Airways

Flight Review – Qatar Airways Business Class, Doha – Johannesburg

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