Back in 2017 we covered Qatar Airways’ reveal of its new Qsuite business class seat. But 2017 was a long time ago. How has Qatar’s flagship product fared since then? The short answer is: it’s doing VERY well. Qsuite remains a huge favorite among among frequent flyers, and it has helped drive Qatar to the top of many global airline rankings.
But it’s been almost eight years since Qsuite hit the skies, and that’s an eternity in the ultra-competitive world of premium cabin air travel. How does it hold up today? We got to find out by making a Qsuite our home-suite-home on a long-haul flight from New York to Doha.
Did Qatar’s business class hold up to the hype? Our full story has our answer, plus plenty of the usual photos, videos, and window-seat views for you to enjoy along the way. Don’t miss out — read on!
Preflight fun @ JFK
At New York-JFK Qatar Airways operates out of Terminal 8, the home base of its oneworld alliance partner American Airlines. Qatar currently operates three flights a day out of New York, spaced out across the day.
Qatar Airways doesn’t operate its own lounge at JFK, but that’s fine because American and British jointly operate three of them at JFK. Passengers flying a premium cabin with any of American’s oneworld partners get access to the Greenwich Lounge, which is where we spent our pre-flight time.
It’s a fresh-looking space with plenty of seating. One of its focal points is a big champagne and wine bar right at its center. Then there are two unique corners of the lounge: a pub with beer and bar bites called the Tasting Room, and the more cocktail-focused Bridge Bar.
Those spaces aren’t open in the morning so we couldn’t visit them this time. We didn’t mind, since the great views onto the ramp kept us well-entertained.
We spotted the 777-300ER we were about to board.
Getting onboard
The Qsuite cabin’s decor is as stylish as ever, even eight years after its initial rollout.
Not all of Qatar’s 777s have Qsuite onboard, so make sure to look at the seat map when you’re booking.
It’s a very well-designed seat, with plenty of space, intuitively placed features, and sleek finishes.
The seat’s biggest advantage is built into its name: it’s a suite with a door.
There are big differences between the different seats in the layout, so it’s important to pick carefully.
If you’re flying solo, seats A/K are probably your best bet. They’re the window seats closest to the windows, with two or three windows per seat.
Be aware that those seats face the back of the plane. But at least they’re a bit more comfy than some of the more *ahem* vintage rearward-facing seats we’ve seen in earlier eras:
The forward-facing Qsuite window seats (B/J) are closer to the aisle and may only have one window per seat. Though all things considered they’re still good.
If you’re traveling as a twosome the E/F seats are great, since they can become a double suite of sorts. If you get tired of your travel companion you can always raise a divider between the seats.
One of Qsuite’s most unique design features is “The Quad,” which allows each cluster of four seats in the center section to turn into a connected unit with the help of some sliding dividers.
Each seat has an enormous entertainment screen.
The seat itself isn’t that wide but there’s plenty of shoulder room in the suite as a whole.
A deep storage bin beside each seat provides space for a small bag or laptop.
The console in front of each seat offers multiple forms of power / USB outlets and some additional storage space.
During boarding there was a towelette and Diptyque amenity kit at every seat.
A flight attendant came by to introduce himself and get us settled in.
Soon enough we were rolling. There’s always amazing taxiway planespotting at JFK.
The window seat views were gorgeous as we took off from runway 31L and did a gradual loop over Long Island on climb-out:
Inflight service gets going
Meal service in Qsuite is completely dine-on-demand, meaning you’re not constrained to pre-set mealtimes. Before takeoff our flight attendant asked us what we wanted for our first meal and when we wanted it. Even though dining-on-demand offers a lot of flexibility, in practice most people have their main meal after takeoff.
Once we hit cruise climb we tried more of Qatar’s excellent wine lineup.
Here’s a look at the menu for the flight.
As a bonus feature, you can reserve a meal option in advance of the flight.
Here’s a look at the drink list.
And then there was the wine list for the flight. You wine lovers can click to expand the images in the gallery for details:
Lunch got started with some bread and a small amuse-bouche.
The mezze starter looked great but tasted just OK. Maybe it’s better on flights departing out of Qatar’s Doha hub.
As with every part of the meal the main course looked beautiful, though unfortunately this poor lobster was very overcooked.
Still it was an impressive meal overall. We ended it with a bit of dessert.
Qatar’s dine-on-demand system is labor-intensive, and there were moments when our flight attendant was getting pulled in ten directions at once. He handled those moments as well as anyone could, but I was glad on his behalf when the rush of the first meal service settled down.
In between meal services the crew kept some trays of snacks near the galleys.
The expectation seemed to be that most passengers would order one main meal and then maybe one of the lighter bites midflight before ending with breakfast. We came hungry and our flight attendant was happy bringing us a second main meal eight hours into the flight, though he mentioned that extra entrees are dependent on availability after everyone has their initial pick.
We were grateful because this meal was even tastier than the first.
Settling in for the long haul
Qatar’s library of entertainment content is extensive.
One small AvGeek critique: we would have loved to see some external camera views, and the moving map felt too old-school. Hopefully Qatar’s eventual 777X fleet does better on both counts.
At least the noise-cancelling headphones were good.
WiFi was available at a great price: $10 for the full flight, or $8 if you purchased it in advance. The coverage was spotty but Qatar is rolling out a Starlink-based system that should soon deliver better reliability.
The lavs were kept in good shape throughout the flight.
Qatar opted to include individual air nozzles on its 777s.
One of the areas where Qatar seriously excels is bedding. Each passenger got two substantial pillows and a blanket. Qatar also offers premium-cabin passengers pajamas on long-haul flights.
Flight attendants offered a turndown service with a mattress pad.
All those ingredients came together for a perfect sleep experience.
Wrapping things up
After some quality shut-eye we woke up barely an hour left to Doha.
Qatar’s crews handed out Läderach chocolates before the end of the flight.
It was a hazy hundred-degree desert day in Doha. the view was still pretty cool though, especially taxiing by the busy ramp action at Hamad International.
We’ll save our adventures around Qatar’s Hamad hub for another story.
The verdict
After twelve hours flying Qatar Airways’ business class we found a lot to love:
- Qsuite’s design completely delivers on the hype. It’s a thoughtfully designed seat with all the features you could want, an ergonomic layout, plentiful storage, and tasteful finishes. The paired center seats for couples and the Quad for larger groups are icing on the cake.
- A great cabin design can get dragged down to earth by poor upkeep. But Qatar has kept its Qsuite cabins looking fresh.
- The dine-on-demand system is super passenger-friendly. And overall the food quality was great.
- Between the generous bedding, turndown service, Diptyque amenity kit, and pajamas, Qatar might just have a best-in-class sleep experience.
There were a few potential shortcomings:
- Qatar’s flight attendants are generally great but even the best of ’em may get frazzled or miss a request under the intense workload that the dine-on-demand service structure requires.
- The AvGeek in me missed external camera views (note: Qatar’s A350 subfleet has them). Also the moving map was pretty lame.
And then there’s the more philosophical debate about suite-style seats in general. Suites are seen as the pinnacle of biz class seat design, but that’s not to say that they’re universally popular. The privacy that a door provides comes at a cost, namely less contact with flight attendants and a less spacious feel to the cabin.
By comparison, Qatar’s non-Qsuite A350 cabin that we wrote about in a separate story has the completely opposite feel.
Qatar Airways recently took back the top position on Skytrax’s 2024 best airline list. No single ranking is 100% definitive, but after our time in Qsuite we can see why Qatar is such a formidable contender. And with a next-gen Qsuite coming down the pipeline, the airline clearly aims to stay on its A-game.
Now it’s time for us to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Note: This trip was booked with miles. Qatar often offers good award availability if you’re able to book one year in advance when the award calendar opens up, though they’ve been raising rates for some redemptions recently.
