Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class, Bangkok-Doha

Trip to Bangkok flying in Qatar Airways Dreamliner & A380 Business Class

Last month, Mike and I traveled to Bangkok where we spent four nights exploring the city. Our original flight on Qatar Airways was in economy class but luckily, we ended up being upgraded on 3 of the 4 flights. Thanks, Qatar Airways! As for our lounge access, we had to rely on my Air Berlin Gold card as operational upgrades do not grant lounge access, aside from the fact that our upgrades were given at the gate. The weather in Bangkok was not perfect as there was a bit of showers almost everyday but still, we were able to make the most of it. As I have Hilton Diamond status, we chose the Conrad Bangkok and Millennium Hilton Bangkok as our "home in Bangkok", both of which I highly recommend to everyone as they are two of the best hotels we have stayed at. It was a very short but memorable trip and I really hope to be back soon to one of the most amazing cities in the world, Bangkok!


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Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class, Bangkok-Doha
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Qatar Airways A380 Business Class cabin

Flight: QR 837
Departure time in Bangkok: 2:05 (actual 2:02)
Arrival time in Doha: 4:35 (actual 4:27)
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Seat: 19E
Duration: 6h 25m
Date of flight: July 1, 2016
*Upgraded from Economy to Business Class, Business Class flight #108

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

We arrived at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport about 3 hours before departure and since we already had our boarding passes printed the night before, we could head directly to the passport control.

Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge

After clearing immigration and security controls, we went to the beautiful Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge where we had an enjoyable time. This is one of the newest lounges of Cathay Pacific with the Studioilse design, together with the one in Tokyo Haneda and Manila among others. We thought we'd go to the boarding gate early so we left the lounge about an hour and a half before departure.

Around 12:35am, pre-boarding started at gate E8 which required checking of passport and boarding pass. As the agent scanned my boarding pass, a strange beep sound came and I was then asked to wait. After awhile, she handed me my new boarding pass and informed me that I was upgraded to business class. Yipee! As expected, Mike was upgraded as well. Thanks so much, Qatar Airways!

Airbus A380-800

It was hard to capture the picture of the superjumbo at night but nevertheless, one could still see it's enormous size. This was actually my second time to fly on Qatar Airways A380 in business class (the first was last March 2015) but still, I was just as excited as I was on my first flight with them.

Around 1:10am, boarding finally started beginning with first and business class passengers, those with status and those requiring extra help.

Qatar Airways A380 Business Class Cabin

The business class cabin is located at the back of the first class cabin, both of which are on the upper deck. The cabin has a total of 48 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, in the popular reverse herringbone. It starts from row 10 and ends in row 22, which means that they didn't have row 13. Of the 48 seats, only 9 were empty which is a very good thing for Qatar Airways.

As I walked through the cabin, I was welcomed by Hazel, a Filipina flight attendant who escorted me to my seat, 19E.

Qatar Airways A380 business class cabin

Seat

My seat was 19E while Mike had 19F.

Moments after settling in to my seat, Hazel took my predeparture beverage order as well as my choice of towel. I was also given the pyjama and the male amenity kit from Giorgio Armani consisting of a small bottle of perfume, after shave balm and lip balm as well as socks, eyeshades and earplugs. Qatar Airways amenity kit are among my personal favorites as I love Italian brands, although my favorite is still the Bulgari products offered by Emirates on their night or long haul flights. Paniti, the cabin supervisor also came to our seats to welcome us onboard.

Business class amenity kit and pyjamas

Moments later, my apple juice was served together with a hot towel. The menu and wine list were also offered. By this time, I thought I'd change into pyjamas and quickly went to one of the lavatories at the back of the cabin to change.

Located under the left armrest were the headphones and a bottle of mineral water.

Inflight magazines, duty free catalog and safety on board card

From the movie selection, I chose "Batman VS Superman" since I haven't seen it yet.

Headphones and entertainment controls

There's also the privacy divider between my seat and Mike's.

Qatar Airways business class blanket

Newspapers were also offered although both Mike and I declined.

Around 1:45am, boarding was completed. Nayeon, the South Korean flight attendant came to my seat to take my meal order. She also apologized that the choices for the main course on the menu were not updated since it was July 1st and the menu they offered was still for the month of June. Apparently, they did not have the new one on this flight from Bangkok to Doha. She told me there was a choice between beef or chicken instead. We started pushback at around 2:02am and 25 minutes later, it was take off time which as usual was very quiet, thanks to it being a superjumbo! Moments later, we were airborne.

Dining

Business class menu and wine list

A la Carte

Late night dining
Tomato basil cream soup
Fresh pomelo, sweet purple potato and pimiento salad with caramelized red apple, goji berry, toasted pine nut and soy sesame dressing
Grilled beef tortilla with ginger mayonnaise
Stir fried mee goreng noodles with prawn
Chocolate ginger tart

Light snacks
Selection of biscuits, chocolates or mixed nuts

The champagnes on board were the usual Billecart Salmon Brut and Drappier while the wines were the same ones offered on our Stockholm-Doha flight the week before.

At cruising speed and with the seatbelt sign turned off, the meal service began starting with a glass of apple juice and a small bowl of mixed nuts.

Moments later, Jean, another Filipina flight attendant came to my seat to do the table set up which included a bread basket, butter and a glass of still water.

After a few minutes, my Tomato Basil Cream Soup was served which was very tasty.

Mike on the other hand ordered the salmon which according to him was superb.

For my main course, I had the chicken which was fantastic.

I really did not want to have any dessert but Nayeon insisted she'd brought some sliced fruits for me.

To end the meal, a hot towel was offered as usual.

Qatar Airways A380 Onboard Bar

I really love the design of the onboard bar on Qatar Airways' superjumbo. It's just so gorgeous, isn't it?

Onboard bar seating

Onboard bar snacks

Onboard bar snacks

Onboard bar magazines

Lavatory

Qatar Airways A380 lavatory

The lavatory was spacious enough and was decorated with fresh roses. It also offered the usual skin care products from Rituals.

Inside the drawer, you will find basic amenities: razor and shaving cream as well as toothbrush and toothpaste.

Airshow

Airshow enroute to Doha

After visiting the onboard lounge and the lavatory, I was back to my seat where I was asked by Nayeon if I wanted to have breakfast before landing. Since I really wanted to maximise my sleep, I declined. About 35 minutes before landing, the captain came on the PA to update us of our arrival time in Doha which was scheduled at 4:15am and that we would be starting our descent in 5 minutes. Landing at Hamad International Airport went smoothly and we were one of the first passengers to disembark.

CONCLUSION

There it was, another great and enjoyable flight on one of my favorite airlines in business class. The crew was simply fantastic and the meal we had was great as well. I love the fact that Qatar Airways is offering pyjamas on night flights since not many airlines do it. The Giorgio Armani amenity kit is one of the best out there and definitely one of my favorites. The menu not being updated (since it was the start of a new month) was a minor thing and could easily be rectified. And of course, the seat that turns into a fully flat bed and with direct aisle access is something I hope all other airlines could offer as this is no doubt the world's best business class seat. No wonder, Qatar Airways has been voted the Best in Business Class on Skytrax. To all the crew on this flight, thanks for the wonderful service! And to Qatar Airways for yet another upgrade to business class, Shukran!


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