Trip to Asia flying Business Class on Qatar Airways & Singapore Air New B787-10
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Review: Singapore Air B787-10 Business Class, Singapore-Kuala Lumpur
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Review: Qatar Airways B787 Business Class, Doha-Helsinki
Video Review: Finnair Lounge Schengen, Helsinki Airport (HEL)
Flight: QR302
Departure time in Helsinki (HEL): 18:10 Terminal 2
Arrival time in Doha (DOH): 23:59
Aircraft: Boeing 787-8, A7 BDB
Seat: 3A
Duration: 5h 49m
Date of flight: April 15, 2018
*This is a revenue ticket, Business Class flight #162
Video from my YouTube Channel 📺
Finnair Premium Lounge, Helsinki
Boarding, Gate 50E
The joy of taking a bus to the aircraft is you get to see a lot of aircraft up close. Of course nothing beats my experience on Lufthansa First Class in Frankfurt where I got driven in a Porsche 😍😍
Aircraft, Boeing 787-8
Cabin, Business Class
The business class cabin on the B787 consists of seats from rows 1-5 in a 1-2-1 configuration plus a pair seat in row 6 after the bar, for a total of 22 seats. On this flight, 6 of the seats were unoccupied.
As I boarded, I was welcomed by a Filipina flight attendant who directed me to my seat.
Seat, 3A
My last long haul flight in Qatar Airways business class was in September 2016 so I was really looking forward to this flight as they are one of my favorite airlines in business class. Minutes later, Avi came to offer the menu and wine list. Cristina, the Cabin Service Director (also from the Philippines) came to my seat to welcome me. I took the opportunity to ask her about the menu card as I noticed it was no longer inside a leather folder just like before. She told me they had stopped with this service about a year ago. I also noticed they offer Bric´s amenity kits(unisex) now compared to Armani kits on my last flight with them although I later learned that they mostly have the Brics kits on European flights and the Armani kits on Asian flights.
Inflight Safety Video
Around 5:52pm, boarding was completed and 2 minutes later, newspapers were offered although I declined. The captain also came on the PA to welcome us onboard and to give us some flight information, among other our flight time to Doha of 5 hours and 25 minutes and that the weather would be nice although it would get a bit bumpy on the last 2 hours of the flight. Pushback began at 6:03pm and the inflight safety video was also played on the screen.
Around 6:10pm, Avi was back to take my post departure beverage and my choice for dinner. I also asked not to be waken up for any further meals in case I'd be asleep.
Airshow
Dining
Then, the table was set, including bread and butter. I immediately noticed that they were using a trolley and asked about it. I was told that it depends on the load, and on this flight it was obvious they had to do the trolley service 😐
For appetizers, there was a choice between the Classic Arabic Mezze or the Smoked Salmon with pea and potato salad. I chose the latter which was exceptional 😋
Minutes after clearing my soup, Avi came to inform me that they were plating the main course. About 10 minutes later, she told me that the meat was still cold and they had to reheat them again.
My soup was served at 7:22pm while the main course was served after 40 minutes. Thank God it was worth the wait as the beef was very good 😋
The other choices for the main course were:
Arabic spiced chicken with machboos sauce
Paneer Tikka Masala with makhani sauce
There was also a light meal option which consisted of:
Assortment of hot savoury pastries
Fillet of beef in brioche roll sandwich
Onboard Bar
Lavatory
Airshow
Video Guide, Hamad International Airport
Around 10:55pm, the captain was back on the PA to give us updated flight information and that we'd start our descent in 10 minutes, landing in Doha at 11:50pm. Avi also came to my seat to thank me and to apologize once again for the issue with my main course, and offered more drinks although I declined.
We landed at Hamad International Airport at 11:47pm and reached our gate 8 minutes later, a few minutes ahead of schedule.
CONCLUSION
Qatar Airways is one of few airlines with Skytrax 5 Star Rating and I really think they deserve it. The business class cabin on the Boeing 787 is one of the best there is as it gives direct aisle access to each seat and the seats turn into fully flat beds. The salmon, squash soup and fillet of beef were all fantastic, and the main course being served late was just a small issue, as well as them using a trolley to serve the appetizers. The new amenity kit from Bric's and Castello Monte Vibiano were also very nice and a good alternative for the Armani one. Lastly, the crew in the business class cabin (who were mostly from the Philippines) made me feel more "at home" on this flight 😍
I don't have any future trips booked on Qatar Airways although it is very likely that I'd be flying with them more often since I have OneWorld emerald status and that Qatar Airways' business class is one of the best in my opinion. To all the crew on this flight, Shukran!
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