On paper, it’s the pinnacle of air travel – flying in the No.1 business-class seat on the No.1 airline.
What’s it like in reality, though?
I find out. In a journey with a twist.
I fly from London Heathrow to Doha in the Qsuite – named World’s Best Business Class 2024 in the ‘Oscars of Aviation’ Skytrax awards – on a Boeing 777-300 operated by Qatar Airways, honoured in the awards as the World’s Best Airline for an unprecedented eighth time.
The twist? I return from the Qatari capital in Qatar Airways’ 777 economy class to discover if ‘world’s best’ also applies to the seats at the back of the plane.
Read on for the full verdicts, from the lounges to the legroom and from the food to the flight attendants (one of whom spritzes the bathroom with scent before I enter).
BUSINESS-CLASS QSUITE – LONDON HEATHROW TO HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, DOHA, FROM £3,044/$3,777. CABIN CONFIGURATION – 1-2-1
Check-in and the lounge – Terminal 4
Ted Thornhill puts Qatar Airways’ business class and economy cabin head to head on flights between Heathrow and Doha. His journey begins at the London hub’s Terminal 4, where he pays a visit to Qatar Airways’ swanky lounge (above)
Ted’s breakfast at the Qatar Airways Terminal 4 lounge
Qatar Airways’ Heathrow flights depart from Terminal 4, where business-class passengers check in behind an eye-catching lattice screen in a lounge area bedecked with modish furniture.
A member of staff beckons me to a chair and I’m offered a beverage while I wait to be called forward to one of the desks, where baggage is processed by ever-smiling staff.
It’s an oasis of calm compared to the bustling economy check-in and a very pleasant start to proceedings.
Once I’m through the fast-track security I make a beeline for the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge, which is premium through and through and accessed via an ethereal glowing lattice-effect walkway.
Inside is a world of eye-widening flower displays, luxury ensuite bathrooms, weighty tablecloths and gourmet-restaurant levels of service.
In the eyes of the staff here – you’re royalty.
THE CABIN
Qsuite seat – 2B. Cabin configuration – 1-2-1
Qatar Airways business-class fares from Heathrow to Doha start from £3,044/$3,777. Above is the type of plane Ted flies in – a Boeing 777-300
Ted settles in to his Qsuite berth – 2B – which is towards the front of a cabin that has a 1-2-1 configuration
Ted describes his business-class seat as being ‘a cross between a bedroom, living room and cinema’. He adds: ‘The seat is enormous and outstandingly comfortable, with 6ft 5in of legroom when in lie-flat mode’
The ergonomics ‘are perfect, with the buttons for the seat, the many charging points and the screen controller all arranged within easy reach in a row on a curved wall’
My ride is a Boeing 777-300ER and my seat, 2B, a slice of heaven at 37,000ft that’s a cross between a bedroom, living room and cinema.
The seat is enormous and outstandingly comfortable, with 6ft 5in of legroom when in lie-flat mode.
Flush to my left is a huge storage compartment with a padded lid that, when down, gives the seat the look of a mini sofa.
Extra comfort comes courtesy of a quilted mattress; a soft, plush blanket; a brace of pillows; slippers and flour-soft pyjamas.
And the colour palette – greys, creams and the airline’s signature burgundy – helps make the space extra tranquil and inviting.
So far, so ‘world’s best’.
The ergonomics, meanwhile, are perfect, with the buttons for the seat (infinitely adjustable), the many charging points (including USB and HDMI) and the screen controller all arranged within easy reach in a row on a curved wall.
LEFT: The seat ‘has the look of a mini sofa’ when the storage compartment is closed. RIGHT: Lotions offered in the souvenir Diptyque amenity kit, which also contains socks and a sleep mask
On the goodies front, there’s a very-nice-indeed, black souvenir amenity kit by Diptyque generously populated with lotions and potions, including eau de toilette, face cream and lip balm.
I also love the little ‘curtains’ built into the bag that stop items tumbling out when you unzip it.
Privacy door? But of course. And once that’s shut, you’ll wish that your flight, no matter the length, was even longer.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
The touchscreen TV is a cinematic 22 inches in diameter [see video], crystal clear, responsive and the supplied over-ear headphones good quality, so whatever your entertainment of choice from the Oryx One menu, you’ll be fully immersed in it.
One standout feature is the ability to summon the flight map and display it in-screen during a movie, and move it with a finger into a corner so you can enjoy the film and see where you are in the world.
And for a trolley-dolly-load of bonus points – there’s Elon Musk’s Starlink service, which offers full-fat Wi-Fi for the duration of the flight without the brow-furrowing rigmarole of creating an account or a password. A mid-flight speed test of the connection yields an impressive 68.6 megabits per second download speed – easily brisk enough for movie streaming.
FOOD AND SERVICE
LEFT: The business-class breakfast menu. RIGHT: The business-class all-day dining menu
Ted’s breakfast spread comprises Greek yoghurt with blueberry compote, pastries and an omelette with chicken sausage
Yum’s the word: For lunch, Ted opts for a classic Arabic mezze for his starter (above). He says the meals are ‘beautifully laid out’
The lunch main course is rigatoni pasta. ‘The food is consistently delicious,’ says Ted
The cheese course – Normandy Camembert, Stilton and Melusine goat cheese
The service on my flight purrs. The crew are quietly joyful, courteous to a tee and supremely attentive and thoughtful.
For example, the head cabin attendant spritzes the bathroom with scent before I enter (I’ve never witnessed this on a flight before) and when he spots me drinking a bottle of water, he appears with a fresh one to save me asking for another. Later on, when he sees me stretching to open the air vent, he glides over to assist and check the temperature of the suite is ok.
If flight-attending was an Olympic sport, this chap would be a medal contender. (And he’d probably spritz the podium with scent for the other winners before ascending.)
The praise-o-meter needle continues to nudge the 10 out of 10 mark for the catering.
The meals are beautifully laid out with elegant cutlery and a cute little lantern – and the food is consistently delicious, from the Greek yoghurt with blueberry compote and ricotta omelette for breakfast to the classic Arabic mezze and rigatoni pasta I have for my main meal.
By the time I’ve nibbled at the cheese course – Normandy Camembert, Stilton and Melusine goat cheese – I feel contentedly replete.
DISEMBARKING
I’m met off the aircraft by a lovely lady from Al Maha Services, a VIP meet-and-greet option available to Qatar Airways’ passengers at Hamad International Airport. She steers me away from the huge queue at border control and into a tranquil lounge where I’m offered refreshments and told I can exit through passport control at my leisure.
So VIP it’s almost surreal.
CONCLUSION
Ted says that there is a halo encircling the entire business-class experience
Qatar Airways’ Qsuite business-class offering lives up to the ‘world’s best’ billing whichever angle you look at it from, with a halo encircling the entire experience, from the check-in to the flight.
THE RETURN IN ECONOMY – HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO HEATHROW – FROM £648/$804. CABIN CONFIGURATION – 3-3-3
It’s almost worth flying to Doha simply to experience the breathtaking futurescape that is Hamad International Airport – a hub that’s an AI interpretation of a space-age airport brought to life.
It’s a world of gleaming floors; soaring, curved roofs; indoor tropical forests; and dazzling designer retail outlets from Gucci to Hermes.
Ted admires Hamad International Airport on the return leg, a hub he describes as ‘an AI interpretation of a space-age airport brought to life’
There’s even a Dior spa and an outrageously eye-catching Louis Vuitton lounge with food by three-Michelin-star French chef Yannick Alleno.
Plane delays here are almost welcome.
I arrive at my departure gate for my (sadly on-time) 777 starry-eyed from the glamour.
My berth is 23A, which is one of the dreaded window seats with no actual window. But there is untamed legroom as it’s an emergency exit seat, with a divider wall about five feet away.
Plus, I’m able to jump up and visit the loo without disturbing anyone.
Ted’s economy berth is 23A – ‘one of the dreaded window seats with no actual window’. However, Ted enjoys ‘untamed’ exit-door legroom and says his berth is potentially the best economy seat he’s ever tried
The seat itself? Potentially the best economy seat I’ve ever tried. I love the burgundy hue, and it’s impressively padded, wide, and boasts effectively engineered headrest wings that prevent irksome head lolling.
Economy passengers are also furnished with a grey blanket and a small white cushion.
Does it pass the numb-bum test? Almost. I feel very comfortable for a good six hours of the 7hr 30-minute flight, which is impressive for an economy seat.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
Ted describes his economy entertainment screen (above) as a ‘corker’
Well, here’s a first – the free over-ear headphones are actually not terrible.
In fact, they are – pinch-test to check I’m not dreaming – quite good, a description that elevates them to potentially being the best economy headphones in aviation.
They have comfortable non-slip padding and the sound quality is perfectly reasonable.
The touch screen, meanwhile, is a corker – big (12 inches in diameter), vibrant and quick to respond.
Plus, joy of sweet joys, the Starlink Wi-Fi system is in operation for the back of the plane, too.
FOOD AND SERVICE
Above is Ted’s economy dinner, with a chicken and pasta stew main course that Ted describes as ‘succulent and fresh’
The service in economy on my flight is stellar – barely distinguishable in terms of sincere warmth, attentiveness and courtesy from business class.
This is a crew that is motivated, well-drilled and very smartly turned out. This team could hit the catwalk.
And the food? Perfectly good. I enjoy my (succulent and fresh) chicken, tomato and pasta stew main course and the lightly spicy chicken pastry snack I’m offered shortly before we begin our descent.
At the end of the flight, as with business class, I’m asked for my feedback on the experience.
‘Very good all round’ is my response. And I disembark feeling about as sprightly as it’s possible to feel after seven-hours-plus in the back of a plane.
CONCLUSION
Understandably, the Qsuite earns Qatar Airways the most gushing praise, but my trip underscores how the carrier is certainly not a one-trick Arabian mare, with exacting standards maintained throughout the entire aircraft.
The world’s best airline? It looks that way from seats 2B and 23A.
