Qatar Airways has announced that members of its Platinum Privilege Club will now get access to the Al Safwa First Class Lounge at Hamad International Airport when they travel in business class.

Platinum members flying with any Oneworld member in business will get access to the lounge, which offers la carte dining, business facilities and a spa.

It should be noted, however, that top tier members of Oneworld (Emerald), will not get access.

This has been the case since the lounge opened, and means it will remain, for those frequent flyers, something viewed either through the door (you can’t see much, it’s quite a long corridor) or from photos. As a consolation, here are a few….

No prospect of Al Safwa Lounge opening to Emerald Oneworld travellers

The lounge is located on level three of Concourse B at Hamad International. Its website provides a virtual tour of the extensive facility.

Qatar Airways has been consistent in its communications about the lounge with regard to the prospect of opening it to Emerald members of Oneworld.

In 2017, the Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker told Business Traveller’s Editor, Tom Otley that “It is not a first class lounge. It is a lounge that is exclusive to Qatar Airways.”

The change means that while previously it could only be accessed by members of the Qatar programme flying in First, now it can be accessed by those in the programme flying business.

qatarairways.com