[KSHaggag]

When it is crisis time you see the difference between legacy European carriers in dealing with it and new start ups with fantastic food in business. Class but little experience in handling irregularities …especially if you are flying eco .

If u intend to fly Eco long haul then SQ is the best in my eyes or EK maybe ..

[skywards]

It would seem Qatar may have over estimated possible passenger numbers at AMS, word has it that they are about to downscale their service to AMS before it has even started and replace the Dreamliner with a B777.

[KSHaggag]

Hello Skywards ,

If I may just clarify that replacing Dreamliner 787-8 with a B777-300ER or even 200LR is not really a downscale but in the contrary it s a boost of capacity as the 777 is indeed larger than the 787-8 ,also in the case of QR the 777 Business Class is larger in terms of space in the cabin and nbrof seats ..also the Y cl cabin is larger than the 787-8 s..i think here in the case of QR ,if they decided to do so it s either because the 787-8 is delayed for delivery or they decided to deploy it on another route rotation ..the catch here is that the 777 is an old product already versus the Dreamliner ..

[RonBrown]

You will love it, Qatar 350 is fantastic, the lack of overhead bins makes an incredable difference and their seating is 100 times better than BA’s. Even the food is better!

[AMcWhirter]

Hello skywards and KSHaggag

As I have posted in another QR thread, the AMS-DOH service is being cut back from seven to six flights a week. That situation will remain until the end of the summer timetable in October.

It seems that the predicted passenger numbers haven’t materialised.

According to QR’s website, the plane type is still displayed as a B787.

[KSHaggag]

Thank you Alex for the update .

I would be really astonished to see a bigger 777 being deployed ,unless it is just marketing hype and QR wants the world to believe that the demand is overwhelming !!!!…..I doubt it very much .
Thanks Alex

[BrumTraveller]

I did a FRA/DOH/BKK return in March in business on the 359 and 77W. The seat is the same as on the 787. I love the personal space and easy aisle access you get from these reverse herringbone seats. Contrast that with the cramped BA CW seat I endured a couple of weeks age on a trip to CPT.

Crew on both 359 sectors were OK but a bit “by the numbers”. Crew on both 77W sectors were superb.

Excellent ground handling at DOH. I need a wheelchair transfer and on arrival from BKK the transit security area was a zoo. The assistant immediately called up a buggy and we went on a high speed tour of the airport to get to the transit security on the other side, which was empty.

Overall I think QR have it spot on for J class travel. I have a trip booked with QR for later on in the year with 4 sectors in F on the 380 so it will be interesting to see how the service is enhanced from J.

[MrDarwin]

I’ve just returned from Melbourne where we flew F from LHR to DOH and J the remainder of the way (LHR to DOH was an upgrade with Qcredits). All flights were exceptional and couldn’t really be faulted. We had an a340 from LHR to DOH, 777 DOH – MEL – DOH and the a380 back to LHR. The crews were all outstanding and I was pleased that on all legs they were very chatty and friendly which is a nice change from the sometimes scripted service I’ve had in the past. The bar on the a380 is a really beautiful space and they do serve Krug to J passengers in the bar too.

The only downside to the trip was that the lounge reception staff are not equipped to deal with operational issues. Sandstorms a day earlier meant our flight to Melbourne was delayed, and the availability of information about boarding and departure times was scarce to non-existent. We were twice sent to the gate to board to find that the inbound aircraft hadn’t even arrived yet and were sent back to the lounge again. Staff and a manager that I spoke to were all very stressed out and this projected onto their customers. QR have a fantastic flying experience but have a lot of learning to do when it comes to managing operational issues on the ground.

That said, I do look forward to flying QR again, for the prices offered it really is exceptional value for money.

[KSHaggag]

Hello Mr Darwin,

I read your note with great attention and focus and I can now say that it confirms my theory about new start ups ( I mean the GCC based carriers ) ,whet they do offer an outstanding inflight experience but on the ground they still have a long way to go .You noticed the less-than-perfect performance on the ground in case of irregularity while you were flying Business and First class ,so let s imagine how much stress your fellow Economy passengers had to cope with .
There still is some discrepancy in the standard of service extended to QR customers based on their origin/destination and type of aircraft .
I would imagine those flying the A380 ,the 787 and the A350 get some different value for their money compared to those flying the oldish A332 ..
We do admit QR is extending a superb standard of service on board in the Premium cabins ,so why on Earth are they heavily discounting their fares then ???…they say they are a five star airline ,so why not leverage this asset to boost their yields ?

[MrDarwin]

Hi KSHaggag

Re the service quality by their ground agents at the hub and in the ‘out stations’ (as the crew called them!), I guess this is just growing pains. They have a new and still expanding hub in Doha and new staff joining all the time to meet their growing passenger numbers and it’ll take time and experience to get it all right. I find their customer service quite receptive to feedback too so I take the time to provide it, both good and bad. I can’t comment on the service to economy passengers during disruptions, only to say that they were probably suffering from the same lack of information that I was and didn’t have somewhere as comfortable to sit and wait as I did.

I’ve flown on a refurbished a332 and I thought the product was excellent, I’ve also flown the older a320, a332, a333 and a340 in J and found them perfectly fine for day flights but wouldn’t be great for sleeping. The IFE needs to be upgraded in their older aircraft for sure, but it still beats the old IFE on a BA 747 or non refurbed 777 any day.

As for the often discussed super cheap fares – I’m no expert in airline business development, but my guess is that it’s to attract a new customer base and generate some loyalty as they expand to new destinations. Emirates previously offered such super cheap fares and notably don’t do so as often, or for some routes at all, any more – and I’m no longer Gold or Silver in Skywards either. I’m about to renew my Platinum tier in QR Priv Club so it’s clearly working for me for the time being anyway.

[inthesandpit]

Interesting reading.
The other half and i have been using (or had used) QR since 2003 on the LHR-DOH route to points east for vacation. We always travellled J or F. The original crews recruited were a mix of very experienced, if slightly mature western crew (a lot from GF) and new far eastern crew. Service was great, connecting through the original DOH was quiet then, and the premium terminal a great step forward.
Since coming to work in DXB in 2011 we continued to use them, but gradually saw service levels drop to a point that i have stopped using QR and i am a Platinum card holder until end 2015. Even with a 2 hrs transit in DOH my checked bags did not connect on a number of ocassions, cabin service was very clinical, aircraft types on the LHR route were mixed and not consistent. On more than one occasion i was told not asked by the cabin senior to change seat as a local family wanted my seat. Once i refused and was told that if i did not move i would be offloaded onto a later flight, as i had to be back in the UK i moved, only to find the seat occupied by a maid moved from Y class. I complained and was told there was nothing could be done, i wrote into QR and never recieved a reply.
There never seems to be any good fares on the LHR – DOH – DXB/DWC route these days and trying to use Qmiles, all flights seem to be double mileage.
For the moment I have gone back to BA CW as it is really the only option and the fares ex DXB are good value (i am a self financing traveller most of the time). The last few flights have been very good with excellent worldwide crew, who being more mature shall we say are more chatty and engaging. I often get asked at DXB check in if i want to upgrade to F for 2500AED – great value.
EK is a big NO for me after bad service to MAU a few years back and vowed never to use again, and they are very expensive on the LHR route.
VS is a non runner as you never know when they are going to ‘pull’ the route, rumour here in DXB is it wont last much longer.
If BA could get a 4th service and upgrade the always full 744 to an A380 that would be a boon, but i understand this is blocked by EK, funny how EK get what they want at LHR. Open skies mmmm?
But i digress – apologies

[RichardBall6]

Completely agree.

I cannot fault their product – spacious seats, dining on demand (important when flying from Australia to Europe), pyjamas and mattress, spacious bathroom (so that you can put on said pyjamas without contortions), fantastic lounge at LHR etc.

Just avoid their old aircraft – A340 ex LHR. Very cramped and a bit of a shock.

[KSHaggag]

Gentlemen,

I still iterate that QR is inconsistent and you can see a clear difference between the service levels and treatment based on your origin /destination as well as class of travel of course ,let alone the aircraft type .
Fly to/from Australia,US ,London ,Paris u get a different picture than on a flight to/from Bangkok ,Beirut ,Mumbai ,etc…
A so called five star carrier should demonstrate it across the board ,in all classes ,on all routes ..I do recall that the standards of service on board ten years ago within the Middle East /Near East region was far far superior to today s …
I would still love someone to share with me a comparison between the former Premium terminal in Doha and the current ( in my eyes average lounge) Al Mourjan …larger network,higher connectivity and declining standards .

[NTarrant]

KSHaggag – I have been using QR only over the last year so I can’t say about what has gone before. I have found the service level consistent and I have used them within the Middle East, UK and Africa. There are the odd member of cabin crew who do not perform as well as one might expect but generally I have not been disappointed with the service I have received in both F and J (not travelled in Y).

As for a comparison between the old and the new lounge, I like the open relaxed atmosphere of the new lounge as opposed to the old lounge. Not keen on the long walks in the new terminal but equally didn’t like the marathon bus journeys

[esselle]

Smith Haut Lafitte coming back up from DOH today. Don’t remember seeing that in any J cabins before.

[Author]

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