Qatar Airways A380 First Class Award Space

Do you have an Asiana A380 flight planned?

@ Stuart Falk -- Yep, very soon. 🙂

Any idea why Etihad is not releasing the SFO-AUH award space? Been waiting since they announced it!

@ Apu -- No clue, it's very odd. Have been monitoring closely as well.

not too useful for US readers, nobody is going to route via Doha back to Europe. however if you can snag C/F on a US flight you'll be quite happy as the product is superior to Emirates.

Lucky, I love how you write. You make me wanna be a better flyer.

Hey Lucky! Does USDM charge taxes on Qatar Airways or any other OW carriers?

Thanks for the heads up Lucky. We had QR42 booked but just jumped on QR40 for next May. Hopefully they will have the aircraft by then 😉

What about flying on the Etihad a380? 😉

is there a fuel surcharge on qatar redemption?

But if they don't meet there dates, and there is an equipment swap, aren't you SOL?

seriously amazing looking product. such a shame that the flight is so short (relatively). And given that I have no desire to go to DOH, I'll probably never get to fly this plane.

i think it looks quite on par with world's best first class products...

Ben, thanks for this. Could you also do a post on Qatar business class availability trends?
I do find their availability spotty (like other OW carriers) and there seem to be times where weeks and weeks are blocked out for award space availability (e.g. from 23 July to end of Aug). They do release some a few days out.

I love their product but I'm having difficulty finding premium space.

@ Lou -- Taxes yes, but no fuel surcharges except on Iberia and British Airways.

@ RDP -- Hah, still working on that!

@ naif -- Nope!

@ Chris K -- Yes, there's some risk if you're booking it solely to fly the A380. But by the middle of next year I have a hard time imagining they won't have A380s yet.

@ Victor -- Wrote about their business class trends here:
https://onemileatatime.com/qatar-airways-award-availability-trends/

When are you flying? got one scheduled on the 31st from ICN.

It's also the same cost in miles if you fly from the Indian Subcontinent to Europe. So if you want to try the 787 and the A380 on Qatar Airways, do BLR-DOH-CDG, for example.

Lucky! CDG-DOH OW fares with American Advantage 40000 points, with BA 70000 points.
If I use AA miles is the availability and the taxes are the same as on BA website?

@ Mary -- They're lower with American, since they don't impose fuel surcharges.

Thanks and the availabilty the same as on BA site? Or do I have to call AA to know that and for booking?

@ Mary -- Availability should be the same.

Hi,
Is this correct? as per above :
"American charges 30,000 AAdvantage miles for one-way business class between Europe and the Middle East, and 40,000 miles for one-way first class"

Isn't it 50K AAdvantage miles for business?
Thanks!

@ Semi-Precious -- Nope, prices are correct.

Hey Lucky,

I just noticed that the seat map on my reservation notes that the F cabin is on the top deck, arent most F cabins on the 380 on the lower deck?

@ Tyler -- It goes both ways. Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, and Thai have first class on the upper deck, for example.

Thaaannnks Lucky!!!!
I had QR38 (A346) booked but after your post, U$60 to jump on QR40 (A388) for next April.
So excited 8)

Hi Lucky
What the hell going with BA executive club award booking???as soon as the booking involved a foreign carrier ut kept showing the message to call executive club desk,i cant finalise any booking out of BA or AA.

@ Denis Colli -- Awesome, enjoy!

@ Mo -- Yeah, the website does seem to be pretty glitchy lately, unfortunately.

Tangentially related to QR A380 service, is there anything better than ba.com to search for award space?Looking to book US to Africa via DOH with AAdvantage miles but it is not showing award space on any of the direct routes that QR flies to DOH. aa.com is, of course, useless here as well...

Just checked the QR availability via BA website for flights on Nov. 24 from LHR to DOH. BA only shows four flights QR006 / 012 / 002 (Three of A340) / 016 (A319) daily but no QR004 (A380) and QR008 (B787). Contact CX Marco Polo Club and agent found some F award space, but system will reject it and provide alternative flight to QR012, even system displayed QR004 F award is available for redemption. CX agent spent about an half hour to verify, and so far only Nov. 29 (from Nov. 10 to Nov. 30) is available and finally got a confirmed F award for me.

Weird. Just contaced CX MPC and agent superisly found one seat available on Nov. 24 for QR004 by A380 F and QR938 to Singapore by B787 C.....so Luck!

@ Gustav -- Not really anything better, as far as I know.

Hi Lucky,

I have an opportunity to fly CDG-DOH in First on either the 777 or A340 service...which do you recommend? Are these new first products? Or should I try and route from another European city to get a better plane 🙂

Thanks!

Stacey

@ stacey -- The 777s don't have first class. Just select A330s and A340s do.

Thanks Lucky! How's the F product on the A340's? Is it new (like the upcoming A380's?) Or would you recommend Business on the 787 from BRU for example?

@ stacey -- Here's the first class product:
https://onemileatatime.com/five-star-virgin-qatar-airways-first-class-from-london-lhr-to-doha-doh/

All else being equal I would do first over business, but comparatively 787 business class is a better business class product than A340 first class is a first class product.

Seems like they are blocking it again, can't find the 380 flights to CDG or LHR via the BA tool for 2015. The 3-4 other LHR flights seem to have good availability though.

It seems for me too, that they blocked Business and First. I'm trying to take QR2 from LHR-DOH on June 3rd, but they only have economy 😛

Looks like they've reverted back to A340 and A330 for next June DOH-LHR per BA.com

@ fauxblogger -- They probably just haven't gotten around to updating the summer schedule.

I want to try Qatar F class on the 380 and was thinking to relocate and fly from LHR on one of my upcoming trips.
But i cant see any award space on any flights, short or long term, on F class 380 to or from LHR.

Has their policy changed again? Or is it only available for the top tier ppl?

@ Mark -- Nope, they still make some space available last minute, but it requires a lot of flexibility. Make sure you're also checking space out of CDG. You need to be very, very flexible.