Qatar Airways is well known for being a world-class airline, regardless of which cabin you’re traveling in. Qatar Airways is probably most famous for its Qsuites business class. In this post, I wanted to look at how you can figure out whether your plane is scheduled to feature Qsuites or not and how to maximize your odds of getting this business class cabin.
In this post:
What is Qatar Airways Qsuites?
Qsuites is Qatar Airways’ business class product that was first introduced in 2017. There are many features that make Qsuites great, including that each seat has a door and that there are double beds in the center section for those traveling together. I’ve reviewed Qsuites several times, including on the Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 777-200LR, and Boeing 777-300ER.
Even nearly six years after Qsuites was introduced, this product isn’t yet available on all planes. The good news is that even if you’re on a flight not featuring Qsuites, you’ll probably still have a great experience, as Qatar Airways’ business class soft product is exceptional.
It’s also worth remembering that not all new wide body aircraft feature Qsuites. For example, Qatar Airways is taking delivery of 787-9s featuring new suites in business class, but these aren’t Qsuites. The reason for the new product is that these new seats are lighter and also better tailored to the fuselage of the 787.
Qatar Airways even claims to be working on a next generation Qsuites business class product, which should be introduced in the coming years. However, as of now there are virtually no details about that.
Which routes have Qatar Airways Qsuites?
There aren’t any routes that 100% consistently feature Qsuites. So first, let’s talk about how you can figure out whether your flight is scheduled to feature Qsuites, and then we’ll talk about which planes in the fleet feature Qsuites.
Look for a business class seat map with staggered seats
The easiest way to tell if your flight is scheduled to be operated with Qsuites is to look at the business class seat map:
- If your flight features Qsuites, it will have a staggered configuration with seats alternating between being forward and rear-facing; by staggered configuration, I mean that a seat in one row will be in a different position than a seat in the next row, as you can see in the below seat map diagram
- If your flight doesn’t feature Qsuites, it won’t have a staggered configuration; that’s to say that seats are in the same place in each row of business class
Why we’ve seen a lot of Qsuites inconsistency
For the past couple of years, Qatar Airways has had quite a bit of inconsistency when it comes to its fleet, and which flights feature Qsuites. In 2021, Qatar Airways grounded much of its A350 fleet due to a dispute with Airbus over the aircraft fuselage degrading at an accelerated rate.
This caused Qatar Airways to ground many of its A350s, and also caused the airline to stop taking delivery of new A350s. Fortunately Airbus and Qatar Airways have now reached a settlement regarding this dispute, and Qatar Airways has started putting grounded A350s back into service.
The airline has gotten creative with adding capacity, including bringing back Airbus A380s, leasing 777s from Cathay Pacific and Virgin Australia, and leasing A330s from Oman Air. None of these planes feature Qsuites.
Last-minute aircraft swaps happen
Even if you book a plane with Qsuites, just keep in mind that last-minute aircraft swaps can and do happen. You might have the type of aircraft for a particular flight swapped, or the same plane with a different configuration substituted.
We’ve seen quite a few aircraft swaps, especially in the past year, as the airline is continuously optimizing its schedule and fleet. So no matter what flight you book, just be warned that you might experience an aircraft swap.
Which planes have Qatar Airways Qsuites?
Qatar Airways has quite a varied wide-body fleet, including A380s, A350s, A330s, 787s, and 777s. The availability of Qsuites differs significantly between those aircraft types — in some cases, all planes have Qsuites, while in other cases, no planes have Qsuites.
So below is the availability of Qsuites by aircraft type, ranked from the aircraft type with the highest percentage of planes with Qsuites to the aircraft type with the lowest percentage of planes with Qsuites.
All Airbus A350-1000s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways currently has 19 Airbus A350-1000s, and all of those jets feature Qsuites. This is the only aircraft type in the fleet where every plane features Qsuites. We’ve just seen several grounded A350s put back into service, and at this point only one A350-1000 remains grounded.
Nearly all Boeing 777-200LRs have Qsuites
Qatar Airways has nine Boeing 777-200LRs, and seven of those feature Qsuites (the others feature business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration). So while it’s not guaranteed, you have good odds (~78%) of getting Qsuites when flying the 777-200LR.
Most Boeing 777-300ERs have Qsuites
The Boeing 777-300ER is the backbone of Qatar Airways’ fleet, as the carrier has 54 of these, including four former Cathay Pacific jets and two former Virgin Australia jets. Of these planes, 38 feature Qsuites (~70%), 10 feature Qatar Airways’ old 2-2-2 business class (~19%), four feature Cathay Pacific’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~7%), and two feature Virgin Australia’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~4%).
A while back Qatar Airways had a higher percentage of 777-300ERs with Qsuites, but some of the 777s with the old business class have been brought back into service. That was initially due to A350s being grounded, but these planes are now needed to keep up with Qatar’s huge network.
Most Airbus A350-900s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways has 34 Airbus A350-900s, though at the moment 21 of them are grounded. These should be put back into service soon, as Qatar Airways works through the issues with these planes. Of the 13 A350-900s that are flying, you can expect that a majority feature Qsuites.
So while a majority of Qatar Airways’ A350-900 fleet doesn’t feature Qsuites, a majority of the planes currently flying do. As more A350-900s are brought back into service, you can expect that the percentage of A350-900s with Qsuites will decrease.
No Boeing 787s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways has 41 Boeing 787s, including 30 Boeing 787-8s and 11 Boeing 787-9s (with many more to be delivered). None of these feature Qsuites.
Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-8s feature pretty standard reverse herringbone seats (similar to the old A350 configuration above), while Boeing 787-9s feature an all new business class that isn’t Qsuites.
No Airbus A380s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways had planned to retire its fleet of 10 Airbus A380s, but brought back eight in order to increase capacity. These planes don’t feature Qsuites in business class, but rather feature reverse herringbone seats, similar to what you’ll find on some A350-900s and all 787-8s. On the plus side, the A380 does have an onboard bar.
No Airbus A330s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways was supposed to retire its fleet of 14 Airbus A330s, including six A330-200s and eight A330-300s. The planes are still in service due to the A350 groundings, though. They’re mainly used for regional flights, and feature a 2-2-2 configuration. So no A330s have Qsuites, and there aren’t plans for any A330s to get Qsuites.
As mentioned above, Qatar Airways is also leasing some A330s from Oman Air, and these feature a superior product in business class. They have Apex Suites, which are in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Bottom line
Qatar Airways is known for its excellent Qsuites business class. While it has been six years since the product was introduced, you won’t yet find this on all of the carrier’s long haul jets. For that matter, Qatar Airways has introduced a new 787 business class product since then, so there aren’t even plans to install Qsuites on all jets.
Admittedly the percentage of planes with Qsuites has been adversely impacted by the A350 groundings, as Qatar Airways now has quite a varied fleet. Hopefully, the above is at least a useful rundown of what to expect in terms of your odds of getting Qsuites.
What has your experience been with Qatar Airways’ reliability for not swapping planes?
Any updates on QR getting rid of the A330s? Looking at tickets for Q1 of next year and they are still sending A330s on a number of flights to the Indian Subcontinent. Hopefully by then the A350 issues are resolved and they have A350s on those flights? Even if not Qsuites then at least it's a perfectly nice all aisle access product.
Are there really no routes that 100% consistently feature Qsuites? Whenever I need to get to Southeast Asia with Qatar Airways I would always fly to Singapore first as I found that all QR flights between DOH and SIN consistently have Qsuites, and I’ve never been hit with an equipment swap on this particular route. I wonder if there are other routes like this as well, maybe Tokyo?
The writer of MileLion wrote a recent trip review griping how his flight from SIN to DOH was swapped out for an older A350. Also, while most US destinations get Qsuites, there have been last minute swaps (as I'll likely experience on an upcoming PHL to DOH leg).
Oh wow, you’re right, I just read his review. What’s worse is that the seat map still showed Qsuites when he checked in online and he was only told of the last minute equipment swap at the gate.
I guess I’ve just been lucky enough to avoid this situation. My next trip to Singapore with Qatar Airways is next month, I really hope my luck continues and my seat stays as a Qsuite.
I know DOH-LAX/SFO/JFK consistently feature the QSuites.
with Qatar consistently doesn't equate to guaranteed
Had two qsuite flights in February, both swapped out the last minute. Chicago to Doha, and, Doha to Manila. Makes me not trust Qatar. Bait and switch.
Can i fly from HRW to MUM please thank you. I really need to go from London to Mumbai. Thank you Quatter Airlines.
I Booked few seats for my family during May/Hone time frame few months ago to PHL. I liked the 4 seat configuration that can be merged. Just recently they had a equipment switch to 777 -330ER 2-2-2 seat configuration. I wish i booked thru some other airlines. Its too late for me to re-book. Next time will try different airline.
Ben, Airbus reinstated the QR A350 and A321neo orders as part of their settlement. In the February report of orders and deliveries, Airbus shows that on Feb 1 QR ordered 50 A321neos and 23 A350-1000 and hence a total of 73 outstanding deliveries.
https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/market/orders-and-deliveries
So yes, QR will still be getting 23 A351.
Qatar has such an inconsistent product, I don't think it's worth booking for an aspirational award at this time.
Booked a Q-suites flight from JFK->DOH (connecting onto MLE in a non- Q-suites config) for my honeymoon and was hit by an equipment swap to the 777 with 2-2-2 layout on 3/8 (Swap literally happened day of departure so I couldn't even change things around).
Felt like such an idiot after talking up Q-Suites so much before the trip.
I flew QR Washington Dulles - Doha in March. When I originally booked it, it was Q Suites. HOwever, a month in advance, it switched to a 777-200LR with no Q Suites. QR has a policy where you can switch to another date if your flight switches to no q suites after you have booked q suites. However, I booked through AA miles, and was out of luck as AA had no availablity.
I flew...
I flew QR Washington Dulles - Doha in March. When I originally booked it, it was Q Suites. HOwever, a month in advance, it switched to a 777-200LR with no Q Suites. QR has a policy where you can switch to another date if your flight switches to no q suites after you have booked q suites. However, I booked through AA miles, and was out of luck as AA had no availablity.
I flew the flight and was pleasantly surprised. I found the seat spacious and comfortable. Service was excellent and food quality very good. Slept well.
This contrasted sharply with my return on Turkish Airlines in their 787. While it was supposed to be better because of the all aisle access, I found the seats were narrow, they had a weird shell around them that restricted viewing through the window and made the seat narrow, and found the service to be extremely slow and annoying.
I way preferred my non-Q suites flight on Qatar to my flight on Turkish, and I was surprised.
The non-Q 777-200LR seems to have been a regular feature (following flightradar 24) on Dulles, Dallas, JFK, and several flights to the Seychelles. NOw things seem to be changing with the restoration of service by the Airbus A350s.
For reference, it seems like tail numbers A7-BBF and A7-BBH (my plane) are the two 777-200LRs without Q.
If you're looking for registrations specifically for the A350,
A7-ALA to X are configured with reverse herringbone seating.
A7-ALY, A7-ALZ and the A7-AMx series are configured with QSuites
A7-ANx series is also configured with QSuites.
Doesn't their website specifically note on a flight when purchasing that it has (or doesn't have) QSuites?
Or is that not accurate? Realize there could be aircraft swaps post purchase but it's no different than using this detailed information to inform a speculative purchase correct?
The web site does note when a flight has q suites. It's actually pretty good at always indicating it, ime.
In an ideal world Qatar Airways' website should be perfect at always indicating it, so "pretty good" isn't good enough.
'but unfortunately Airbus has canceled this contract'
Airbus has reinstated the contract, it now says 23 A35Ks for Qatar in Airbus orders.