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 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 reached a settlement regarding this dispute in early 2023, and at this point most A350s are back into service, and the airline has also taken delivery of new A350s.
In the period when the A350s were grounded, Qatar Airways got 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 24 Airbus A350-1000s, and all of those jets feature Qsuites. This is the only aircraft type in the fleet where every plane features Qsuites. Qatar Airways is continuing to take delivery of these jets, and at this point none of the A350-1000s are grounded anymore.
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 56 of these, including five former Cathay Pacific jets and three former Virgin Australia jets. Of these planes, 38 feature Qsuites (~68%), 10 feature Qatar Airways’ old 2-2-2 business class (~18%), five feature Cathay Pacific’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~7%), and three feature Virgin Australia’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~5%).
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.
Some Airbus A350-900s have Qsuites
Qatar Airways has 34 Airbus A350-900s, and at the moment 11 of them remain grounded. These should be put back into service soon, as Qatar Airways works through the issues with these planes. Of the 23 A350-900s that are flying, 12 features reverse herringbone seats, while 11 feature Qsuites.
So while just under half of A350-900s in service feature Qsuites, you can expect that this percentage will decrease in the coming months, as the remaining 11 A350-900s returning to service all feature reverse herringbone seats. Once they’re all back in service, only roughly one-third of A350-900s will feature Qsuites, which is rough. While it would be nice if the airline reconfigured these jets, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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. With A350s returning to service once again, we’re seeing a bit more consistency. 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?
Booked JFK-DOH a few months ago and checked to make sure it had Q-Suites and booked a "K" seat (a backwards facing window Q-suite).
The flight is finally coming up next week and checked on my reservation to finalize my agenda. My seat is still "K" but I clicked on the "360 Degree View" of the cabin and was a bit shocked to see the ancient Old Business Class. Can it be that they have...
Booked JFK-DOH a few months ago and checked to make sure it had Q-Suites and booked a "K" seat (a backwards facing window Q-suite).
The flight is finally coming up next week and checked on my reservation to finalize my agenda. My seat is still "K" but I clicked on the "360 Degree View" of the cabin and was a bit shocked to see the ancient Old Business Class. Can it be that they have subbed the equipment and I'm going to be flying like its 2005? Or does Qatar just show the photo of that cabin for every flight (which would be both careless and poor marketing)?
I had the same thing happen to me for my flight in October. I think its just bad marketing since the app states that the flight is still qsuite. I’ve since changed my flight to one operated by an A350-1000 and there isn’t a 360 degree view for it, strangely
Please let us know what aircraft you ended up flying on. I have a booked flight for December and have the same issue, still advertising as qsuite however the 360 view is the old 777 cabin. I’m flying with my daughter and booked the double bed seats so it would be a bummer if they’ve swapped out but wouldn’t be the first time. Last year I didn’t get any notice only when I checked on the app I found out it’s the old configuration.
Finally someone addresses the last-minute aircraft swaps. A youtuber did that in the past and QR promised to do better. Well no. I fly a lot and QR is world champion where it comes to aircraft swaps. On my upcoming 4 flights on 2 of them planes are swapped. One of the flights was booked and paid (!) for in Qsuites and swapped to the old B777 2-2-2 configuration. Wow.
And yes, I do...
Finally someone addresses the last-minute aircraft swaps. A youtuber did that in the past and QR promised to do better. Well no. I fly a lot and QR is world champion where it comes to aircraft swaps. On my upcoming 4 flights on 2 of them planes are swapped. One of the flights was booked and paid (!) for in Qsuites and swapped to the old B777 2-2-2 configuration. Wow.
And yes, I do mind, because they do not communicate and assign seats themselves. When you do not pay attention, you notice that too late and you are not able to do anything. And customer service is not very helpful, sticking to their telephone script.
Since QR is charging for seat selection, I think that when they swap they should refund the costs. I pay for seats which I prefer and if my preferences are ignored I call that a non-performance eligible for refund. It would be great Ben, if you are able to write about this issue and ask about the experience of travellers.
Where it comes to Qsuites, they are quit OK, however, the interior is very, very dark als due to the dark colors used. On red eye flight: very good.
Can anyone confirm if the ORD-DOH QR726 is with QSuite? Every info I found online said this route is 777-300ER with QSuite, but when I'm trying to book through Qatar Airline site, they said it's 777-300ER with 177 recline seat. So confused...
Just correcting the math. Which are better odds, -78% or 78%?
Back here agai. Please, Ben. (-78%) is not good odds, (78%) is.
Quite honestly do not know why anyone would spend the time trying to provide to Qatar Q Suite flights. I have just taken my fourth Qatar flight , and last ever on the airline, having booked and paying foe an advertised Q Suite on an A350 , only to have it replaced . Once, twice I understand operational changes , 4/4 I find reprehensible and now believe only the worst of Qatar Airways. Their flight...
Quite honestly do not know why anyone would spend the time trying to provide to Qatar Q Suite flights. I have just taken my fourth Qatar flight , and last ever on the airline, having booked and paying foe an advertised Q Suite on an A350 , only to have it replaced . Once, twice I understand operational changes , 4/4 I find reprehensible and now believe only the worst of Qatar Airways. Their flight attendants are clearly trained to deflect as this is more common than an exception.
I have spent the past two years living on planes and in hotel rooms , at my own expense .
I understand the vagaries of the travel industry and what paying customers must endure.
I know of no other industry allowed to continue such deceptive and despicable practices !
Scheduling requirements forced me to take Qatar this last trip against my better judgment on planes and .
Never will I fly Qatar, unless it is a matter of life and death. There are luckily , other more comfortable RELIABLE airlines to choose from.
We all know the adage about not learning from the past !!
Not sure what to make of this statement. A significant proportion of Qatar's aircraft does have QSuites, so I cannot see why they would do aircraft swapping unless they absolutely have to. As you can imagine, they are working hard to get as many bums into QSuites, primarily because they believe it helps them build the brand.
Aircraft swapping is a nightmare. Especially when you are swapping to a different variant and need a...
Not sure what to make of this statement. A significant proportion of Qatar's aircraft does have QSuites, so I cannot see why they would do aircraft swapping unless they absolutely have to. As you can imagine, they are working hard to get as many bums into QSuites, primarily because they believe it helps them build the brand.
Aircraft swapping is a nightmare. Especially when you are swapping to a different variant and need a crew with different certifications. It usually starts a massive chain reaction and in many times also result with cancelled flights at the end of that chain (less so now, as some aircraft are still not back in service).
I would probably say this is more bad luck than anything, but I could be wrong...
I wish this was more coherent because I'm genuinely curious... you were downgraded 4 separate times from an aircraft with Q-Suites to one without? What routes were you flying?
We flew QA from SFO to DOH in February round trip in the Qsuite. It was THE best business class experience ever! We want to fly from SFO to CPT at the end of next year and want to use AA miles for business class. Does anyone know what’s going on with QA availability on AA? I have tried looking monthly and even 331 days out and there is no business class, on economy class. Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Ben, I was just googling for this information yesterday. You must be like Facebook and Google listening in on my conversations and tracking my searches.
Great product when you get it and it’s not until you’re actually in your seat do you know what type of seat you’re in , or if you’re lucky you may receive a text to advise of a seat change giving you a heads up
Does anyone know if Qatar is still refurbishing its non-Qsuite B777s? Or if there any plans to refurbish the non-Qsuite A350s and the 787-8s with the -9 business class?
@ Giannis Malles -- As far as I know, at this very moment Qatar Airways isn't refurbishing any existing jets with Qsuites, and I haven't heard of any concrete plans to do so. Perhaps the airline will once again consider this, now that more A350s are flying.