Hello from Perth! I’m just in the middle of a quick surprise round the world trip with my dad. After flying Etihad Airways’ Boeing 787 first class and Qatar Airways’ Boeing 737 MAX first class, our next segment was from Doha to Perth in Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 first class. This was a pretty cool flight, as we had the first class cabin all to ourselves, which is always a treat.
As y’all know, I’m a huge fan of Qatar Airways’ inflight product. I think the carrier’s long haul business class and short haul first class are the best in the world. By comparison, Qatar Airways’ long haul first class is quite unmemorable. While I’ll have a full trip report soon, I wanted to share some initial thoughts.
In this post:
Qatar Airways isn’t really committed to first class
To start, I think it’s important to understand Qatar Airways’ philosophy with long haul first class. Over the years, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has gone on record as saying that there’s no need for first class at the airline, because the carrier’s famous Qsuites business class is so good.
Now, while we can debate the merits of that statement, the reality is that this mentality is reflected in Qatar Airways’ fleet strategy. Qatar Airways isn’t installing first class on any of its newly delivered jets at the moment. The airline only has long haul first class on the handful of Airbus A380s that are currently in service, as well as a few Boeing 777s that Qatar Airways took over from Cathay Pacific.
Qatar Airways does have some Boeing 777-9s on order, and the airline might install a first class product on those planes, though in light of delays, it’s anyone’s guess when those aircraft are delivered.
My point is simply that Qatar Airways is obviously focused on offering a world class business class product, and first class is less of a priority. Fair enough, I guess…
Qatar Airways’ elegant A380 first class cabin
Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 first class cabin is incredibly elegant, no doubt. First class is located at the front of the upper deck, and consists of eight seats, spread across two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. These seats aren’t cutting edge, but I find them to be really cozy and comfortable.
When you have the first class cabin all to yourself, who really needs doors anyway? 😉
While the A380 doesn’t onboard showers, unlike at Emirates, there are two huge lavatories at the front of the cabin.
Furthermore, there’s a shared first and business class bar behind business class, which I think is even prettier than Emirates’ A380 bar (though the drink selection isn’t as impressive).
At this point the A380 cabins aren’t cutting edge (especially compared to Qatar’s newer aircraft), and there are a few things in particular that I don’t like:
- Qatar Airways has OnAir Wi-Fi on its A380s, which is nearly unusable when it’s functioning properly, and on this flight it was even broken altogether
- I don’t like how you can’t view the entertainment options through the huge screen, but rather only through the handheld monitor, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to browse hundreds of entertainment options
- The AC power outlet is poorly designed, because it’s deep inside a compartment, so I couldn’t even plug in my computer charger, because it has one of those “boxes” around it
Qatar Airways’ average first class soft product
Here’s where Qatar Airways first class feels like an afterthought. Qatar Airways business class is absolutely amazing, with a better experience than you’ll find on just about any airline. The catch is that you get almost the same experience in first class.
The pajamas and amenity kits are the same.
The bedding is virtually the same.
A vast majority of the food and beverage options are the same. The way that tables are set is the same.
Qatar Airways first class is basically business class, but with more attentive service, better champagne, and caviar. Other than that, it’s virtually identical. Personally I’d almost rather fly a Qatar Airways A350 with Qsuites and high speed Wi-Fi than a Qatar Airways A380 first class with virtually unusable Wi-Fi.
I feel like Qatar Airways and Emirates Airline are almost the opposite in their approach to first class. Emirates’ business class is lackluster (especially on the 777, which is the backbone of the carrier’s fleet), while Emirates goes all-in on its first class soft product, from unlimited caviar, to Dom Perignon, to Hennessy Paradis.
Meanwhile Qatar Airways has one of the best business class products in the world, while I’d say its first class is just middle of the pack. The whole thing is strange to me, because Qatar Airways is laser focused on its passenger experience. If you’re going to offer one of the best business class products in the world, wouldn’t you expect first class to be similarly competitive?
And like I said, this is only an “issue” because Qatar Airways’ business class is so good. If a company sells two luxury goods and one is significantly more expensive than the other, I think it’s reasonable to expect it to be a bit more differentiated.
Bottom line
We had a great flight in Qatar Airways’ A380 first class, especially as we had the cabin to ourselves. However, I have to agree with Qatar Airways’ CEO, in saying that there’s no need for the airline to have first class, because its business class is so good. Or at a minimum, the airline chooses not to differentiate its first class product all that much from business class, and I’m not sure the airline is doing itself any favors with that.
What’s your take on Qatar Airways’ A380 first class?
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your review as always.
I booked Qatar DOH-SYD in F using AA Miles, but was only getting one seat per day, which mean my spouse an me are flying on two different days in October 2023.
What is the trick to get two seats in F on the same day?
Very close to departure? Or something I don`t know?
Thank you all for you input.
Ulli
checking on AA.com you can see 1 seat daily is released in first week of June, also if you check on CX website, there are 2-3 seats available on a few flights in early June, availability is decent on this flight for June, about 100k AA or 110k aisamiles one way.
Have flown Qatar both in J and F. F is a more comfortable seat. Service is a bit more attentive in F. With F if in Doha you get access to the F lounge. So no they are not the same. That being said if someone wasn’t going to be able to use the F lounge then I don’t see the value in F over J. I only flew F because it was only slightly more miles than J and I wanted to see the F lounge. Now that I have I will probably only fly J going forward.
The On board bar on the A380 is definitely a winner
You get to chat with new people on long haul flights ✈️
I've flow Qatar A380 First before (free upgrade at the gate which was a very welcome suprise) and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the experience I recall no overhead luggage compartments (so had to store bags in a weird cupboard at the front), plus there were no individual air-conditioning outlets/controls - I usually avoid any airline that doesn't have personal air-outlets as 90% of the time the cabin temp is set way too high for me....
I've flow Qatar A380 First before (free upgrade at the gate which was a very welcome suprise) and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the experience I recall no overhead luggage compartments (so had to store bags in a weird cupboard at the front), plus there were no individual air-conditioning outlets/controls - I usually avoid any airline that doesn't have personal air-outlets as 90% of the time the cabin temp is set way too high for me. However, must admit the cabin temp with Qatar was nicely set and so that didn't become an issue. Agree with the review, it's a solid experience but not as good as you think it should be given Qatar's leading Business Class.
I think this comment captures what QS is going for here: exclusivity. And for some folks, that's worth the upgrade. I had the F cabin to myself on a KE flight in March from ICN to AMS (thanks to an operational upgrade from J) on their 777 and I've never felt more spoiled in the air.
The issue is that Qatar Business is superior to many third world airlines First Class such as Qantas.
More a personal opinion.
IMHO agree with you when it comes to the F&B offering. QF catering in F is dire (though it is in J also). Even BA F catering is better and that is saying something!
However, I would prefer the QF F seat, cabin and crew any day compared to Qsuite.
Any chance of a Perth fan meetup whilst you’re passing through? You’ve come all this way! The observation decks at Perth Airport would be a great spot.
So you're saying if you're flying on the A380, then stick to business class with the reverse herringbone seat? Does Qatar have that many routes where both the A380 and a plane with Qsuites are both offered and you can choose?
It is rare for a non Australia route at QR to have a sole frequency on the 380 and for a multi-frequency route to only have the 380. So you should be fine.
The only exception I can think of off the top of my head is CAN back when they first got the 380.
I just got a free ops upgrade from J to F on my recent flight BKK-DOH and I totally aggree with Ben.
I flew F 2 times and J with older seats and QSuites many times before.
Thanks God, I didn't pay for this "First" Experience:
Same bedding, same amenity kit and even same (small) size of the menue cards like in Business... and on top, after 2 glasses of my favourite Chardonnay, the...
I just got a free ops upgrade from J to F on my recent flight BKK-DOH and I totally aggree with Ben.
I flew F 2 times and J with older seats and QSuites many times before.
Thanks God, I didn't pay for this "First" Experience:
Same bedding, same amenity kit and even same (small) size of the menue cards like in Business... and on top, after 2 glasses of my favourite Chardonnay, the crew needed to apologize, because they ran out of this and ANY other white wine in F....puh....
Only the comfortable seat is on the plus side...
Not sure whats the big deal with Caviar. There fish can live more than 100 years unless they get overfished so the people can have some overly salted fish eggs.
Fish roe tastes good and is good for you. It also is much more of a nose to tail approach.
My workaround to try out Al Safwa lounge without a copay on recent itenarary to get from India to USA on single Aadvantage award at 70k miles in business class was to fly DEL -> AUH -> DOH -> JFK with the first leg to Abu Dhabi being on Etihad and the remaining two legs on Qatar with AUH -> DOH being categorized as first class. This resulted in about a 7 hour layover in...
My workaround to try out Al Safwa lounge without a copay on recent itenarary to get from India to USA on single Aadvantage award at 70k miles in business class was to fly DEL -> AUH -> DOH -> JFK with the first leg to Abu Dhabi being on Etihad and the remaining two legs on Qatar with AUH -> DOH being categorized as first class. This resulted in about a 7 hour layover in DOH with access to Al Safwa lounge which I wouldn't have had had I flown DEL -> DOH directly on Qatar which also had award seat available and with nearly same amount of layover time and same 70k AA miles!
Flew this product last month SYD-DOH. Had such high expectations but was abit underwhelmed. All 8 seats were taken. Found the bar rather sub par. The EK bar is much more fun.
Given how demand is at the moment i think QR will have to keep these birds flying and i hope they do. But they should try pipe up the First service abit.
As a fairly not-tall person, and one that's getting older, I'm finding that I'm just as fine with J anymore. When I started this game I had a list of all the F products I wanted to fly because I wanted to tick the box saying I'd done it. Basically AF and LH are the only ones I cared to fly that I've not yet. But these days - on the 30s/40s cusp, the "getting...
As a fairly not-tall person, and one that's getting older, I'm finding that I'm just as fine with J anymore. When I started this game I had a list of all the F products I wanted to fly because I wanted to tick the box saying I'd done it. Basically AF and LH are the only ones I cared to fly that I've not yet. But these days - on the 30s/40s cusp, the "getting there is half the fun" maxim doesn't hold as true. I eat, drink a bit, then sleep...whether in J or F. And since I'm spending most of the flight asleep anyway, the the perceived luxury of F just isn't there anymore. I'm more excited about getting to my destination in comfort and rested. I'll always love the ability to travel in F, but it's no longer a bucket list thing.
They could do so much to differentiate First from Business.
From small details like your slippers pointing away from you when you wake up regardless of which way they were pointing when you went to sleep, to major things like an inflight concierge who can arrange things for you which are otherwise "impossible" (getting into a fully booked trendy restaurant on a Saturday night in London for instance), to a proper limousine service (and...
They could do so much to differentiate First from Business.
From small details like your slippers pointing away from you when you wake up regardless of which way they were pointing when you went to sleep, to major things like an inflight concierge who can arrange things for you which are otherwise "impossible" (getting into a fully booked trendy restaurant on a Saturday night in London for instance), to a proper limousine service (and not in an A6 "Or Similar" - in a Flying Spur or Maybach) anywhere you want to go within hundreds of miles of your destination, to a luggage concierge who has your cases off the belt ready for you when you enter the terminal, etc etc. None of this would require a change in hard product either.
They simply don't care
I'm 6'4" and the seat is waaaay better than Qsuites if you're tall. My feet get a little cramped in Qsuites. As some other people touched on, the real highlight is having access to the Al Safwa lounge. I'm a little bit of an Avgeek, so we picked the 22 hour layover when we flew and had an amazing time in the lounge and sleeping rooms. We were able to book Qsuites from the USA...
I'm 6'4" and the seat is waaaay better than Qsuites if you're tall. My feet get a little cramped in Qsuites. As some other people touched on, the real highlight is having access to the Al Safwa lounge. I'm a little bit of an Avgeek, so we picked the 22 hour layover when we flew and had an amazing time in the lounge and sleeping rooms. We were able to book Qsuites from the USA to Doha to Sydney on this route for only 112.k Asia miles which was a steal with the double transfer bonus a while back so it was only 84k total points from Amex.
My wife and I just flew this route last month, and we also had the cabin to ourselves. Having flown QSuites many times, I would agree that the food and PJs/amenity kits are exactly the same. But the F seats on the A380, while dated, are much more comfortable, especially while sleeping.
We each had our own private bathrooms and a very attentive staff of 4 who made sure we wanted for nothing. The purser...
My wife and I just flew this route last month, and we also had the cabin to ourselves. Having flown QSuites many times, I would agree that the food and PJs/amenity kits are exactly the same. But the F seats on the A380, while dated, are much more comfortable, especially while sleeping.
We each had our own private bathrooms and a very attentive staff of 4 who made sure we wanted for nothing. The purser greeted us with, "welcome to your private jet!" when we boarded, and it truly felt like this for the entirety of the flight.
The QSuites may be newer and shinier, but I would take the A380 F experience all day long.
So that the OP is aware - you can view the selection of entertainment on the big screen - I was able to do this myself on recent SYD to DOH A380 in First. You need to go into "Remote" mode and it works - not super obvious but this was the solution
I am taking this same exact flight in a couple of days, I hope we end up the only ones in the cabin as well! (I had a strong feeling you were heading to Perth when I saw you starting a Qatar trip haha)!
Totally agree Qatar first is very ordinary but occasionally reward seats are available for the same avios as business and the Al Safwa lounge is the best lounge in the world.
When comparing the Qatar A380 F to the Qatar QSuites, yes, there is an "insufficient differentiation" problem. But when comparing the Qatar A380 F to the A380 J, then there is enough of a gap that it makes sense. But then again, they are looking at the A380 as a short term "stopgap" measure that they want to eventually phase out so in the long term when they phase it out their J lineup will...
When comparing the Qatar A380 F to the Qatar QSuites, yes, there is an "insufficient differentiation" problem. But when comparing the Qatar A380 F to the A380 J, then there is enough of a gap that it makes sense. But then again, they are looking at the A380 as a short term "stopgap" measure that they want to eventually phase out so in the long term when they phase it out their J lineup will make more sense.
If anything, Qatar's "lack of differentiation" gap problem is parallel to the current gap that American suffers... (but then again AA doesn't offer pajamas in J)
I flew the QR A380 MEL-DOH before the pandemic, and was very impressed. It take it again anyway.
I for one am not impressed with the Q suite. I find it short and somewhat cramped. But I agreed, the soft product is unbeatable.
Welcome to Western Australia, Ben!
When redeeming miles, Qatar does not charge extra if you book an F leg connecting to a biz leg when the biz leg is longer (even if 1 mile longer). It's a nice free upgrade.
Paid prices however are significantly higher and often weirdly not easily combinable with other flights that don't have an F cabin.
Redeem Avios with Privilige Club or redeem awards flight with other loyalty programs?
I'm not sure they should even market it as First given how comparative their Business Class is.
I think they would have been better to do like Malaysia Airlines did with what was their 'First Class' on the A350 where they renamed it 'Business Suite' and also kept 'Business Class'. I dunno, QR F without the caviar looks like 'Business Plus'.
Qatars A380s are mostly only for capacity reasons where they need to fit as many passengers as possible onto the fewest frequencies because they are restricted in Australia from operating more flights.
I still think the only reason they installed a first class cabin is because every other airline did, not for any practical or financial reasons. Akbar's pride couldn't cope with the thought of being the only A380 operator without first class.
I'm surprised...
Qatars A380s are mostly only for capacity reasons where they need to fit as many passengers as possible onto the fewest frequencies because they are restricted in Australia from operating more flights.
I still think the only reason they installed a first class cabin is because every other airline did, not for any practical or financial reasons. Akbar's pride couldn't cope with the thought of being the only A380 operator without first class.
I'm surprised they still bother with it as a separate class of service and don't just sell it as business class with a steep seat assignment fee.
Are they planning to fit Qsuite on their A380s ever? I would avoid this aircraft until they do.
The other aspect of flying First Class is exclusivity and privacy. That may be important for those "famous" passengers who would like to minimize contact with the "common" passengers.
First Class to me is now about the exclusivity and privacy of the small cabin. That and the bed is more important than anything else.
That's exactly the reason I suppose behind CZ's removal of first class onboard A330/787/777s. That first-class product exists solely to absorb excess miles in members' accounts.
Sounds like the pmUA first class, except they had a lousy biz class as a base so both were mediocre
Nah, if you're in Perth, I don't think Qantas is the next airline in your itinerary anymore.
I think VA is likely the next flight given his recent post and workaround VA award throttling. I think he flies Qantas back to US