Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.
I recently enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the Seychelles (one of my favorite travel destinations in the world), and you can read my trip reports here:
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Business Class from Frankfurt to Doha (today)
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 777 Business Class from Doha to the Seychelles
- Review: Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
- Review: Mango House Seychelles, LXR Hotels & Resorts
- Review: Canopy by Hilton Seychelles Resort
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 777 Business Class from the Seychelles to Doha
- Review: Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Business Class from Doha to Frankfurt
Today: Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Business Class from Frankfurt to Doha
I recently flew with Qatar Airways in Business Class from Frankfurt (Germany) to the Seychelles, with a stopover in the carrier’s hub in Doha. The flight between Frankfurt and Doha was operated by one the airline’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Qatar Airways’ Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner features suites in a 1-2-1 layout with privacy doors. The fuselage of the Boeing 787-9 is not wide enough to house a Qsuite layout, so Qatar Airways partnered with seat manufacturer Adient to come up with a unique Business Class seat & configuration for their Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The seat may not be as game-changing as the Qsuite (which I reviewed here), but it’s still an excellent and highly enjoyable product. Although Qatar Airways is operating different Business Class seats and layouts throughout its fleet, some thing are (almost) always consistent with Qatar Airways: excellent food, world-class service, luxurious amenities, and an impressive inflight entertainment system.
Have you ever flown in Qatar Airways’ Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.
- Trip: Frankfurt (FRA) to Doha (DOH)
- Airline: Qatar Airways
- Aircraft type: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
- Departure time: 5 pm
- Arrival time: midnight
- Flight time: 6 hours
- Class: Business Class
- Seat: 6K
In this review (more information & photos below my YouTube video):
- Priority Lounge at Frankfurt Airport
- Qatar Airways fleet
- Business Class cabin
- Business Class seat (+ best & worst seats)
- Amenities & bedding
- Meals
- Entertainment
- Onboard internet
- Other inflight experiences
- My verdict (score)
1. PRIORITY LOUNGE AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT
Qatar Airways is flying out of Terminal 2 at Frankfurt International Airport. Currently, the airline doesn’t have its own lounge at the airport and its Business Class passengers are invited to use the Priority Lounge, which is located at the far end of the Terminal. The lounge is 5 min walk from Qatar Airways’ boarding gate.
The Priority Lounge is comprised of a small reception area and two connected spaces with tables and chairs in different configurations. The largest lounge area features a buffet station, where a variety of hot and cold dishes as well as beverages are on display. The food selection depends on the time of the day (breakfast vs lunch vs dinner). Facilities at the lounge include complimentary WiFi and showers.
Overall, the lounge is not very appealing, with a rather bland decor and mediocre food. In addition, the lounge is used by different airlines and may feel crowded during peak times. So, unfortunately, the lounge experience doesn’t match the sophisticated travel experience offered by Qatar Airways. However, there is some good news on the horizon: next year, Qatar Airways will move to Frankfurt Airport’s brand-new Terminal 3, where it will have its own (and probably much better) lounge.
2. QATAR AIRWAYS FLEET
Qatar Airways operates a fleet of both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, consisting of the Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 MAX, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner families, totaling 255 aircraft. The airline has 48 Dreamliners in its fleet – 19 Boeing 787-9 and 19 Boeing 787-8 -with an average age of 8.1 years.
3. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
Qatar Airways’ Business Class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is located in one single cabin in the plane’s front section. The cabin features 30 Business Class suites arranged in a 1-2-1 herringbone configuration. The seats on the sides are angled toward the plane’s windows while the seats in the middle are angled towards each other. The center seats are placed a little more upfront than the side seats, so as a result, there is an extra (eight) row of seats in the plane’s center while there are only seven rows of seats on each side of the cabin.
The cabin itself features a gorgeous design. Qatar Airways’ signature burgundy brand color accents many of the cabin finishes and fixtures, including the sliding doors and front cabin walls. Passengers enter the cabin directly (contrary to the galleys that are the entryways in planes of most other airline companies). The back of the cabin features a bar counter with a shiny table and a flower arrangement along a Qatar-branded textured wall. Overall, the cabin on the Boeing 787-9 feels more spacious and airy compared to the Business Class cabins of Qatar Airways’ planes fitted with the famous Qsuites.
4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)
Qatar Airways’ Business Class seat on the Boeing 787-9 has a pitch of 50 inches (127 cm) and a width of 22 inches (56 cm). Each suite has direct aisle access with a sliding door to ensure the ultimate in privacy and comfort. The easy-to-use sliding door is locked open by the crew for taxi, takeoff and landing, but can closed during the other phases of the flight. Passengers seated in adjoining center suites can lower the privacy panels away to create their own enclosed private space for two.
Next to each seat is a console holding a storage unit with vanity mirror. The console – which can be used to store smaller items like a wallet or glasses – is located on the aisle side for the center seats and the window side for the window seats. The outside wall of the console also features a reading light, dedicated phone holder (equipped with a wireless charging technology for both iOS and Android devices), a handset for the inflight entertainment and the power ports.
In front of the seat is a 18-inch high-definition touchscreen. A bi-folding tray table is located under the TV, and can be pulled forward and backward according to the passenger’s liking. The tray table can also be swiveled outward, making it easy to get up even during the meal service.
At the touch of a button, the Business Class seat transforms into a 200 cm (79 inches) fully-flat bed (the ottoman below the TV screen is part of the flat bed). The aisle armrest can be left up for more privacy, or lowered for providing some welcome extra bed width when the seat is fully reclined. Turndown service is offered by the Qatar Airways cabin crew, who also provides a quilted mattress and slipcover for the largest pillow to enhance the sleeping comfort in the flat bed.
What are the best Business Class seats?
- Solo travelers should select one of the window suites, while travel companions should go for the center seats.
- Travel companions will especially like the two center suites in row 8, which is offset from the rest of the cabin, providing a little bit of extra privacy.
What are the worst Business Class seats?
- The window suites in row 5 are missing windows, and are thus best avoided.
Click here for a seat map of Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
5. AMENITIES & BEDDING
The following amenities were provided during the flight:
- A Diptyque branded amenity kit, customized for male and female passengers. Male passengers get a black colored bag, while female passengers get a white & pink colored bag. The amenity kit contains socks and eye shades as well as Diptyque lip balm, body lotion, face cream, and fragrance.
- Sleepwear (slippers and pajamas) exclusively designed for Qatar Airways by The White Company.
- Two pillows: a larger one for lounging and sleeping (a slipcover is provided during turndown service) and a smaller decorative one with a reference to some of the world’s most iconic cities (e.g. Amsterdam, Singapore, etc …)
- A plush, burgundy-colored duvet, which feels extremely comfortable.
- Oryx One branded noise-isolating headphones, which are of decent quality.
- Dental and shaving kits are stocked in the lavatory during the flight.
6. MEALS
One of the areas where Qatar Airways excels with its Business Class product is the quality and presentation of the food. The carrier offers dine-on-demand service in its Business Class cabins: passengers can dine at any time of their choosing and order whatever they want from the extensive menu (with accompanying wine list).
On this six-hour flight, a dinner was served right after takeoff. I choose the following selection from the menu:
- Aperitif: beverage of choice with an amuse bouche (marinated prawn in tomato dip)
- Starter: sesame seed tuna tataki, served with Waldorf salad, walnut, oil, and heirloom cherry tomatoes
- Main course: lobster Thermidor, served with creamy chive potato mash, baby carrot and asparagus
- Sweet finale: dark chocolate praline mousse with crème Anglaise, saffron cream, and fresh berries
- Extra dessert: fresh fruits
Each of the dishes was delicious (the lobster was a highlight and one of the best meals I’ve ever had at 40,000 ft). And not only was the food excellent, it was also very tastefully presented on quality tableware.
About one hour prior to landing, I got hungry again and ordered another dish from the menu: braised beef short ribs with truffle gnocchi, parmesan cheese and toasted garlic bread. The ribs tasted excellent.
7. ENTERTAINMENT
Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system is called Oryx One. The system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more.
The entertainment selection can be selected by either directly touching the HD screen or with a wired remote controller which has its own small screen. This allows passengers to watch a movie or TV show on the main screen while keeping track of the flight’s progress on the wired controller. Both the screen itself and the handheld remote are incredibly responsive.
Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners are also equipped with two outdoor cameras — one facing forward and one downward, which is a nice touch for aviation geeks.
8. ONBOARD INTERNET
Qatar Airways’ B787-9 is equipped with in-flight WiFi. I used the WiFi throughout the flight and the speed was decent. The following WiFi plans were available on this flight:
- One hour of complimentary onboard WiFi for member’s of Qatar Airways’ frequent flyer program, Privilege Club.
- $10 USD for onboard WiFi for the duration of the flight
9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: Qatar Airways’ Business Class service ranks among the best in the sky. The young Qatar Airways cabin crew members on this particular did a great job and they were all very friendly and helpful. Something I like (and only experience with Middle East and Asian carriers) is that they present themselves individually before take-off, and also thank you in person for choosing Qatar Airways before landing. It makes you feel very special and welcome.
# LAVATORY: Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-9 features two lavatories for the 30 Business Class passengers, both of them located at the back of the cabin. The lavatories feature Dreamliner-standard amenities like touchless sinks and flushing, and they even have windows.
10. MY VERDICT
- Cabin design: 9/10
- Seat comfort (upright): 9/10
- Seat comfort (bed position): 8/10
- Seat privacy: 9/10
- Food (quality): 9/10
- Food (quantity): 9/10
- Food (presentation): 9/10
- Inflight entertainment : 9/10
- WiFi: 9/10
- Service: 10/10
- Overall experience: exceptional 9/10
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