THE FLIGHT
I flew in the Business Class cabin on flight QR32 operated by a Boeing 787-8 aircraft from Edinburgh to Doha, with a flight time of 6 hours 30 minutes and then a Business Class Q Suite on flight QR942 operated by an Airbus 350-900 aircraft from Doha to Singapore, with a flight time of 7 hours 10 minutes. Scheduled transit time in Doha was 2 hours 50 minutes.
THE CHECK IN
Edinburgh Airport was quiet when I arrived just before 5am on a Saturday morning. There were no queues at Qatar Airways check-in desk, easily identified by the very distinctive smart and colour-coordinated uniforms worn by the ground crew. I wasn’t travelling with any check-in baggage even though my Business Class ticket came with a 40kg hold allowance.
I was duly issued with a cabin bag tag to put on my carry-on bag along with my boarding cards for seats 4K for the first leg of journey and 9F for the second leg along with the necessary access card for the shared British Airways Business Class lounge airside.
As a British passport holder, I was required to complete a Singapore Arrival Card online no more than three days prior to my arrival in Singapore. It was very simple to navigate the application and instant approval arrived in my inbox.
THE SEATS
Edinburgh to Doha:
Business Class seating is five rows in a 1-2-1 herringbone layout totalling 20 seats, plus another two additional seats positioned in the middle of the aircraft just before accessing the economy cabin. The window areas on each bulkhead have excellent washroom facilities. There are 22 business class seats in total.
My seat 4K was next to the window, it was roomy with plenty of storage space, a table to one side and a footrest with more storage space underneath plus a drawer specially designed for storing shoes. The seat control symbols were self-explanatory offering a wide variety of configurations including that all-important flat bed.
In place were a luxurious pillow with matching blanket in the company colours and a lovely male amenity kit neatly presented in a branded cardboard box with a green ribbon holding it closed. For the ladies it was a red ribbon making it easily identifiable to the crew when preparing the cabin.
The amenity kits are supplied by the luxurious French brand Diptyque exclusively for Qatar Airways. It contained fresh lotion, nourishing lip balm, essential face cream, eau de toilette, socks, eye mask and ear plugs. Toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream and shaver kits were all readily available in the dedicated business class washrooms.
In addition, there was an extra pillow branded with destinations in the Qatar Airways network. Mine was Singapore, but I spotted others for Berlin and Los Angeles in the cabin. The inflight entertainment was very comprehensive and consisted of over 4,000 options- yes that’s right, it’s not a typo!
The entertainment was easily navigated with either touch screen or handheld remote control. The IFE menu started with choosing your preferred user language followed by the menu options of Your Trip; Entertainment; Kids and the Holy Qu’ran. Each option had further sub menu options including Movies, TV, and Audio & Games which then guided you to further levels of well-considered entertainment choices for each category.
Doha to Singapore:
Business Class seating is the Q Suite. There are nine rows of four Q Suites totalling 36, with the odd row numbers with the suite seats facing the rear of the aircraft and the even rows the direction of travel. My suite 9F was in the middle, the seat itself faced rear creating an unusual sensation, certainly during take-off and landing. Again, the Q Suite was very roomy with a bit more storage space than the previous flight including a storage cupboard under a small seat which doubled up as an arm rest.
The seat controls were again very descriptive providing the same variety of seating configurations as on the 787-8 aircraft. An additional feature was the accessible charging sockets. The standout feature with the Q Suite is the sliding door; each suite has one providing more privacy, just like a little room of your own onboard.
All the same inflight products were present in the suite as per the Edinburgh to Doha leg except the male amenity kit. This was presented as a lovely leather wash bag, same contents. The Q Suites IFE had a few additional choices, the option to pair device, the Qatar Airways story, connecting to the onboard Wifi and camera views of the journey, plus the handheld remote control doubled up as a gaming console.
With both seat types the noise cancelling headphones were very good.
THE SERVICE
Edinburgh to Doha:
Once seated I was warmly welcomed by Jirapat, the cabin attendant responsible for looking after me during the flight who was closely followed by the lovely Cabin Supervisor Rajat. Captain Alessandro Angelo also made himself known, providing clear details about the flight and conditions at destination over the tannoy.
As it was an early morning departure, the menu, available in both English and Arabic, was a la carte breakfast from which I chose seasonal fresh fruit (alternatives were yoghurt and cereals), my main course hand rolled omelette with cheese and roasted tomato with a selection of bakery items (alternatives were traditional Arabic breakfast, porridge and pancake). All washed down with a mixed berry and banana smoothie and a flat white coffee.
There was also an extensive choice from the all-day dining menu to include soup, mezze, tiger prawn, Angus beef, risotto, reuben sandwich, cheese board and chocolate brownie. The drinks menu ranged from mocktails to spirits to Champagne all nicely detailed in their cellar menu card designed in company colours incorporating the Arabian oryx symbol.
Once settled, Jirapat was back providing me with a sleep suite consisting of long trousers, long sleeved shirt and slippers courtesy of The White Company exclusively for Qatar Airways. Sizes ranged from small to medium to large. Unfortunately, the large sized top wasn’t quite big enough for me. During the flight in and out of wonderful slumber on the desired flatbed seating configuration, I made full use of the IFE including watching two very entertaining movies, Twisters and Fly me to the Moon.
Doha to Singapore:
It was time for my Q Suite experience. Once again, a warm welcome from Mingkhwan, the cabin attendant on this leg of the journey, who was quick to offer me refreshments before take-off. Then the cabin supervisor Erika popped along to introduce herself personally and to say that if there was anything I needed just to ask. This time the captain was Jorge Manjarrez who again offered a warm welcome to passengers over the tannoy while providing details of the journey ahead.
Due to the time difference, it was early evening leaving Doha, so an a la carte all day dining and breakfast menu was offered. For my dinner I chose Baeri caviar with Balik style salmon for starters, grilled black Angus beef entrecote for my main course, the selection of finest international cheese and a selection of bakery products to finish.
Other menu choices included soup, mezze, salmon, chicken, cod fillet, pasta and cherry clafoutis with vanilla ice cream. The drinks range was the same as on the Edinburgh to Doha flight. This time I went with an apple cooler and orangeade from the mocktails range.
My choice of entertainment from the wide and wonderful range of suitable inflight options this time was the film Little Bone Lodge, a 2023 movie. In time for an early morning landing in Singapore, breakfast was served, and I opted for the seasonal fresh fruit, hand rolled omelette and butter croissant, accompanied by fresh orange juice and a flat white coffee. Other options included smoothie, evergreen organics, yoghurt, cereals and prawn congee.
My only negative point is that about an hour before arriving in Singapore, my Q Suite seat developed a fault and got stuck in the flat bed position. The crew were quick to attend, turned off the hydraulics and repositioned the seat into the correct landing position with a manual override.
Throughout both flights snacks were readily available including fresh fruit, an assortment of cereal bars, flavoured crisps from Hunter Foods and popcorn from supplier Popcorn Shed, a selection of chocolates including Läderach and biscuits. 500ml plastic bottles of Alkaline water produced by Lusail Factory Mineral Water, a Qatar based supplier, were also on tap. I spotted that Narumi was the chosen supplier for their culturally inspired crockery service.
THE VERDICT
I would not hesitate to recommend Qatar Airways for an unforgettable business class experience. The crew from ground to air were smart, attentive, helpful, and always welcoming. Food and drink was delicious and onboard entertainment functionality and choices were superb. My only advice would be to take the courtesy transfer upon arrival at Hamad International Airport, as the walk from one gate to the other for this routing can be long compounded with a mandatory security check.
BOOK IT
Return Business Class fares between Edinburgh to Singapore via Doha start at around £3,725pp, including taxes/surcharges. Qatar Airways operates two services a day from Edinburgh to Doha.
