Luxury Flying on the Upper Deck of Qatar Airways’ A380
I was fortunate on this business trip to be flying out of London Heathrow on a Qatar Airways A380. This beautiful plane is a very comfortable ride. What I really loved though was the added benefits on board, and the bliss of luxury flying. The benefits ranged from the highly personalised service, to the on demand dining, and the onboard lounge and bar. More details on these luxury flying treats shortly!
Checking In
Checking in for Qatar Airways flights from London Heathrow Terminal 4 is easy. Qatar has a dedicated section, well sign-posted, at the far end of check-in, in Area A.
There are distinct check-in counters for business class passengers and check-in usually only takes a few minutes. From there you are directed to the priority lane for security screening, which is also quick and efficient. By this stage I was already impressed and in luxury flying heaven!
Before long you are headed to the wonderful Qatar Airways Premium Lounge, not far from the boarding gates. Look out for our upcoming post on this outstanding lounge experience.
Luxury Flying in the Business Class Cabin
Qatar Airways has done an exceptional job on the design and layout of their planes. They have one of the best business class offerings in the sky. All of their A380s, 787 Dreamliners, and A350s have a superb 1-2-1 configuration. This gives every business class passenger direct aisle access and a fully flat bed. Luxury flying at its business class best!
On the A380, business class is located on the upper deck, along with first class. The onboard lounge and bar is located at the end of the business class cabins. This design feature separates business class from a small private economy cabin at the rear of the upper deck. The entire lower deck is for economy class passengers. This unique separation of travel classes adds to the luxury flying experience with Qatar Airways.
The Seat
I find the A380 spacious, and well designed, with plenty of space around the seat for storage. This design still affords a high level of privacy for each passenger. Window seats are angled in towards the window, giving you an excellent view. Couple seats, in the centre, are angled in towards each other making it easy to talk throughout the flight.
There is a good amount of leg room in both the sitting position, and when the seat is reclined. I was impressed by the amount of storage that this cabin design provided. Some of the luxury feel features were the storage space below the window, a separate shoe drawer, as well as ample bench space for a laptop, iPad or your drinks.
Qatar Airways provide an excellent entertainment system, with a large screen and a hand held controller. It is very easy to use as well. It has an extensive range of movies, TV shows, documentaries, music, games, and outside cameras to keep every traveller happy.
The Onboard Lounge and Bar
The absolute stand out luxury flying feature of the Qatar A380, is the onboard lounge and bar. It is simply stunning! Beautifully designed, elegant, and refreshing at the same time. It’s a wonderful place to spend a few hours on any flight.
Qatar Airways is not the only airline to have an onboard bar on their A380. Emirates is very famous for theirs. Their bar concept is certainly popular, with it being a focal point for entertainment on many A380 flights.
Etihad also has the lobby on their A380 but it is unattended, and more like a lounge to relax in, rather than a serviced bar.
The Qatar lounge and bar is different in design and ambience. It exudes that true luxury flying feel!
What makes the Qatar A380 lounge and bar so spectacular? It’s a combination of the way it is designed and set up, and of course the personal touch of the staff working the bar.
As you can see in the photos above, the bar is in the centre of the lounge, with a curved bar on one side. The colour scheme, the tiles behind the bottles, and the roses are all striking design features.
There are several sets of very comfortable sofas alongside the windows to sit on and relax. These seats are perfect for watching the world below go by. I have often admired the snow capped mountains below as we flew over. The sofas are also a perfect spot to start up a conversation with a fellow passenger. Drinks are served to your sofa and there are a range of nibbles to eat as well.
The Cabin Crew
For me, the stand out feature on all Qatar flights is the staff. Qatar has done an exceptional job training their cabin crew. I find them very personable, friendly and genuinely interested in you and your travels.
The cabin crew in charge of the lounge on each flight has their own way of setting it up. On my flight you can see the bar and counter set up beautifully. It was sprinkled with rose petals, fruit, and a display of the different glasses used for various drinks. I’m told they make a wicked cocktail too!
On any long flight, even in the best business class seat, it is definitely nice to stretch your legs. To also be able to sit somewhere different and talk to your fellow travellers is a wonderful bonus. The onboard bar and lounge are well worth a visit when you next embark on a luxury flying experience in Qatar Airways’ A380!
Luxury Flying – The Food
Qatar business class has an on demand menu, which I really love. When travelling I like to get my body clock on the time zone I am travelling to. So I want to eat at times that suit me, not the airline. I am surprised not more airlines provide this type of service. Qatar do it exceptionally well too, adding to any luxury flying experience!
Having eaten a full breakfast in the Qatar Premium Lounge, I wasn’t particularly hungry when on the plane. So I decided to have just two tasting platters. I asked for them to be served together, making a scrumptious mid flight tasting menu.
The meat platter, above, had just the right amount on it to sample the different meats provided, with some bread from the well stocked bread bowl. Accompanying this was the cheese platter, normally served at the end of a meal. That’s never an issue for Qatar staff though. They will serve anything, at any time, in any order. On demand! Both were delicious and went down well with a glass of red from their very good international wine selection.
Discovering the Plane
One of the things I love about flying on big planes, is having a walk around. You can discover a little more about the fascinating world of aviation by having a wander. On this flight, as a business class passenger, you can walk the full length of the upper deck. Then you can descend down the back stairs to the lower deck. You can also walk the full length of the lower deck’s economy cabin.
You will find there is a safety gate at the top of the stairs. All you need to do is ask a member of the cabin crew to open it for you, which they are very happy to do.
As you can see, the economy cabin is also quite nice, with large screen entertainment systems in the back of the seats. Although it’s not luxury flying it still looked quite comfortable.
On this flight from London Heathrow to Doha, the economy cabin was remarkably empty. There were many full rows where a passenger could stretch out and lie fully flat. Making for a not so bad bed.
On your return up the stairs, you can unclip the rope across the stairs yourself. I walked through the very impressive galley as well. This area gives the A380 a good sized food preparation space, for the crew to use.
I always enjoy an educational walk around a beautiful aircraft. This one was also a great stretch of the legs, before returning to my business seat on the upper deck.
Expert Traveller Recommends…
Qatar Airways has undoubtedly one of the best business class products on offer, if not the best. The A380 is a beautiful plane and, for me, the stand out was spending time in the onboard lounge and bar. This really made for a memorable luxury flying experience. Qatar certainly has got it right.
I highly recommend Qatar Airways business class and know you will enjoy it as much as I did.