For this week’s post, I have a guest post from the other Michael! Specifically, he took a Qatar Airways flight from Milan to Melbourne via Doha and has graciously given me pictures and a review of his two flights and the Qatar business class lounge in Doha. Michael was in Italy to go climbing, and it worked out that the best way back to Australia was via Doha. Because of all his climbing gear, he was right at his baggage limit (which is to say two heavy checked bags, a rolling carry-on, and a backpack).
After checking in his bags, Michael proceeded to fast track security and then the contract lounge. Michael, like me, often cuts flights close, so he didn’t get any pictures of the lounge. But he did let me know that it was the nicest of the non-Schengen lounges at MXP. Said lounge offered a continental European-style breakfast and (non-barista) coffee.
At check-in, Michael swapped his assigned seat to seat 1A, but, unfortunately, this aircraft was not equipped with Q-Suites. Instead, Qatar offers a fairly standard (and perfectly comfortable) reverse herringbone seat. On the plus side, though, Qatar chose not to add overhead bins over the center seats, so the cabin feels much larger.
Waiting for him at his seat were a (boxed) amenity kit, comfortable bedding, a pair of excellent headphones, and a menu.
Michael perused the breakfast and on-demand dining menu:
The primary meal services on the flight were dubbed breakfast and all-day dining. Qatar operates a dine-on-demand service, so you can have your meal whenever you want on the flight, but the first (and primary meal) was intended to be breakfast. Orders were taken before takeoff so that the service could get started quickly once in the air. Service both on the ground and in the air was excellent across the board.
Although everything was on time, given the time of year, they had to wait to get de-iced before takeoff, which ended up taking longer than expected. But on takeoff, they were rewarded with a clear day and great views:
About 30 minutes after takeoff, Michael’s breakfast service started with fruit and a cappuccino. Michael (an Australian coffee snob) commented that the “coffee was excellent (best I’ve had on a plane)”. And the fruit was similarly flavorful and refreshing. Since Michael had already had some breakfast in the lounge, he opted for the oatmeal porridge for his main breakfast course. The porridge was rich in flavor and texture but not overpowering.
After having had his second breakfast, Michael took the opportunity of the lie-flat seat to take a nap. The seat in bed mode was very comfortable, and the bedding was excellent. The cabin was kept at a reasonable temperature, so the bedding was actually useable, haha. He also noted that the window buttons were hard to access while seated, without moving around substantially.
After his 90 minute nap, Michael decided to order something from the all-day dining menu. The crew responded swiftly as always. He opted for the tomato and basil soup and the cheese plate. The soup was excellent and rated as one of the best meals he’d ever had on a plane. The cheese plate was also very good and actually had an appropriate ratio of crackers to cheese for once (especially compared to the equivalent offering on BA).
After his second meal, it was almost time to land and prepare himself for the long part of his trip.
In summary, this first flight to Doha was not the main event but did give a great preview of what was to come. The check-in, fast track security, and lounge in Milan were all good, but it’s hard for airlines to offer their peak product at outstations (4/5). The seat was great, despite not being a Q-suite, as was the bedding (4/5). The meals were some of the best Michael has had on a flight (5/5), and the service was excellent (5/5). Michael did not take much advantage of the IFE, but it was Qatar’s standard excellent IFE with paid WiFi (4/5).
Michael booked this flight using Avios. Prorating the Avios cost across the two flights, this flight cost around 50 000 Avios and €85. Since it was booked with Avios, it didn’t earn him any points back, except on the taxes and fees, which was pretty negligible.
Michael's travel blog 