One of my most exciting flights in 2024! This has been in the making for a year! It is undoubtedly the flight I most looked forward to in the past 12 months despite flying 2 Singapore Airlines First Class and Suites. The day has finally arrived. I was excited to fly and try out Qatar for the first time. It is like a kid staying up and being sleepless before a flight the next day. Sadly, Singapore Airlines doesn’t give me the same excitement anymore. This is something very new to me. I have never tried Qatar business class before despite hearing how amazing it has been for so many years. I was close to trying it a couple of years ago when I saw an error sale but sadly that got cancelled due to the Covid. With the Avios 30% transfer bonus a year back or so, I finally managed to get my business class redemption tickets on Qsuites. They are extremely hard to find, especially from Singapore. I originally booked this ticket about 9 to 10 months back and it was a SIN – DOH – LHR ticket. Due to a friend’s wedding, I managed to find availability and switched it to AMS. I transferred points from Citibank and with the promo, I paid just 52,500 miles and 310.80 SGD in taxes. That’s an amazing deal from the usual 75,000 miles. Qatar does have high taxes and fees. 2024 has been great with the addition of these premium airlines to my portfolio. Just a couple of months ahead, I had my first experience on Turkish Airlines too. Follow me on my first-ever Qatar Qsuite flight. It will be nice to see how it measures up to my beloved Singapore Airlines. Qatar has always marketed it to be a business class as good as first class. There is one good thing about flying Qatar from Singapore as it is one of the destinations that is 100% served by Qsuite planes. But with Qatar having a reputation for equipment change, I kept my fingers crossed. I don’t even know where to sit or to fly backwards or forwards.

Checking In

Qatar Airways uses Terminal 1 at Singapore Changi Airport. Check-in opens 3 hours prior. I made sure to leave plenty of time to check out the Qatar Singapore Premium Lounge. I got in at 7.15am, slightly before check-in opened for my flight departing at 10.30am. Qatar Airways check-in counters are located over in Row 3. The nearest drop-off will be at Door 1 to the left of the terminal. I was the first in the business class line and the staff are doing their final checks. Shortly, a queue forms behind. They have two counters for Business Class and Priority Members. It is nice to see Qatar extending priority check-in to even silver members. Check-in was scheduled to start at 7.30am but ended up starting slightly ahead of time. I was warmly welcomed by the friendly staff and the check-in was brief and polished. I got my boarding pass in hand soon. I love those silver colour boarding passes. You can check out my review of the Qatar Premium Lounge in Singapore here and here. I can’t wait for the flight.

Boarding Process

My flight was assigned gate D34. I am rather shocked by getting this gate as it is on the opposite side of the Qatar Lounge which is in the C gates. I would have assumed they had priority and always secured the nearest gates to their lounge. This is on the other side of the terminal which takes about a 10 to 15 mins trek. Do also note that security over here at Changi is at the individual gates itself. Boarding started at 9.50am with those needing assistance to board first and then Business Class passengers. I was one of the first to board and jump down the bandwagon to get some pictures of the cabin. It is always so refreshing to see a new cabin and the product. The friendly crew ushered me over to my seats and helped me with my bag.

This time around I will be seated in row 1. I got the Quad seats in 1E and 1F to give it a try. These are the back-facing seats. After all, this is my very time flying backwards. Where else to do it than the iconic Qsuites? This should be interesting. The Quad seats are the true couple seats as they are side by side and next to each other. I also want to see if I will luck out with a full Quad but this flight is rather full.

I spend most of the time on the ground taking pictures. The crew working my aisle came over to provide pyjamas which were from The White Company and a welcome drink. You can choose anything you want from the menu. I went with some brut champagne. Qatar serves two pours of Champagne. The menu, Diptyque amenity kit and a wet wipe are already left on the seat. I love those Diptyque scents.

Left on the seat is also two pillows. One of them comes with a cute quote. This is also the pillow that you can take along with you when you disembark. It is usually a quote of the destination you are flying to or from. The purser soon made its rounds and came by to extend a personalised welcome. This is such a nice touch. Meal orders were also taken on the ground. We had a slightly late departure and only pushed back around 10.45am.

Qatar Airways Airlines 777-300ER Qsuite Business Class

The Qsuite are Qatar Airways’ signature business-class product and this can be found onboard their A350-1000, 777-200LR, 700-300ER and A350-900s. As time passes, they will be found on more aircraft. Your best bet will be on the A350-1000 as all of them come with Qsuite seats. On the 777-300ER, there are 2 variants with Qsuite products. I was on the one with 42 seats across two cabins. There are a total of 11 rows. The seats are alternative between being closer to the aisle or the window/middle.

The seatings are quite complicated to understand. A, E, F & K are back-facing seats. B, D, G & J are forward-facing seats. The middle 4 seats can be converted into a Quad Suite. This will be best for groups. These are (1E, 1F, 2D, 2G), (3E, 3F, 4D, 4G), (5E, 5F, 6D, 6G), (7E, 7F, 8D, 8G) and (9E, 9F, 10D, 10G). If you want to score the true couple seats and double beds, they will be 1E & 1F, 3E & 3F, 5E & 5F, 7E & 7F, 9E & 9F and 11E & 11F.

My seats are the true centre seats and can be formed into a double bed. The Qsuite comes with sliding doors that you can use for additional privacy and to make it into your little cocoon. It makes a huge load of difference especially when your seats are fully flat. The doors do not affect the crew service at all. They are very polished around them. The doors are around your head level when seated. Do note that the doors are locked by the crew during take-off and landing. Overhead cabins are located both on the side and in the middle.

The entrance to the suite is decent but not overly spacious. It isn’t super tight like those Regional SQ or TK seats where you have to walk sideways to get in.

Upon entering my seat, you can find two pillows and the blanket left on the seat. One of them is their signature momento pillow with a quirky quote or destination. You can take this with you. I love the finishing of the seats. The classy grey colour fits in so well with the Qatar Airways purple. I am so happy to see that they had a traditional seat belt rather than those three-point seat belts which are so uncomfortable.

In the middle of the two centre seats is a divider that can be extended up or put all the way down to the knee level. This is handy if you need more privacy. The seat is very comfortable and well-padded. I love that it does not come with those annoying three-point seat belts.

My seat had the console area on the left. Left on it is a gender-specific Diptyque amenity kit and a Diptyque-scented towel. From my flights with them, I can see two designs for the female kits and one for the male ones. They come with a lip balm, lotion, face cream and Diptyque ‘Eau Rose’ Eau de Toilette. This will be a nice space for some loose items or drinks.

Right below the platform are the controls for the seats. They are intuitive and easy to use. You can use the buttons to convert the seats fully flat and to adjust the recline. They also allow you to shift the seat forward and backward to use the ottoman as a legrest. Here, you can also find the power outlet, HDMI ports and USB ports. Between the platform and the seat controls area, you have a little cubby area where you can find the menus for the flight. The space is designed for some small loose items, perhaps a phone when charging or spectacles. It is hard to fit anything else.

This is another strong point of the seats, the Qsuite comes with a 21.5-inch entertainment screen that can be controlled by a touchscreen remote or the touchscreen itself. The screens are super high quality and a very good size for the seat. This is paired with the Qatar Oryx One inflight entertainment system, which offers plenty of options to loop around planet Earth multiple times. There are both movies and TV series. I love how the TV is mounted on the partition itself which adds up some living room flair to the place itself. These panels can be moved if you are converting the seats into a Quad.

The headphones were ordinary.

Wi-Fi is also available! Qatar boasts one of the fastest wifi speeds in the air. Qatar Privilege members get to enjoy one hour of free wifi. That felt rather stingy. Complimentary wifi in premium cabins should be a standard amenity in my opinion. Heck, some even get it free for the economy. I did hear that they are extending soon to provide it for everyone. Wifi is the true amenity that makes time fly when you are flying.

The table slides out from under the television and the panel itself. This isn’t well designed as it can need a little getting used and force to pull out and store the table. You need to get the knack for it. The TV does work well even when you are in bed mode. This allows you to dine on the bed too. The height is not adjustable but it is nicely planned to to be a nice level when you have the seat in bed mode.

Under the table is the ottoman. This is the leg rest and also forms part of the bed when you recline your seat fully flat. It is a nice generous space for your legs and knees. It never felt tight even when I was sleeping on the side or straight. It is also very deep and I can stretch out fully without hitting the panel.

One aspect that I didn’t like about the Qsuite is the lack of a proper area for your shoes or footwear. They have a little spot below the console but that won’t fit a pair of shoes or even slippers.

By the entrance of the door, you can find a storage compartment just towards the side of your seat. This allows you to store some small items. Inside is a bottle of water and also where the headsets is. All in all, this seat lacks storage.

Now let’s come to the door! The stand-out aspect of the Qsuites. I love the sliding door which adds up so much in terms of privacy. Even with it not being ceiling to the floor, it actually helps especially when you are sleeping. The door is also very easy to operate and doesn’t take too much strength to open or close it.

Between the seat and the door, you have a side light. I love how classy it looks.

Here are some other pictures of the other Qsuite seats.

The crew came by to offer turndown service after the meal service. I appreciate having this on premium cabins. They nicely set up the double beds for us. I love that they had a proper mattress pad and even a pillowcase for the pillows. The bedding was extremely comfortable and plush. The mattress pad makes so much difference and I slept so well. When you close the doors, it is cosy. Couples and small families will enjoy this. This is one of the best sleeps that I had in business class. I didn’t even want to get up. I got a solid 4 hours of sleep for a flight duration of 8 hours. I was sort of low-key blaming myself for sleeping so much and not making full use of the Qsuite.

I woke up just as we were approaching the Arabian peninsula and I could even order a meal when we were just an hour out from landing. That is impressive. There is a total of 4 toilets exclusive for the use of business class passengers. The toilets were alright. Some of them are larger than the rest. The toilets come with Diptyque amenities. Dental kits are available inside too. The crew though didn’t maintain the toilets as nice as onboard SQ.

I wish that I had more time in these seats. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to be flying with Qatar again. 8 hours in these seats is way too short. I would love to check out a proper Quad in the Qsuite too. This would be so amazing for parties and groups. Imagine how cosy it will be with unlimited drinks. You also have to recognise that by splitting up your journey into 2, you are left with mid-hauls. I would like to try out the Qsuite on a true long-haul flight from Doha to the US.

Meal Service

Qatar goes by a form of à la carte dining and you can choose to dine any time you want during the flight. You can also order everything you want. They offer both a separate wine list and menu which are left on your seat. The menus are solid and I appreciate the quality labels that they pour onboard. While it is said that Singapore is one of the destinations offering Caviar, they are nowhere to be seen.

Having both a brut and a rose is fantastic. I wish SQ could have more than 1 champagne onboard. The crew will come by to take your orders and ask for your preference for dining. I did wish that they had the possibility of checking the menu for your flight online. They did have an interface but it was buggy and only showing for Economy Class.

Besides the menu above, you can also pre-order your meals prior. This only applies to your main course. It is something like SQ Book The Cook but on a much smaller scale. The selection depends on your specific flight.

For this flight itself. The menu consists of a 4-course meal. You then have some light snacks and light meals. It is really up to you to design your meal and decide the order. I love the flexibility. Slightly after levelling off, the crew came by to offer after-take-off drinks. I got an Aperol Spritz, one of my favourite. Later on, I had some wine. The 2016 Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion was amazing. Qatar offering a Premier Grand Cru Classé pour is next level. I love that the crew still do seat-side pours. They will present the bottle and pour it by your seat after a tasting. That is so classy. Something that SQ doesn’t do anymore.

Fatima and Priya who was working my aisle were excellent. I did not pre-order any meal prior. I opted to dine immediately. Service started with an off-menu amuse bouche which was the special of the day. The crew set up my table nicely with a light and basket. I love that they provided some infused olive oil too. The grilled scallops were delicious and memorable. I love that they still have the charred taste.

For my starter, I went with the Sunchoke Cream Soup. It was delicious. I mopped it all off. This is not often that you have a soup course in business class.

I went with the Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Morel Mushroom Just. This was served with truffle mashed potato, cherry tomatoes, corn and asparagus. Qatar have a policy of using tenderloin cut for their steaks. The flavours were there but sadly the beef was way overcooked and entirely grey. I love the trimmings. I wish that they had controlled the heating better. This dish goes so well with the Haut Brion.

I also had some bites at the Lobster. This is a special collaboration dish with Chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn. It was delicious and the flavours were excellent. The fried rice and sauce were amazing. The presentation is also amazing. However, similarly, the lobster is slightly overcooked.

I skipped the cheese course and went with the signature Mango dessert with smoked coconut ice cream. Wow, this is unbelievably good. It is one of the best dessert dishes I had both in the air and on the ground. I paired it with some dessert wine. Look at how pretty it is. It comes with some fresh mangos, crumble, mango pudding and crumble. The smoked coconut ice cream is mind-blowing. I would have got a second one if I was not stuffed. Thinking back, it is so sad to see how sad the desserts are on Singapore Airlines. It is always a boring slice of cake or ice cream.

The second meal service is once again up to you to decide when to have it. I could even order a meal when we are so close to landing. I was still so full but wanted to try something from the light meals portion. I went with the chicken sandwich. I got some orange juice and a glass of the So Jennie to try. This is a luxurious non-alcoholic bubble. It was yummy.

I also ordered the ice cream and let’s just say that even the ice cream is nicer than SQ. It was decorated with fruits, sauce and crumble.

Service ended when we were about 50 minutes out from Doha with the crew coming around to offer a Diptyque refreshing towel and a box of Laderach chocolates. This was such a nice touch. You can still order additional drinks or coffee afterwards.

The crew are warm and polished but slightly below the level of SQ in my view. I guess you can’t get the best of both worlds. They took a long time to attend to the call bell for example. I do love the touch where the purser came over to introduce herself and welcome guests onboard. Similarly, she came over to bid farewell just before landing. She is also very hands-on during the service.

Conclusion

What an experience onboard the Qsuite! It is a life-changing experience. I do have to say that it offers a level above the usual business class level. It is roughly between business class and first class. I am very impressed with the hardware, food and drinks. Even when the suites are not fully enclosed, it makes a huge amount of difference. I love the bedding a lot and slept amazingly well. The crew service can be even better and one main issue with Qatar will be the aircraft swap. You aren’t guaranteed Qsuites until you board the aircraft. The pillow momento was cute. I would love to fly the Qsuite on a true long haul to the States. SQ have to catch up with their next generation of products to come in 2026/2027!

Qsuite ✔️