Qatar Airways was the first airline to de-bundle business class fares. This removed airport lounge access for the lowest priced tickets. These tickets no longer have lounge access, but a new fare is now available.
Anyone currently booking with Qatar Airways in R class has lounge access likely to be reinstated on their ticket. However, new P fares have been introduced and offer new options for business class passengers.
Qatar Airways Reintroduces Lounge Access on R Fares
Qatar Airways was not thrilled to remove lounge access from its lowest-priced business class fares. You would have to miss out on Al Mourjan Lounge in Doha and other lounges if you wanted the lowest price for a Qatar Airways flight.
Access to a lounge space with far less amenities would be denied for those who have Oneworld Sapphire or higher elite status.
Although the idea that Qatar Airways would offer lower perks made it attractive, there were rarely any savings. Based on data from GSTP, it appears that fewer people continued to buy Qatar Airways business fares after these changes were made.
New Business Class Pfares
Qatar has responded to this sentiment by creating a lower-level fare called Lite. It books into P Class and upgrades people who have previously booked R class tickets and all new R class tickets that include lounge access.
Qatar Airways will now offer 4 business class fares instead of 3. They include: Lite Classic Comfort, Comfort, Elite, and Classic.
If I book Business Classic (RBD R) before 4 September 2021 but travel after 1 October 2021, will I be granted complimentary access? We will grant customers complimentary access to the upgraded Business Classic attributes. Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Business Lite P fares will no longer include airport lounge access. These will be clearly identified at all stages of booking, especially when booked directly with Qatar.
You can view all the new Qatar Airways fare family pages, including changes in economy class and FAQs.
