BEN SAYS:
Qatar Airways' new Boeing 787-9 business class offers an excellent hard product, with suites that have doors and direct aisle access. The soft product is also consistently excellent. However, I still prefer Qatar Airways' Qsuites product.
The reason for the indirect route is that Milan was operated by the new Boeing 787-9.
45 minutes before departure, our flight from Milan was scheduled to board. The Sala Montale Lounge is a short walk from gate B55.
Business class passengers were invited to board first and boarded through the second set of doors. The crew welcomed me and pointed me left into business class.
The new business class seats on the Boeing 787-9s are different from the Qsuites you can find on other planes, which are my favorite business class seats in the world. There is a gorgeous entryway by the second set of doors, with an area that could be used as a self-serve bar, along with a bulkhead that had a cool texture and the carrier's logo.
The Boeing 787-9s have a total of 30 business class seats, spread across eight rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. The Adient Ascent seat is a new product that we will soon see on other airlines. The cabin is very sleek. I am not usually a fan of burgundy, but that is what Qatar Airways does.
The 787-9 has a consistent configuration in each row, which is to say that seats aren't staggered. The seats are facing the windows. The most comparable product would be British Airways' new Club Suites, though I think the product is better.
The attention to detail with the seat design is impressive.
The window seats are in a reverse herringbone configuration, while the center seats are in a herringbone configuration, which means that they face the aisle. The two center seats in row five were assigned to us by me. The layout reminds me of Virgin Atlantic's new Upper Class.
If you are seated in a center seat next to a stranger, the good news is that you will still have full privacy.
If you are traveling with someone, the partition can be lowered if both passengers push the down button at the same time.
Business class suites have a door, which is nice. The door was easy to open and close, but not as easy to close as in Qsuites.
The area next to the seat was designed well. There was a small mirror and a storage compartment where headphones could be kept.
There was a wireless phone charging point next to that. It's smart that this is vertical and that you can secure your phone in it, so that it won't move around. It took me several hours to get my phone charged because the charging is slower than if you plug in.
The seat controls were easy to use. Do not disturb the button.
The entertainment controller, power outlets, and the headphones jack were above that.
The tray table was large and could be extended from the television.
The size of the footwell is one of the biggest concerns about these types of seats. The footwell here is a good size, better than many other popular seats.
There was a pocket on the entertainment screen.
There is no storage in this seat. There is a small compartment to the side of the seat, as well as a small exposed cubby underneath the seat and to the side.
The air nozzles in the center section can be difficult to reach, though each seat had an individual one.
I missed Qatar Airways. It was nice to be back on an airline that still offers a great product, even if it is a bit scaled back compared to pre-coronaviruses. There were two pillows and a blanket at each seat. Even if the quotes on the pillows are sometimes a bit too upbeat, I like the bedding of Qatar Airways.
A pair of noise canceling headphones, which are not industry-leading, were also waiting at each seat.
The menu and wine list were at my seat on the plane.
The friendly flight attendant who was working my aisle introduced herself, gave me a drink and showed me the business class suite. I asked for a glass of champagne and lime-mint juice. This was served with a towel. It was delicious!
I was offered a BRIC kit with eyeshades, socks, earplugs, cream, facial spray, and lip balm.
There was a protective kit with gloves, a mask, and four packets of hand sanitizer.
I enjoyed listening to the boarding music from Qatar Airways.
20 of the 30 business class seats were occupied by 3:35PM. The captain made a welcome announcement, telling us of our flight time of 10 minutes and our altitude of 39,000 feet.
It is always amazing when you consider the product that Qatar Airways offers compared to what you can find in the United States.
Five minutes after the main cabin door closed, we began our pushback. The safety video was shown. We took a taxi from runway 35R to our departure runway, which took 15 minutes. I loved being able to watch the takeoff view from the nose camera on the 787-9, though it doesn't compare to the A380 tail camera found on some airlines.
I browsed the Oryx One entertainment selection after takeoff.
The system has a large selection of movies and TV shows.
I enjoyed keeping an eye on the moving map feature.
There are often interesting turns on the routes in this region.
The airline calls it the best value in the industry, because it features _super_ wi-fi on the Boeing 787-9s.
You can buy a full flight pass for $10, which has no data caps, if you are a Privilege Club member.
The speeds are excellent and the pricing is amazing. I was able to be more productive than I was on the ground, and didn't have to wait for pages to load.
There is a dine on demand menu in business class. The menu reads as follows.
There is a large selection of beverages. The wine list has some information.
The rest of the drink list was read as follows.
We were asked if we wanted to place an order and when we wanted to eat. It is great to have that kind of flexibility.
Ford had an old fashioned, but I ordered an aperol spritz from the cocktail menu at Qatar Airways. It's nice to be able to order drinks, and I wish more airlines would do that. The cocktails were decent for being on a plane, but they could have been better.
About an hour into the flight, we decided to have dinner. The menu on this flight was much smaller than the last time I flew it, as there were less snack and appetizer options. I think this is a scaling back, but context is more important than that, asQatar Airways is still more or less in a league of its own when it comes to Catering on a flight like this.
I decided to order the Arabic mezze, which included hummus, tabouleh, and Baba ghanoush, with Arabic bread. This was served with a selection of bread, butter, and olive oil.
Ford had a waldorf salad and horseradish dressing as his starter.
There were three main course choices, and they included lamb belly, duck confit, and a vegan option. I decided to order that because I appreciate the vegan option in business class. The vegan menu item was a roasted celeriac steak with risotto and vegetables. I had a glass of wine with the dish, and it was pretty good.
I ordered a cheese plate after the main course.
The classic dessert was great.
I have had better meals in business class, but this was still very good. The menu is more limited than in the past, but it isn't like most other airlines have bigger menus.
I was offered a box of Godiva chocolates along with the iced cappuccino I ordered as we approached Doha. Coffee selection is something I love.
I checked out the bed on this flight, even though I didn't get any sleep. In bed mode the seat is comfortable and well designed, and I felt like there was enough space even though I am a side sleeper who tends to bend my knees a bit. I have been in a lot of reverse herringbone seats where my knees were pushed up against the side of the seat.
If you are traveling with someone, the center seats are great because you can lower the partition and have your heads next to one another. The double bed you find in Qsuites isn't the same one you find in this one. It is nice to be close to a companion.
Business class lavatories are located behind the cabin on the Boeing 787-9. One on each side has a window, which is cool.
The bathroom had a variety of amenities, including dental kits, shaving kits, and Diptyque. I'm curious, do any omaat readers shave on planes? I could imagine myself doing it in the shower suite of the A380.
The crew on this flight were friendly, attentive, and always happy to fulfill requests. The story is over.
The captain announced at 10:45PM that we would soon be starting our descent and would be landing in about 30 minutes. We made good progress on our descent, but we ended up having a rather circuitous approach.
We arrived in Doha at 11:30PM. During this phase of flight, I enjoyed watching the nose camera.
We were five minutes behind schedule when we arrived at our gate.
I was very excited to fly in the new Boeing 787-9 business class, as the Adient Ascent seat is one we will likely see on several more airlines. The new 787-9 business class suite is great, but I think Qsuites still has an edge.
In terms of soft product, Qatar Airways has an excellent drink selection, great bedding and amenities, and a dine on demand concept. I like to stay connected while traveling, and I love the fact that you can get unlimited high speed wi-fi with no data caps for just $10.
The experience is scaled back a bit compared to what it used to be. The menu was smaller and there were no nuts with the first drink service. It was nice to take a business class flight two years into the Pandemic and it felt normal again. In my opinion, the business class at Qatar Airways is among the best in the world.
What do you think about the 787-9 business class?
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