The previous flight http://flight-report.com/en/report-9068.html
After a chaotic transfert (you have to jostle to access to a so-called fast track) I head to the salon Al Mourjan
There is a rude agent who is checking the access to the stairs
And immediately I head to the showers when I see that the lounge is full, such as a SEN lounge in FRA;)
I am lucky to find an available shower (there are only four showers)
The shower is nice even if it is already beginning to show signs of wear
The downside is that this is hot and humid and I am already sweating :(
While taking a lukewarm shower I found myself sweating and can hardly dry myself
I cross the lounge (looks like a train station concourse) : it lacks charm and it's difficult to find a free seat
No seat available at the restaurant, I seat at the bar, asking the cutlery at another pax
I ask for a glass of Krug and understand by seeing the bottle bottom that it's partially fanned
I look around at the two buffets but the offer is very basic and there is too much people queuing
The pastries
The juices and the cornflakes
My choice of scrambled eggs (overcooked to my taste) and the not ripe kiwi
My second choice : the sausage made with beef, turkey or chicken.
It is a product that can be found in Tunisia and which is excellent there, but here we are light years of this quality: here it is mediocre at least
View from the living room on the stairs
It is already late and knowing that there is a check at the gate, I head for the door C9
Corporate picture
The restrooms are busy and you have to queue
Long corridors like in FRA
At the gate I am not surprised by the mess that prevails
I take the fast track but it is not much better organized than the other
I drop my stuff (computer, tablet, shoes, belts, etc …) but the agent mixed them with other people's stuff and then bins are deposited on the ground
I try to board but one of the gate agents says that I have to wait when the other says that as a Business class passenger I can board whenever I want
My plane for this flight: a 77W registered A7-BAO, first flight was on 22/12/2008
I enter the messy cabin and I head alone to my seat
A FA gives me an amenity kit and disappears without a word
The steps and you can see the toppers
While other pax have been offered PB drinks, I have to wait fifteen minutes
No FA will address me by name during all the flight (unlike the previous flight)
The IFE is already on
The wine list
Great offerings as usual and two surprises: one expected, the other will be a real surprise
The menu
The IFE : good size and good definition
Headphone jack and USB
I am settled in my seat ( I am already wearing my slippers) when suddenly a pax, US lawyer style, walks over to me and shakes my hand …
Hello my name is Georges (not to be confused with George Nespresso whose wife is a lawyer) and I want to have your seat because my wife travels with me and QR is not able to put us together
I politely tell him that it would be a pleasure to offer him my seat if he is able to find me another window seat
Georges fiercely negotiates with the pax 1A and apparently convinces him to adopt 1B
He returns triumphantly, saying to me 1A is yours. I answer Deal ! (not the Lagaffe french TV show)
So here I am sitting in 1A
Result : I lose storage space and the mattress pad that will never be offered me (or to my row 1 co-pax either)
Few minutes later the door is closed, the 1F pax goes to 1K (both seats to the right are available), my neighbor goes to 1F and I have 1A/1B which is perfect.
During the flight I will do a tour in the second business cabin where all center seats are free.
I also finally receive my pre-departure beverage and an oshibori (choice between hot and cold)
The seat controls
My two windows : I will have to fight to keep them open
Taxi and spotting
The control tower
Alignment and takeoff : delay of thirty minutes
Few views of Doha
The beautiful buckle
And IFE 1A
The wonderful QR Rock selection lol
Pop and selection is not much better
The efficient noise cancellation headphone
A FA wants to close all the windows of the cabin and I have to fight to keep a part of one window open
Another FA comes to take orders for the breakfast : not now but three hours later please
At the first look the flight schedule didn't not fit me but as I didn't sleep on the previous flight I sleep immediately after takeoff
After about 3 hours I wake up and a FA rushes to serve me the breakfast
No oshibori
A not very good smoothie is offered
Then the table is prepared
My choice of appetizer, the salmon, is also quite disappointing : it is far from a balik
Cured Salmon with dill cream cheese, capers and pickled egge red onion
The pastries basket : not tasty
We are here
spiced tomato scrambled eggs with mushrooms sambhar curry leaf
It is very spicy, but original and very good
One bad thing : I have no bread to eat with the eggs !
I ask the FA who shows me the pastries, Do you really need more ? was her face expression
I explain that I prefer some salty bread and she tells me to wait
I have to wait ten minutes and see what I receive
This is not the best bread I've had and the eggs are now almost cold
It's a shame because these eggs are really excellent
I go back to sleep and woke up here
I slept six hours more : this enabled me to align my biological clock to the US timezone.
This was one of my best flights because I wasn't jet lagged at all
Outside it's cold and cloudy
I then ask a small snack
I receive a filled glass of champagne (usually it's filled in front of the pax)
Still no oshibori
I take a look at the month's new movies and hollywood movies but nothing seems familiar to me
Hot Arabic Mezze shawarma chicken, spinach and fatayer lahem bil agine
It is not enough thawed
Grilled falafel wrap mint mint yoghurt dressing tahini
It's not better and the tahini dressing is lost elsewhere
The Taittinger is not chilled enough and is not as good as the Pol Roger Pol of the previous flight
The beautiful oryx near the galley
Beautiful scenery during about 30 minutes and then it is cloudy
Unlike pititom I have then feeling that the time passes quickly
At about three hours before landing I ask my lunch
The table is prepared but I don't deserve an oshibori nor an amuse bouche
No more mezze (it was really not good on the previous flight)
Smoked salmon with horseradish creamc Heese pumpernickel bread and cucumber
It's well presented, the salmon is good and the bread reminds me gingerbread
Clear soup with mushrooms and rice crispy leek
There is a lot of creativity in this very tasty soup with crispy rice
Really good.
I choose the Bordeaux to pair with and again it is a success : this wine is great
Then my entree
Lamb loin with pistachio and mint crust rosted vegetables pearl couscous and yoghurt sauce Harrisa
It is neither pistachio or mint that come out in this excellent entree (even if the meat is a bit overcooked), these are the caramelized onions : they bring an unparalleled touch of taste.
It's a shame there is not enough harissa sauce to accommodate the couscous(too bland)
Anyway still a success: this is the kind of entree that I expect from a company like QR, not necessarily expensive products but being in the search of taste, of creativity.
Then time for the Ladurée dessert : I'm not necessarily sensitive to these brands (Ladurée, Lenôtre, Hermé)
LADUREE Temptation dark chocolate biscuit, raspberry jam and ganache
A bit too sweet for my taste :(
The real surprise come from the late Gewürztraminer harvest : nothing less than exceptional, the real wow effect of the flight
Unfortunately we are already approaching the airport
JFK's bad weather : I'm only in transit anyway but…
Arrival at the gate : 15 minutes delay
I'm among the first to leave the aircraft and no other flight arriving at the same time : immigration is a breeze
Last look at my 77W
Excellent FR. Thank you.
The lounge in DOH is getting so over crowded, business class is becoming more affordable these days with more reasonable business class fares and increased corporate or mileage accumulated prices there are way too many people flying business class these days. I would not want to see huge crowds at a business class lounge, otherwise the main terminal food court may be a better bet and less busy then lol.
Here in Toronto lounges are getting very crowded too, I don't know if airports are thinking to control lounge access more as a crowded lounge does not look very appealing.
The VIP terminal in DOH is amazing, I absolutely loved its design.
Thanks for translating this report, 007! I remember reading this report in French way back when, but I didn't comment then so I will now!
This is a very appropriate inclusion given Bo's report on the exact same route this week.
Your lounge situation at DOH sounds about the same as what I saw at AUH. It was just overcrowded and was overall an unpleasant experience. It felt more like being at a Disney resort, than a place to relax and recharge between flights.
Woohoo, I made the corporate shot!
They have the anti-spotting spotted windows at DOH too?
I like that QR provides slippers, one of my major complaints about EY.
I'm surprised by the light load on this flight in J, I would expect higher traffic back to the US right after the holidays.
I will have to fight to keep them open
- Marathon and you have so much in common!
I see you spotted the FC Barcelona livery in order to rival my Man City and Borussia Dortmund spottings.
Beautiful views of Doha on take-off, I found dawn in the Middle East to be perfect for aerial shots.
walks over to me and shakes my hand ... Hello my name is Georges
- You couldn't have asked for a more polite request.
luxury non-alcoholic bubbly
- fancy name for sparking grape juice.
The salmon in the appetizer looks too thickly cut in my opinion. You would need a knife to cut that.
The pastries basket : not tasty
-From your picture, the croissant doesn't look flaky.
It is not enough thawed
-That cold?
The dinner service looks very good. The salmon in the appetizer looks much better than what you had for breakfast. It's nice that you can also get a soup with the meal instead of being forced to pick the soup as your appetizer. I would have probably gone with the prawns after seeing the menu, but the lamb looks very good. Overall, catering on QR looks very strong and the lack of tray service is appealing.
I love the picture of the guy at JFK standing in front of the Christmas tree. If you asked me what a New Yorker looked like, he is exactly what I would describe.
The crew on this flight seems to be where QR failed royally. It's not the type of service you would expect on a 5* airline. It sounded like the crew was just absent throughout most of the flight, not there to welcome you and not really interested in your comfort during the flight. Did they make cabin passes or were they huddled in the galley most of the flight? One oshibori for a 14 hour flight is not acceptable.
Thanks for sharing this report, a solid performance not without details to improve, namely the crew which is quite important on a 13 hour flight.
It seems the food has ups and downs, breakfast is often disappointing in the air (unless you're flying SQ ;) )
Did you find the seat comfortable for sleeping?
See you soon for you flight to LAX.
Yes the seat was very comfortable for sleeping
Interesting contrast with Bo's recent report of a near perfect flight. Looks like our demanding 007 was not quite as satisfied with the same flight :-)
From what I remember, it just keeps going downhill from there. Will be interesting to see the next episode.
It is a shame that you got a mediocre crew--that really can lower the overall flight experience. Did you ever ask why you weren't getting a hot towel when everyone else was? Or the amuse-bouches? I would have mentioned it--politely, but I would have still said something. Maybe they forgot about you because you were alone in a corner--or maybe they thought you were punished by the teacher because you were alone in a corner :-P
The new lounge in Doha looks gigantic--how on earth is it so crowded? You are right, it does kind of look like a fancy train station terminal, lol.
Despite some negatives, the catering is overall quite nice for Business class. The extensive choice of meals and wine list is more reminiscent of a First Class than Business.
Glad you enjoyed the flight despite the crew. See you soon for the next leg in the (mis)adventure!
On QR the meals are on demand : it seems that Bo was having his meals at the same time with other people, I was alone when I took mine.
It could be the reason.
Ah, yes, that makes sense. Still no excuse for the FAs not to follow protocol, however.
Fair and balanced reporting. How can Bo and you travel the same route and end with two opposite experiences, reflects how culture influences perception.
It would be enlightening to read the reaction of FA when presented with your observations of poor attention to details and lack of engaging in conversation or asking for feedback. A purser should have been checking on pax for feedback during each meal service. To assume that all food delivered by the catering service was perfect, makes an ass of the purser.
The real IFE was provided by the apathetic crew. Were they reading Paris Match in the galley? :)