The best business class in the world?
Qatar is a great option if you have Avios, and its business-class seat is considered one of the best in the sky. This is a review of my flight from Manchester to Doha, a busy route that operates up to four times a day, and then the return flight.
How we booked this flight
We used 172,000 Avios for this return trip for two (flying out on a Friday, returning the following Saturday) and paid £898.54 in taxes.
If you’re wondering how that near-£450 of fees, per person, breaks down:
- £178.60 in “redemption fees”, i.e money that Qatar keeps
- £216.00 for UK Air Passenger Duty
- And the rest are miscellaneous airport charges.
We took a morning flight, departing at 8:50am and arriving in Doha at 6:30pm. The return flight was just before 3pm, getting back into Manchester for half seven at night.
These are my favourite flight times. There’s also an afternoon (3pm) flight from MAN to Doha that gets you in just before midnight, but with transport to your hotel you won’t be in bed until 1 or 2am.
There’s also a 9:45pm flight that’s overnight, landing at 6:35am the next day, making it a tricky option given that most hotels allow check-in from 12noon. The 8:45am departure is perfect, although it does require a slightly earlier start, so we stayed at the Radisson, which is just a short walk from the check-in desks.
On the return flight back to Manchester, the 2:40pm take-off means we can check out of the hotel at a sensible time, get to the airport and enjoy a quieter experience. Evenings and into the early hours are the busiest times at Doha airport, whereas in the afternoon it is much quieter and more leisurely.
(If you want to read a bit more about the experience at Doha, I have previously reviewed the outstanding Qatar First Class lounge, and on this trip, I covered the equally fantastic Garden Lounge.
Check in at Manchester
We stayed overnight at the Radisson Blu, which is a three-minute walk from Terminal 2. That made the start of the day less stressful, although it was still an early start. We woke up at 5am, to get into the airport two and a half hours before take-off.
Qatar has a dedicated check-in area at MAN, as it operates three or four flights throughout the day. There is a separate line for Business Class passengers, or those with status, but it’s easy to miss this as the signage for it is hidden behind a column.
The Qatar check-in area feels a little cramped, and the whole process was slow. Whilst the Business Class queue was short, it shares desks with the Economy line.
Once we were called forward by an agent, the process was relatively quick. I had heard that whilst MAN has two security halls, only one has a fast track, but the agent wasn’t sure if that was the case. I was surprised they didn’t know where to send us, since they specifically said we could use fast track.
Manchester Airport security
The closest security point was the East hall, but this was the one without a fast track. It’s only a minute’s walk to the second security hall, West. The Fast Track setup there is deeply confusing: there were two staff members, and a short queue that wasn’t moving. After a minute, and with the line not moving, we were told that we could use the two automated lanes to the right of the staff members.
I had read that the only way to use Fasttrack was to get your face scanned by a staff member who uses an iPad. As bizarre as that sounds, this is Manchester Airport, and oddities should be expected. The staff members did have iPads on them, but it turns out you can use the automatic security machines and just sail through. I think this could be made a lot clearer for passengers.
After the boarding pass check, there is a dedicated Fast Track and priority line, which leads to dedicated scanning machines. This is much improved versus Terminal 3, where the Fasttrack queue just joined a regular line. We were in and out of security in five minutes, and we didn’t need to remove electronics from our hand luggage.
Which lounge does Qatar use at Manchester?
At the time of writing, Qatar is still using the 1903 lounge for Business Class passengers, and the Escape for passengers in Economy who have status. On the 1st July, Manchester Airport will open a new lounge: the snappily named The Executive Lounge by Escape Lounges.
The 1903 will close, so Qatar passengers will have to go somewhere else. Where that is, is yet to be announced, but the hope is that they shift to using the new lounge, which, for all intents and purposes, looks much better than the 1903.
When we flew, we got to use the 1903, which was extremely busy, and had a mixture of premium fliers and travellers who paid for entry. It’s not the best lounge, but for the moment, it’s the best at Manchester (aside from the Aether private terminal).
It is a passable space. Some seats have views across the airport. The breakfast buffet is fine. The coffee machine is passable. The staff members are fine. It’s a place to sit for a while. It does not feel luxurious, and so it doesn’t feel right for Qatar business class.
I created a breakdown of which lounges airlines used at Manchester Airport. I’ll update this once it becomes clear which lounge Qatar will move to.
The Qatar boarding process
Boarding was announced on the screens at around 7:50am, with our tickets saying boarding was due to start at 8:20am, for an 8:50am pushback. Our gate was A10, which is a long walk from the main passenger area of the terminal. We got there in around ten minutes. Do not leave it till the last minute unless you want to arrive at the gate stressed and sweaty, or even worse, after boarding has closed.
There is nothing of note around the gates. There’s a vending machine and a very small WH Smiths, but nowhere to eat or drink. There are, however, a lot of bathrooms, which are clean and quiet.
Our boarding was delayed and confusing. It started twenty minutes later than it should have, then once the assistance passengers had boarded, it went quiet for ten minutes. An announcement told us that all passengers could now board, followed immediately by another announcement stating that no one could board yet. After another ten minutes, they opened up boarding for Business Class passengers.
Getting on the plane requires you to go down two flights of stairs to reach the jet-bridge. There is a lift, but it can only be operated by airport staff, so you will need to pre-arrange assistance. It’s an odd setup, especially in a new terminal.
A technical issue further delayed the flight, meaning we got on the move almost an hour after we should have pushed back. The pilot kept the passenger informed throughout.
The Qatar 787-9 Business Class seat
If you’re flying Qatar, then you really want to be in their Q-Suite (or coming soon, the next generation Q-suite), which is considered to be the business class seat in the air.
We knew that our plane wouldn’t have that, but IMHO it has the second-best Qatar seat: the Adient Ascent. It feels similar to the BA Club Suite, a perfectly functional business class seat with a privacy door.
Seats are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration. The middle seats are considered better for couples, as you can lower the divider between the seats, but you lack windows (and views). I sat in 9A, which is a single right at the back of the cabin, on the left-hand side. My wife sat in front in 8A.
This was a pretty good seat as it’s close to the doors where we got on, and near the bathrooms.
It’s a private suite with a fully closable door and a large TV. The walls of the suite are just about high enough: not full height, but enough to mean that you can’t really be seen, or see anyone else.
It has wireless phone charging via a cradle behind you. You slot the phone in, which is a slightly awkward way of charging versus just having your phone on a surface.
Below the charging cradle is a universal power block, which also has a USB-C charging port. Next to that is the IFE remote that clicks out of the holster so you can use it when facing forward.
Controls for lighting and the seat are next to you, at lap height. These allow you to easily put the seat into bed mode, return it to the upright position, or adjust the leg support. You can also mark Do Not Disturb on the suite down, or turn the lights on and off.
Storage, or the lack of it
One negative aspect of the suite is the lack of storage. There’s a small storage space in the armrest, and that’s pretty much it. You could fit smaller items into the vanity unit.
You’re reliant on overhead lockers for your things. There are plenty in this cabin, and each seat effectively has its own giant storage bin, but it’s just above you rather than around you.
Overall, I find this seat to be comfortable, private and relatively cosy. The door is also easy to operate. With BA’s suite (which is quite similar), for some reason, I find it difficult to open or close it.
What I also like is that after take-off, the crew come around and closes every suite door. BA keep theirs open, and it feels like they don’t want you to close it at all.
The seat will already have your amenities kit, a bottle of water, two pillows and a blanket there when you arrive. More on the amenities kit later.
The blanket is fantastic. If you’ve ever covered yourself with a paper-thin, brittle aeroplane blanket, then this one is going to blow your mind. It’s thick and soft, and a deep Qatar red.
Finally, you’ll have the food and drink menu in the seat pocket. This is hidden behind the safety instructions sheet and sick-bag, so I didn’t even realise it was there at first.
The bathrooms on the Qatar 787-9
The business class cabin has three bathrooms. Two are at the rear of the cabin, one on either side. They are slightly larger than an economy bathroom, but are nowhere near as big as Emirates First Class bathrooms.
That tiny bit of extra space does make a difference, and you will also have a bathroom with a view: there’s a window in there, above the toilet seat, that looks directly out onto the giant engines.
Inside, there’s a full-length mirror that complements the above-the-sink mirror, plus a third vanity mirror. The amenities are from Dypthyque, and Qatar always have their facial mist alongside soap and hand moisturiser.
The bathrooms also have one of my favourite features: the bin pedal. If you don’t fancy pushing the lid of the rubbish bin down to dispose of a tissue, just push down on this with your foot and it springs open.
The amenities kit you get doesn’t include a toothbrush or toothpaste. They’re in the bathrooms, so you can just grab one when you need it.
The Qatar amenity kit
I really like the Qatar amenenity kits. They’re not as boujee as Emirates First, but they are solid and they kickstarted my love of Dipthyque.
Inside you’ll find a small eau de toilette, body lotion, face cream and lip balm. There are also some handy socks. The dental kit is in the bathroom itself.
If you ask you can get a pair of pyjamas. They’re pretty comfortable, and at the time of flying they were F1 branded. As I’m a big fan of F1 I was overjoyed, and made sure to take them with me when we disembarked.
What’s the food and drink like in Qatar Business Class.
Our flight took off at 9am, so our main meal on board was breakfast, and then a light snack was served late in the flight. After boarding, a crew member took our breakfast order, along with our choice of welcome drink (served before take-off) and then what drink we wanted with our meal.
Qatar are solid when it comes to food. While they’re not as high-end as Emirates First, which is frankly a bit too fancy for me, what they offer is really good quality. That’s the same whether you’re flying from an outstation or from Doha. They are happy to invest in good food.
I opted for the fruit plate and Bircher muesli. My wife had the French toast, which she described as being “amazing”. There wasn’t a crumb left on her plate. My fruit platter was good, and the Museli was fine.
You also get a bread basket with a croissant, roll, and what looks like a Pain Au Chocolate but is actually filled with Pistachio. Suprise.
I had two lattes, both served in beautiful glasses, and they were outstanding for aeroplane coffee.
There’s a snack area at the back of the Business cabin, with a fruit and a snack bowl. It went almost untouched throughout the flight, until I found it.
Landing in Doha, and the arrivals lounge(s)
We landed about 45 minutes late due to the delayed takeoff, but it was a short, easy walk to passport control. We used the Qatar arrivals lounges, meaning we could pass through a private passport control. It didn’t really save us much time, as the main passport control was quieter, but it was probably less stressful. We were the only passengers in the lounge for the twenty-or-so minutes that we were there.
As we weren’t working to any deadlines, we went to the post-security Arrivals lounge, which was also completely deserted.
The return flight to Manchester
Checking in at Doha was incredibly easy and relaxing. There’s a dedicated check-in section at the far right of the terminal for Business passengers, and it was completely deserted. A porter took our luggage from the taxi to the check-in, and within two minutes, we were walking towards security. This was also empty, and we were then in the main departures area within five minutes of being dropped off.
We had arrived three hours before the flight to give us a little more time in the lounge. We had already been to the main Business Class (Al Mourjan Lounge) lounge a few times, so instead we headed further into the terminal to the newer, flagship Business lounge. If you want to read more I wrote up a full review of the Qatar Garden lounge.
In short, it’s a stunning space, with excellent food, a relaxing Dior spa, and more things to do than we had time for. The lounge looks into the airport rather than out, which works well because it sits next to the Garden at Doha airport. Instead of looking at a grey, drab interior, you are faced with greenery.
We made it down to the gate just as boarding had begun, so we walked straight on the plane. Everything worked like clockwork. We had an identical plane on the way back, and we even sat in the same seats. The only real difference was the meals served: lunch instead of breakfast.
Food and drink
Although we ate in the lounge, by the time meal service started I was hungry again and looking forward to the meal service. This was lunch as our flight took off at 2pm.
Just after take-off I was given a bowl of nuts and crisps, along with a welcome drink. When the meal service began a beef starter was served first.
This was followed by the Butter Chicken, which was outstanding. No Naan breads, although it came with a bread basket and some popadoms.
For dessert, I had the ice cream. The menu was vague on the flavour but I’m pretty sure it was coffee with chocolate chips. It was delicious.
Overall, two excellent meals on the outbound and inbound flights.
Landing in Manchester
Qatar likes to use a gate that’s as far away from the terminal as possible, meaning that you have a long walk from the A-gates. It’s a good opportunity to stretch your legs. However, by the time you get to immigration (which on this trip was a breeze) your bags will likely be making their way around the carousel.
Qatar do a good job at Manchester with prioritising the priority bags. Emirates are also good at this, meaning if you are flying in Business your cases are likely to come out first.
The final verdict on Qatar business class
Qatar is widely considered the best business-class airline in the World, and for good reason. On most routes they deliver a high level of service from when you enter the airport to when you leave at your destination.
The challenge the airline faces is that there are things outside of its control. Their staff members on the plane are excellent. Most of their seats are great (they do operate a mixed fleet with a number of different seat styles, some of which aren’t that good).
The problem, certainly at Manchester, is the check-in and the lounge. Neither is luxurious. The lounge situation is certainly poor. On your flight out, you use a mid-level paid-for lounge. On the flight back you have access to some of the best lounges in the World.
The hope is that Emirates will use the brand new The Executive Lounge (I know, it’s a terrible name), which will be the second best lounge at T2 behind Emirates. In terms of check-in, moving it away from the current desks could help. Better signage and a dedicated business class staff member at the desks would also make it better.
Putting aside the lounge and check-in, and the slightly confusing boarding, Qatar do deliver on Business Class. The food is particularly good, and all the smaller, soft touches are where you’d expect them to be: a good amenity kit, an outstanding blanket, and pyjamas. Some airlines don’t even offer those in business class.
For a lot of travellers, Qatar is a viable option for using Avios. And for fliers from Manchester, it’s one of the few ways to experience true long-haul business class using those points. If you’re planning your first Avios business redemption on Qatar, you won’t be disappointed.
Rating Qatar Business Class (Manchester to Doha)
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