Qatar Airways confirms A380 discharge and that it will no longer have first class seats
The A380s were called by Al Baker, "The biggest mistake he made, and the worst plane that ever entered [...]
Qatar Airways
Oneworld
DOH
The A380s were defined by Al Baker: "The biggest mistake he made, and the worst aircraft ever to enter the fleet since he has been at the helm of the Doha-based company." Despite this and contrary to predictions, the company brought them back up in the air, and we at TFC did not miss the opportunity to try the first-class chair And the shipboard bar.
In this article:
Goodbye A380, this time is the end
In recent weeks the company announced the final plan to divest its A380 fleet.
The made-in-Airbus giants will be replaced as the new A350s gradually enter service, dispute with Airbus concluded planned deliveries are expected to start again starting next year. A shortage of planes and huge demand for tickets has forced the Doha-based carrier to reluctantly restart the engines of some of its A380s, too important to be able to carry 500 passengers in one go especially to super-clogged airports like London and Paris. At present, Qatar's "double deckers" fly to Europe only to London and then from Doha to Asia and Oceania, where demand is as high as ever.
With the arrival of the next A350/1000 then the current 8 aircraft still in operation will be decommissioned and not only the iconic silhouette of the double-decker aircraft will disappear, but also the first-class cabins. Today in fact Qatar has these cabins only on the A380s and on some 777/300s taken used for the same reasons.
No chair of First
If Singapore has renovated its Suite., Air France will do so shortly as well as Lufthansa and, probably, Emirates will also announce something in the coming months Qatar consistently continues in the direction of eliminating the first class cabin by increasing the presence of the QSuite, recently confirmed as the world's best business class. Again, Al Baker is confident.
The future is in business class, which Qatar calls precisely QSuite. Here's why there will be no first class on Boeing 777Xs. These jets will become the largest in the fleet when the retirement of the A380s, which still contain 8 first-class seats, is completed.
Today, however, it is fair to remember that Qatar's premium cabins are many, and very different from each other. The QSuite is the ultimate expression, but much of the fleet offers a far inferior product to the award-winning business cabin, and this is a problem the company will carry for years to come, since there are currently no plans to revamp the old machines.
In conclusion
Qatar charts its own course and does not follow the competition. It is not only a matter of first class, but also of simplification in general since not even premium economy and economy comfort, i.e., tourist seats with a few extra inches for the legs, are found on board the Qatari fleet. We will see if this is really the case or if, in the end, there will be reversals.
