Single, double, triple and quadruple. All about Qatar's QSuite, the world's best business class
Before QSuite came along, the world of business class was very standard, and if you traveled in company the [...]
Qatar Airways
Oneworld
Before QSuite came along, the business class world was very standard and if you were traveling in company, the best was to aim for some armchairs that had been christened honeymoon, honeymoon, not many airlines were offering business class passengers to travel "close" and Among these I like to remember was Alitalia's Magnifica.
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But then Qatar stunned the world with the QSuite for years the best business class cabin in the world, of course it is not perfect and has a couple of flaws, but it is by far still the best product, not only I say so, but all Skytrax including.
The shortcomings of Qsuite
Before explaining the merits and features, let us discuss the less happy notes.
- It's on a few planes, compared to the total size of the fleet, I have already explained in detail On which aircraft it is present and on which it is not and never will be
- The best seats are oriented opposite to the direction of flight. It doesn't cause me any particular discomfort, but not everyone likes this thing
- Doesn't offer a lot of storage space, to say that it offers very little
One chair four different configurations
The beauty of this cabin, where all passengers have direct access to the aisle, is that every type of traveler can find their ideal place.
If you are traveling alone, or do not want to share the trip, the best armchairs are undoubtedly the outer ones, if at the product level they are all the same with a door that isolates from the corridor and a lot of privacy. The same cannot be said about the conformation of the chairs.
As mentioned, the rows are alternating. One passenger is seated facing the direction of travel, the one behind is facing the opposite direction.
In the outer rows this translates to those who want to be closer to the window having to travel looking toward the wings and not toward the pilot.
The special feature of the QSuite, however, is. having created something never before seen First on the central chairs. Here there are setups from double rooms as well as connecting rooms suitable for group travelers.
The different movable bulkheads allow according to the group to configure the spaces as desired.
For example, it is possible to have the marriage setup, knocking down the divider and installing the appropriate mat over the wall.
Similarly, if you are traveling in threes, taking advantage of the fact that you are traveling face to face, you can move only one of the walls supporting the monitor and create a family space for yourself.
Finally, there is the quadruple setup where the 4 passengers share lunch, IFE, and willingly work by docking their devices directly on the seat screens.
How to reserve the various seats
It's not about paying, it's about optimizing reservations and space on board. Depending on the amount of passengers in the PNR you will, or will not, have the opportunity to reserve a particular seat.
It has nothing to do with status or ticket cost: for example, if you are traveling alone, you will not be able, on your own, to reserve one of the middle seats.
Similarly. if you are traveling in pairs you will have the option of reserving two middle seats, but not two front seats. To be able to unlock the quadruple so you have to be, a minimum of 4, in the same reservation.
If you have special needs, you can call the call center, but there is no guarantee that a seat will be assigned, partly because middle seats are assigned in advance to those traveling in pairs.
Is Qatar's QSuite really that good?
My honest answer is yes, but as a single traveler I say that today there are superior products like Air France's new business, All Nippon Airlines' The Room, the front rows of business on the entire Singapore Airlines fleet, and British Airways' Club World Suite itself is a competitive product.
Of course then the rest comes into play: service, pampering, lounge, airport, and on some aspects QR is really ahead of everyone.
The problem, however, is that from Italy this chair is (almost) a chimera, but in general the Doha-based company's machine rotation makes it really complicated on some routes to be sure to fly aboard this cabna
This summer Qatar introduces the QSuite 2.0
Years go by and the competition has shortened the distance, and because of this QR has already announced not only that First Class is not going to disappear, but also that The evolution of the QSuite is coming soon., this cabin will be previewed at the Farnborough show in London this summer and then the hunt will be on to fly in it as soon as it is put into rotation, obviously unlikely to come to Italy in the near future.
