Is Qatar Airways a Good Airline? (Seats, Meals, Entertainment & More)

With a network of about 150 destinations spanning all six inhabited continents, Qatar Airways is often an option for many long-haul itineraries. Combined with often attractive fares compared to competitors, chances are you are inclined to choose the airline for your next trip.

Before deciding, though, you are likely wondering what the airline is like and whether it lives up to its strong brand. Continue reading to find out if Qatar Airways is a good airline to fly with.

Is Qatar Airways a Good Airline?
Qatar Airways.

Is Qatar Airways a Good Airline?

It’s not uncommon to hear Qatar Airways being called the world’s best airline. While there are too many factors to be able to make an absolute statement like that, it certainly is a top contender for that spot. Ultimately, however, it will depend on your travel class.

When it comes to economy class, Qatar Airways is definitely a good airline to fly with. While I would put Emirates (read my comparison of the two airlines) in the “best airline” spot in this category, Qatar Airways is not too far behind. Most of its aircraft are modern widebodies with a good entertainment system, the airline offers not only tasty but also filling meals, and its hub – Doha Hamad International Airport – is a nice airport to spend a layover in even without lounge access.

In business class – especially on long-haul flights – Qatar Airways is great. In fact, the airline arguably offers the best business class experience in the world. While some of its aircraft still have uncompetitive business class seats, more and more flights are operated by aircraft with either reverse herringbone seats or excellent QSuites. Combined with extensive dine-on-demand service and the airline’s Al Mourjan Lounge in Doha, Qatar Airways’ business class is arguably a level above its competitors.

Lastly, while I have not flown in Qatar Airways’ first class yet, it seems to be the most underwhelming part of the airline’s offering. That’s caused by the fact that the airline’s business class product is excellent and Qatar Airways is not investing in its first class product since it’s only offered on the A380 and some leased 777s and will be discontinued with these aircraft’s retirement.

Is Qatar Airways a Good Airline?
Qatar Airways is arguably one of the best airlines in the world.

Qatar Airways Punctuality & Reliability: Will You Arrive on Time?

Over the last ten years or so, I took nearly 30 Qatar Airways flights and as far as my mind can remember, all of them were more or less on time. As that is a small sample size, though, let’s zoom out and look at data provided by OAG.

In 2022, 77.50% of Qatar Airways’ flights tracked by OAG arrived on time (within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time). That put the airline in the fifth place in the Middle East & Africa. It was also a considerable decrease from 83.40% on-time performance in 2019.

For comparison, Qatar Airways’ on-time performance in 2022 was slightly worse than Emirates’ (81.13%). That said, it was better than, let’s say Air France (72.10%), British Airways (64.07%), and KLM (73.06%), and about on par with American Airlines (77.38%).

Overall, while Qatar Airways is not world-class when it comes to arriving on time, it is a safe airline that is also better in on-time performance than some other major airlines.

Flying with Qatar Airways: What Is It Like?

As with any airline, the experience you will have flying with Qatar Airways will vary greatly depending on your class of travel. What you can expect from the hard product (i.e. the seat) will also vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft – and the specific configuration – you fly on.

Ground Service

Qatar Airways operates a number of lounges at Doha Hamad International Airport that can be accessed for free by Qatar Airways and other frequent flyer status holders and by those flying in business and first class before departure:

  • Al Safwa Lounge: This lounge can be accessed by those flying on Qatar Airways first class. The easiest way to try it is by flying on an intra-Middle East flight in short-haul first class (which is essentially business class level of service other than the lounge access).
  • Al Mourjan Lounges: Recently, Qatar Airways opened a brand new Al Mourjan – The Garden Lounge. With that, there are two excellent lounges that Qatar Airways business class passengers can use.
  • Silver, Gold, and Platinum Lounges: Smaller lounges that can be accessed by frequent flyer status holders. These are nowhere near as nice as the Al Safwa and Al Mourjan Lounges. That said, they still offer decent refreshments. I reviewed one of the Silver Lounges here.

Qatar Airways also allows those flying in business class that would otherwise be eligible to use one of the Al Mourjan Lounges free of charge to pay $165 for access to the Al Safwa Lounge. Additionally, there is an Arrival Lounge at Doha Airport for Qatar Airways business and first class passengers which has dedicated immigration facilities.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge
Al Mourjan Lounge.

Outside of Doha, Qatar Airways has its own lounges at some of the airline’s key destinations like London Heathrow and Bangkok. At other airports, it provides access to partner lounges to those eligible for free lounge access.

You can see which lounge you will be eligible to access depending on your class of travel, status, and departure airport on the Qatar Airways website.

In addition to lounges, Qatar Airways also offers a dedicated Premium Check-in area in Doha.

Qatar Airways Premium Check-in
Premium Check-in entrance.

Seats

Qatar Airways operates a fairly diverse fleet of mostly widebody aircraft. That said, it also operates a couple of dozen narrowbody A320s which it expects to retire fairly soon and it is adding 737 MAX 8s to its fleet now. Because of this diversity in aircraft types -and even different configurations of the same aircraft type – there are several different types of seats you might encounter on your Qatar Airways flight.

In economy class, though, the differences are not that significant and in general you will find seats that are as comfortable as what most other airlines offer. You will also in general have access to a power outlet even in economy class.

Two things to keep in mind if you are flying in economy class is that Qatar Airways:

  1. Tends to use its A320s on fairly long (5-6 hours) flights too. As such, if you prefer widebodies on longer flights, then you might want to avoid choosing such flights.
  2. Has some economy class seats on the upper deck of its A380s. The window-side seats come in pairs of two rather than in sets of three on the main deck and so are more comfortable if you are traveling on your own or with one other person. The window seats on the upper deck also have an extra storage compartment along the wall which is nice to have.
Qatar Airways 777-300ER Economy Class Cabin
Qatar Airways 777-300ER economy class.
Qatar Airways 787-8 Economy Class
Qatar Airways 787-8 economy class.

The differences are much more pronounced in business class where Qatar Airways has aircraft with anything ranging from outdated, below-average lie-flat seats all the way to QSuites – arguably the best or the second best business class seat in the world depending on where you rank ANA’s The Room.

In order of most to least comfortable, Qatar Airways has the following types of business class seats on its aircraft:

  • QSuites: some 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs, and A350-900s; and all A350-1000s
  • Business Class Suites: all 787-9s
  • Reverse herringbone seats: some A350-900s and 777-300ERs (leased from Cathay Pacific); and all 787-8s
  • “2-2-2” lie-flat seats with full leg space: some 777-300ERs and 777-200LRs
  • “2-2-2″/”2-2” lie-flat seats with foot cubby: A330s and some A320s
  • Recliner seats: some A320s

It’s worth noting here that while the non-QSuite 777 seats are not perfect when traveling solo – not all of them offer direct aisle access, they are quite comfortable due to their unrestricted leg space. As such, I wouldn’t necessarily avoid them if traveling with someone else that I wanted to chat with during the flight.

Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class
Qatar Airways 777-300ER lie-flat seats.
Qatar Airways A350-900 Business Class
Qatar Airways A350-900 reverse herringbone seats.
Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class Double Bed
Qatar Airways 787-9 Business Class Suites.
Qatar Airways 777-300ER QSuites
Qatar Airways 777-300ER QSuites.

Lastly, in terms of first class, there are two distinct products. The first is the regional first class which uses business class seats as listed above. The second is mid-/long-haul first class. That can be found on Qatar Airways’ own A380s and on 777-300ERs leased from Cathay Pacific.

Neither the A380 nor the 777 first class seats are equipped with doors and both are fairly outdated. That said, the Cathay Pacific 777-300ER first class seats are still excellent and the A380 seats are average.

Cathay Pacific 777-300ER First Class
Cathay Pacific first class seats that can now be found on some Qatar Airways flights too.

Meals and Beverages

In addition to the QSuites, meals and beverages are where Qatar Airways excels.

In economy class, you will get a meal whether you are flying on a short hop or on one of the airline’s longest flights. On the shortest flights, the meal will be a light cold one. On longer flights, you can expect anywhere between one and two hot meals. On the longest flights, you will also get a refreshment between the two main meal services.

Not only will you get a meal but you can also expect it to be more than filling enough and of good quality. In fact, Qatar Airways’ meals are some of my favorite economy class meals.

Qatar Airways Long-Haul Economy Class Dinner
Qatar Airways long-haul economy class dinner.
Qatar Airways 787-8 Economy Class Brunch
Qatar Airways mid-haul economy class brunch.

Where Qatar Airways really stands out, though, is business class. While on shorter flights, you will receive a meal on a tray, on mid- and long-hauls, you can expect a full-on dine-on-demand service where your table gets properly set and you can order whatever you want from the onboard menu at any time during the flight.

While sometimes the execution of the concept doesn’t work out quite right, it is still arguably the most extensive business dining experience compared to any other major airline. As someone that doesn’t drink alcohol, I also appreciate that Qatar Airways offers So Jennie – a non-alcoholic sparkling – in business class.

Qatar Airways Business Class Dining
Beautiful table set-up.
Qatar Airways Business Class Lunch
Qatar Airways business class lunch.
Qatar Airways Medium-Haul Business Class Cheese Plate
A glass of So Jennie and a cheese plate.

While I haven’t flown in Qatar Airways’ “proper” first class yet, from what I have read, the meal service is not that different from the meal service in business class. That’s not because the service is lacking but because the business class service is excellent. That said, some things – like caviar – are exclusive to first class.

In-Flight Entertainment

In general, you can expect to find personal entertainment screens across the Qatar Airways fleet – whether you are flying on one of its widebodies or narrowbodies. That said, the quality might vary depending on the aircraft you are flying on.

Similarly, you can expect to get relatively decent headphones in economy class and a set of quality noise-canceling headphones in business and first.

Qatar Airways Long-Haul Economy Class Headphones
Qatar Airways economy class headphones.
Qatar Airways Business Class Headphones
Qatar Airways business class noise-canceling headphones.

Qatar Airways’ Oryx One in-flight entertainment system is also one of the best ones in the industry. Regardless of the length of the flight you are flying on, you can expect enough content – be it movies, TV shows, music, or games – to keep you busy throughout the entire flight if you wish so.

Additionally, you will have access to an in-flight map so that you can keep track of where you are flying and – on some aircraft like the A350 – you will also have the option to watch the outside world using one of the external cameras the aircraft are equipped with.

You can find the latest selection of content available on Oryx One here.

Qatar Airways Oryx One IFE System
Oryx One.

Onboard Wi-Fi

Most Qatar Airways aircraft – i.e. all except for its A320s and A330s – offer onboard wi-fi. That said, Qatar Airways has two types of wi-fi depending on the aircraft: standard and “Super Wi-Fi.” Qatar Airways’ 787-8s and A380s are equipped with the standard wi-fi which is provided by OnAir and does not perform too well. All of its 777s, 787-9s, and A350s are equipped with the much better “Super Wi-Fi” provided by Inmarsat.

Because the two types of wi-fi are being provided by two separate companies, the pricing is different. In spite of the much better quality, the Inmarsat wi-fi is much cheaper at just 10 USD for full flight access (8 USD if pre-booked online). One hour of free access to all Qatar Airways Privilege Club members regardless of status is offered as well.

On aircraft with OnAir wi-fi, a variety of plans with considerable data caps is offered at costs higher than the “Super Wi-Fi.”

As such, in general, it is a good deal to get the wi-fi access on the planes with “Super Wi-Fi” – whether for work or to stay connected with your friends and family – but not a good deal if you happen to fly on aircraft with the outdated OnAir system.

Qatar Airways Flight Reviews

If you want to get a better idea of what flying with Qatar Airways is like, you might also want to read some of my flight reviews including:

Summary

All in all, whether you are flying in economy class or business class, you cannot go wrong with Qatar Airways. In the latter case, though, depending on your preferences, you might want to avoid aircraft that are not equipped with QSuites or reverse herringbone seats.

If you are looking at booking first class, it might be worth looking at other options like Emirates too. That said, you still cannot really go wrong even if you choose Qatar Airways.

1 thought on “Is Qatar Airways a Good Airline? (Seats, Meals, Entertainment & More)”

  1. Your review is very accurate. I wish that Qatar did not have so many variations in their types of aircraft and onboard product. If Qatar was more consistent in their aircraft types I would rate them higher myself. Love the Qsuite, first class, not so much.

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