At 03h35, I get a call from reception to let me know that my car to the airport has arrived. Shortly after, there’s a knock at the door as the bellman arrives to collect my luggage. I’ve rather enjoyed this stay in Sharjah. Although the traffic may be quite bad during rush hour, the general pace of life here is slower, more relaxed and, frankly, more pleasant than in Dubai.

Getting to the Airport

Getting from the centre of Sharjah to the airport, situated eleven kilometres away, can take you as much as an hour in the morning and evening rush hours. However, at 03h45 even the streets of Sharjah are quiet and we make the journey out to the airport in under twenty minutes. The fare by taxi is roughly AED45.

Check-In

Sharjah airport only has one terminal. It’s nowhere near the size of Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but it’s a nice design, with a large domed ceiling. I’ve checked in on the app. However, Wallet boarding passes are not permitted at Sharjah airport, so I can either print the boarding passes at the hotel, or I can pass by the check-in counters at the airport.

Qatar Airways occupies all of check-in row B. There is a dedicated counter for First Class passengers. Qatar Airways markets its Business Class product on regional services within the peninsula as First Class. The passenger experience at the airport is cumbersome. There are random barriers and checkpoints in odd places, even before reaching check-in, which don’t really make much sense. In any case, from check-in, I head upstairs to the first floor for immigration.

The Lounge

Right behind immigration is the duty free shop. There is only one lounge at the airport, aptly named The Lounge, which is available to Qatar Airways passengers. The lounge is honestly nothing special and at this time of night, it’s litered with passengers lying about in a zombie-like comatose state. I suspect that the views from the window might be quite good in daylight.

Boarding

At 04h55 an announcement is made in the lounge inviting passengers to board their flight to Doha. The security screening takes place before passengers enter the holding area for their gate. Just as I enter the lounge area, one of the gate agents announces that First Class passengers are allowed onto the aircraft. As I step aboard the aircraft, I’m welcomed by two friendly female cabin crew. How they manage to look so put together at this time of night is completely beyond me!

The Cabin & Seat

The cabin is attractive. There are twelve seats arranged in a 2+2 configuration. I’m seated on row 1 and the leg space is phenomenal! I have no idea how old this aircraft is, but it looks new. There are no signs of wear and tear at all. If it isn’t new, it’s certainly been taken care of very well.

Amenities

There’s a packaged blanket and a cushion on every seat. In addition, there’s a packaged cold towel by Diptyque on the armreat between seats, from which I gather that I’ve lucked out and the seat next to me will remain empty. In the seat pocket they’ve already placed a bottle of still water and the menu for the flight.

The Service & Crew

The crew are just lovely and attentive. As soon as I take my seat, one of the cabin crew arrives. She greets me by name and acknowledges my OneWorld status by stating that “it’s nice to have you back, Mr A”. She inquires if I’d like a drink before departure and asks me to have a look at the menu.

She returns a short while later with a glass of lime and mint juice and takes my order for the meal. Shortly after, we push back from our stand. The flight time is announced as 57 minutes by the female first officer, who has absolutely no right to be so chirpy at this time of the morning.

The Meal – Breakfast

With a flight time of just under one hour, the crew don’t really have any time to waste with the service. As soon as the fasten seatbelt is turned off, the crew spring into action. They first place a tablecloth on my foldable table, and then deliver the tray.

On the tray is the hot meal, a plate of fruit salad and a sweet pastry which tastes rather nice. For the hot meal, I’m having the scrambled eggs with turkey, halloumi, mushrooms and tomato sauce. Given the short flight time, no hot drinks and no bread rolls are served. Instead, I have an orange juice and a glass of sparkling water on my tray.

After the meal, I recline my seat and wrap myself up in the thick blanket at my seat. However, I don’t have much time to sleep as we start our descent a short while later.

Arrival in Doha

Our arrival into Doha is uneventful. There are no delays, even though traffic is busy at this time of day at Hamad International. We touch down and taxi to a remote stand on the other side of the runway from the main terminal – so, basically we park on the ramp of what used to be the old terminal.

We disembarked through the forward door, which finally gives me an opportunity to oggle my aircraft from the outside. There’s a dedicated bus for First Class passengers only, which is really quite ridiculous. It only has twelve seats and it’s more than just a little ostentatious. The transfer to the terminal building takes about ten minutes, mainly because of a Turkish Airlines A 321 NEO which doesn’t seem to be able to make up its mind if its coming or going.

Transfer in Doha

The transfer in Doha is painless. There is a dedicated fast track for security and there’s hardly a queue. By the time I’m through, it’s 06h25. I have two hours before my onward connection.