I’ve just been ejected from fast track security and find myself airside at Hamad International Airport. My first thought as I come down the escalators is just how much nicer Doha airport is than Emirates’ hub in Dubai. There’s a lot more space here. I amble around the shopping area for a while to stretch my legs before eventually I head for the Qatar Airways lounge.

The Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge

Although my onward connection to Zürich is in Business Class, the fact that I arrived in regional First Class from Sharjah entitles me to use the Al Safwa First Class lounge, which is, obviously, rather a nice perk.

I always feel like I’m walking into a cathedral when I enter this lounge, with its high ceiling and the relative quiet. The lounge is quite busy, but there’s so much space that passengers disperse around the lounge.

I grab myself a seat towards the back of the lounge, where’s there’s a small buffet and a bar serving breakfast items. I request a cappuccino from the bar to make up for the one I didn’t get on the previous flight, and a bircher müsli.

The Al Safwa lounge has its own duty free and spa. There are separate spas for men and women. I walk up to the counter and inquire if there’s a shower available. And much to my surprise, the lady at reception immediately leads me towards the back to an empty treatment room that also has a shower and toilet.

The cosmetics in the spa are by Diptyque. The pressure and temperature control in the shower are excellent and there’s only minor spillage – I approve.

Once I’m done in the shower, I leave the lounge and head for my departure gate.

Boarding

Boarding starts at 08h25 from gate C 52. The C concourse is the most recently completed part of the terminal building. As it’s quite a distance, I decide to catch the shuttle to the North Plaza. From there it’s still quite a walk to the gate.

Okay, I feel I need to state here before I continue that I’m not complaining, but…. I mean, here we are at Hamad International in this beautiful, spacious terminal that has recently been expanded even. And yet both my previous flight and my next one are being serviced on a remote stand, even though, as far as I can see, there are contact stands available. Again, I’m not complaining and looking forward to getting close and personal with my A 350-900.

When I arrive at the gate, boarding for Economy Class is already underway, even though it’s only just 08h20. The gate agent tells me the first Business Class bus has already left, but the next one will be here shortly. Okay, now I’m complaining: we arrive on stand, but the bus pulls up so close to the passenger stairs that it’s near impossible to take any decent photos of the aircraft. She’s a big girl you know, so you need quite a bit of distance to capture her in all her glory. But okay, I can be mature about it. Sulking is not a good look on a grown man.

The Cabin & Seat

We board the aircraft through the L2 door. The main cabin is located between the L/R 1 and L/R 2 doors, with a smaller cabin with only two rows aft of the L2 door. The first impression of the cabin is one of a lot of space. There are no overhead bins over the middle row of seats, so you can see all the way to the front of the cabin.

I’m seated on 1K, which is the best seat on the A 350-900 in this configuration. The seat has a slightly wider pitch, and with the seats being slightly staggered, it’s also the most private seat. The downside, of course, is that you’re close to the galley, and it can get quite noisy.

The seats are in a 1+2+1 reverse herringbone configuration. It’s still a very comfortable seat, but I think these days passengers expect a bit more privacy from a Business Class seat. There also isn’t much storage spce in this seat. The blinds are operated electronically.

Amenities

As on the previous flight, there’s a packaged Diptyque towel at my seat when I arrive. There’s also a Diptyque vanity kit which contains socks, eye shades, earplugs and cosmetics. Dental kits are available in the lavatories.

I ask the cabin crew if they have any slippers, and she promptly returns with a set of pajamas, explaining that there are slippers in it, even if I’m not planning to use the pjs.

The menu and wine list are also at my seat when I arrive, and there’s a bottle of still water in the armrest facing the aisle.

The Service & Crew

The crew on this flight are a bit of a mixed bag. All of them are very nice and their service is flawless. But one of them in particular, a Czech young lady I find out later, is more than a bit accident prone and keeps dropping things. I’ve honestly never experienced anything like it. Throughout the flight there are regular thumps on the floor as she drops something else and then apologizes for it. She’s also very loud and even with the earplugs I can hear her talking in the galley throughout the flight. For a welcome drink, I have a glass of sparkling water. Just before we push back, the crew come to take my order for lunch.

We push back on time and taxi to the active runway. However, there’s a bit of a delay as they hold departures while the airport authority makes a visual inspection of the runway. Apparently, an aircraft that departed ten minutes ago may have had a tail strike. By the time we enter the runway, we’re running thirty minutes late. The captain informs us that with a flight time of five hours and forty minutes we’ll likely reach Zürich ten minutes behind schedule.

The Meal – Lunch on Demand

Qatar Airways offers dining on demand in Business Class. As I’m still on Dubai time, I’m feeling hungry again, so I decide to eat right after departure. I have an apple cooler to start off the meal, which is one of many mocktails available from the menu. It is served with a bowl of mixed nuts and plain salt crisps.

Later on, the crew come to set the table. There is a basket with sourdough rolls, and a side plate with butter and olive oil as well as salt and pepper. And of course the Do&Co signature artificial candle light for a bit of atmosphere.

Ahead of the meal, the crew serve an amuse bouche of burrata on a rich and tangy, spicy tomato sauce. This is so good.

I have the Arabic mezze for the first course, which are quite lovely: labneh with tahina, pesto hummus, and avocado muhammara served with warm pita bread. The mezze are something Qatar Airways does really well, and this interesting twist on the traditional dishes is no exception.

For the main course, I have the black cod served in a lemon cream sauce, pea puré, and caramelized pearl onions. The fish is just a bit dry, but certainly not to the point of it not being a nice piece of fish and a tasty meal.

After the main course, the Asian cabin crew comes to remove my plate. I rather like her, she’s a trip and has me in stitches. I tell her I won’t be having cheese or dessert and she looks positively put out. She promptly starts negotiating with me, which is just so funny. Eventually, we agree to a compromise and I order a saffron Karak Chai so that at least she can bring me some cookies. I request the delectable oatmeal cookies. As soon as I’ve eaten the last one, she removes the package and gives me a packet of the chocolate cookies too, “just so you don’t have to drink the chai without accompaniment”. Oh, okay then.

The meal concludes with a scented, hot hot towel. The kind of hot that is scorching but oddly pleasant once you remove it from your face. I then close the blinds, recline and snooze. It was an early start this morning. It takes the crew only one hour and 35 minutes after take-off to complete the meal. I’m quite impressed!

Arrival in Zürich

About an hour out of Zürich the cabin begins to stir as passengers start preparing for our arrival. I ask for a coffee with milk which is brought with more cookies. A while later, the crew pass through the cabin with another round of hot towels. It’s another lovely day here in Switzerland and not too hot, certainly not as hot as it was in Sharjah or Doha.

Our approach into Zürich has us entering into Swiss airspace over Lake Constance. From there we continue west until we are vectored for a runway 14 approach. After landing we taxi to our stand on the E pier, and park next to the Emirates A 380 service from Dubai, which usually comes in just after noon.

Conclusion

This was another stellar performance with Qatar Airways from Sharjah via Doha to Zürich. As far as I’m concerned, Qatar Airways blows Emirates out of the water pretty much on all counts: their hub in Doha is not only more comfortable for transferring passengers, it’s also much nicer. But also in terms of the quality and quantity of the catering, Qatar surpasses Emirates. The seat on this aircraft obviously wasn’t quite as cool as the fabulous QSuite, but even so, I think it’s still far ahead of the ugly Emirates Business Class product.