Transit at Doha - Hamad International Airport

I arrived at Doha airport with a flight from Johannesburg. I had a two hours layover before my next flight and was a bit nervous that it would not be enough time.

Before going to the transit gates, you have to go through security. The lines were very long but moved quickly. I approached a staff member at the Business class line and told him I had a very short layover. He allowed me to use the business class line.

Sign posted

The way to the transfer gates were very well sign posted in English and Arabic

Laptops

I did not have to take out my laptop from its bag to go through security

Lounges

There are business class lounges but no Priority pass lounges as yet.
Next to my departure gate was a quiet/family lounge. The lights were dimmed and you could lie
comfortably on the seats (reclined). Entry was free of charge

Refreshments

There are enough shops to buy refreshments, magazines etc

Announcements

Boarding announcements were made

Departure Gates

Business class and priority passengers were allowed to enter the gates first.
Ground crew scanned boarding passes at the gate and passengers were then seated in a holding area
Boarding of the plane was done first by business class and priority passengers. Economy class passengers boarded by row, those sitting at the back of the plane boarded first

Qatar Airlines - Economy Class Airbus A330-300 QR059 28 September 2014

Route

QR059 from Doha to Munich 28 September 2014
Please take note that this route is serviced by an Airbus A330-300, Airbus A330-200 and a Boeing 787-8 .
This review is for the Airbus A330-300

Scheduled Duration

6 hours 10 minutes

On time departure and arrival

Departed a bit late but landed 25 min early

Ground Crew and check-in

I made my booking online and could pre-booked my seat.
This was a connecting flight and I could check in online 36 hours before departure of the first leg of my journey.  Take note that check in to and from the U.S only opens 24 hours prior to departure.
My check in luggage were booked through to my final destination, and I did not need to collect my luggage at Doha arrivals.
The ground crew were friendly and helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for Business Class passengers, as well as certain loyalty members, families with small children and assisted passengers.
Economy class passengers boarded by rows. Those sitting at the back of the plane boarded first. This was strictly enforced

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage, not exceeding 7kg
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Max dimension (length + height + width) of 406cm
See more on  baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist wipes were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 2 classes, Business (22 flat bed seats) and Economy (232 standard seats)
Economy Seating:
Seat pitch - 83.82 cm (33")
Seat width - 44.45 cm (17.5")
The configuration is 2-4-2 
Seat map can be viewed on Seatguru or on Qatar Airbus A330-300
I sat in row 16F. It was a standard seat and had normal recline. It had enough overhead storage space.
Take note that the seats against the bulkheads have limited recline.


Manual air vent and reading light above seats. Button to call the flight attendant.
The seat had a headrest that can be adjusted on the sides as well as up and down
Each seat had a footrest

In flight Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Small bag with flight socks, toothbrush and -paste, eye mask- these were handed out after take-off
Stereo headset

Entertainment

See more on Oryx entertainment
My entertainment system did not work correctly. The screens were small and the system old
You could only follow the progress of your flight on the screens against the bulkhead.
No on board cameras to view outside
A remote control for the entertainment system is provided.

In-flight communications

Mobile phones could be used. Roaming charger applied.
No Wi-Fi available

Charging points for electronic devices

No USB charging point.

Meals and refreshments

Early morning snack
A chicken roll were served just after take-off.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Late night snack
Breakfast was served shortly before landing.
There was a choice eggs or pancakes.
I had the eggs served with a sausage and potatoes.
Bread rolls were served.
On the tray -  fruit salad, yogurt, spread for rolls, orange juice, cup for hot beverage.
Cutlery and serviette.


Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean.
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Wet wipes inside a sachet to clean toilet seat or hands
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.
Baby changing facilities

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
The airline has activity packs for young children and special kit for parents travelling with infants (including diapers, baby food jars. a bottle and toys)
Read more on  Qatar- Travelling with infants

Crew

The on board crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

Business class disembarked first, then economy class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

 

What I liked
Tasty and well presented meals.
The seats are wide enough with a decent pitch.
Wet wipes to clean the toilet seat
Comfortable headrest
Footrests

Not so good
Entertainment system
No Wi-Fi
The armrest do not fold away completely, only about 3/4 of the way
The entertainment system box at the base of the seats is very big and limits foot space - see photos

Seats

Remote Control

Footrest and Entertainment box

Breakfast

Qatar Airlines - Economy Class Boeing 787-8 QR1364 27 September 2014

Route

QR1364 from Johannesburg to Doha 27 September 2014

Scheduled Duration

7 hours 40 minutes

On time departure and arrival

Departed a bit late but landed 20 min early

Ground Crew and check-in

I made my booking online and could pre-booked my seat.
This was the first leg of my journey and I could check in online 36 hours before departure.  Take note that check in to and from the U.S only opens 24 hours prior to departure
There were dedicated online check-in counters.
My hand luggage (laptop bag) were weighed and tagged.
My check in luggage were booked through to my final destination, and I did not need to collect my luggage at Doha arrivals.
The ground crew were friendly and helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for Business Class passengers, as well as certain loyalty members, families with small children and assisted passengers.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage, not exceeding 7kg
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Max dimension (length + height + width) of 406cm
See more on  baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist wipes were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 2 classes, Business (22 flat bed seats) and Economy (232 standard seats)
Economy Seating:
Seat pitch - 78.74 cm (31")
Seat width - 43.68 cm (17.2")
The configuration is 3-3-3 
Seat map can be viewed on Seatguru or on Qatar Boeing 787-8
I sat in row 19F It was a standard seat and had normal recline. It had ample overhead storage space.

Manual air vent and reading light above seats. Button to call the flight attendant.
The seat had a headrest that can be adjusted up and down

In flight Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Small bag with flight socks, toothbrush and -paste, eye mask
Stereo headset

Entertainment

See more on Oryx entertainment
On demand entertainment system with a wide selection of movies, TV programs and music.
You can also follow the progress of your flight.
The touch screen system is easy to use and movies can be started as soon as you are seated.  A remote control is also provided.
Flight progress were displayed on screens against the bulkhead

In-flight communications

Mobile phones could be used. Roaming charger applied.
Wi-Fi available via On-air service provider. This is not a free service, you need to register and prov
The cheapest option to keep in touch is to send a text (sms)

Charging points for electronic devices

USB charging point.

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
A hot dinner was served shortly after takeoff.
There was a choice of chicken, lamb or vegetarian.
I had the lamb and it was quite good
On the tray -  Salad, bread roll and spread. Small container with water. Desert.
Cutlery, serviette and small chocolate.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Late night snack
A chicken roll were served just before landing


Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal. A small packet of pretzels and tomato dip were served with the drinks.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean.
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Wet wipes to clean toilet seat
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.
Baby changing facilities

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
The airline has activity packs for young children and special kit for parents travelling with infants (including diapers, baby food jars. a bottle and toys)
Read more on  Qatar- Travelling with infants

Crew

The on board crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

Business class disembarked first, then economy class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

 

What I liked
Tasty and well presented meals.
Entertainment system
The seats are wide enough with a decent pitch.
Wet wipes to clean the toilet seat
On-Air mobile reception

Not so good
The headrest is comfortable when the seat is reclined. When you sit up straight it pushes your head a bit too much to the front. It was adjustable up and down but the "wings" could not be adjusted.
The armrest do not fold away completely, only about 3/4 of the way
The entertainment system box at the base of the some of the seats is a bit big and limits foot space - see photos

Seats with headrest

Entertainment system

Seats

Ample legroom

Entertainment box

Goodies

Air vents and lights

Wipes

Dinner

Emirates Economy Class Boeing 777-300 EK764 23 March 2014

Route

EK764 from Johannesburg to Dubai 23 March 2014

Scheduled Duration

8 hours

On time departure and arrival

Departed on time and landed 20 min early

Ground Crew and check-in

This was a connecting flight and I could check in online 24 hours before departure of the first leg of my journey. I pre-booked my seat when I made my booking online.
The ground crew were friendly and helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for First and Business Class passengers, as well as skywards gold/silver members, families with small children and assisted passengers.
Economy class boarding by zone, with passengers sitting at the back of the aircraft boarding first.
Boarding by zone is strictly enforced at O.R Tambo airport.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage.
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Extra allowance depending on Frequent traveller status.
See more on  baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist hot towels were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 3 classes, First, Business and Economy.
Seat pitch - 81.28 cm (32")
Seat width - 43.18 cm (17")
Seat map can be viewed on Seatguru or on Emirates Airbus A380-800
I sat in row 36G. It is a bulkhead seat and had normal recline. It had limited overhead storage space, printed on the locker was "Crew equipment". The locker was empty and I could store my hand luggage in it but I will avoid this row in future.
Manual air vent and remote controlled reading light. Button to call the flight attendant.
The seat had a headrest that can be adjusted at the sides to make sleeping more comfortable

In flight Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Stereo headset

Entertainment

Emirates won numerous awards for their ICE in-flight system.
See more on Emirates ICE
On demand entertainment system with a wide selection of movies, TV programs and music.
You can stay in touch with latest headlines from the BBC and WSJ, follow the progress of your flight or view outside through the aircraft's external cameras.
The ICE touch screen system is easy to use and movies can be started as soon as you are seated.  A remote control is also provided.
Flight progress were displayed on screens against the bulkhead

In-flight communications

Satellite phone.
Mobile phones could not be used.
No Wi-Fi available.

Charging points for electronic devices

USB charging point. Regular 110V AC power port at every other seat (shared port)

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
A hot dinner was served shortly after takeoff.
There was a choice of chicken and fish.
I had the chicken, and found it tasty.
On the tray -  Salad, bread roll, snack pack with biscuits, Mediterranean spread and chilli dip. Water and cup for coffee. Desert. Cutlery, wet wipe, one sugar sachet, salt and pepper, serviette and small chocolate.

Breakfast
A hot breakfast were served before landing at around 04:00 Dubai time (02:00 in country of origin).
I did not have any breakfast.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal. A small packet of pretzels were served with the drinks.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean.
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.
Baby changing facilities

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on  Emirates - Travelling with infants  

Crew

The on board crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

First class disembarked first, then business class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

 

What I liked
Tasty and well presented meals.
Entertainment system

Not so good
No Wi-Fi.

















 

Emirates Economy Class Airbus A380-800 EK050 26 February 2014

Route

EK050 from Munich to Dubai 26 February 2014

Scheduled Duration

5 hours 50 min

On time departure and arrival

Departed and landed on time
 

Ground Crew and check-in

I could check in online 24 hours before departure.
Counters at the airport was managed by Emirates staff.
My luggage were booked through to my final destination.

Ground crew were friendly and helpful.

 

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for First and Business Class passengers, as well as skywards gold/silver members, families with small children and assisted passengers.
Economy class boarding was not done by zone.
The automatic gates to scan your boarding pass were in operation.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage.
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Extra allowance depending on Frequent traveller status.
See more on  baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist hot towels were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 3 classes, First, Business and Economy.
First and Business class is on the upper deck.

Seat pitch - 86.36 cm (34")
Seat width - 45.72 cm (18")
Seatmap can be viewed on Seatguru or on Emirates Airbus A380-800

I sat in row 78 G. It is bulkhead seats and had normal recline. It had standard overhead storage space. The galley is behind this row and there was a irritating blowing noise coming from the kitchen. The noise stopped and started at different intervals and was very loud.
There are manual air vents and remote controlled reading light above each seat.
The flight attendant can be called via a button on the remote control.

In flight Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Stereo headset

Entertainment

Emirates won numerous awards for their ICE in-flight system.
See more on Emirates ICE
On demand entertainment system with a wide selection of movies, TV programs and music.  You can also stay in touch with latest headlines from the BBC, follow the progress of your flight or view the aircraft's external cameras.
The ICE touch screen system is easy to use and movies can be started as soon as you are seated.  A remote control is also provided.
Flight progress were displayed on screens against the bulkhead

In-flight communications

Satellite phone.
Mobile phones could be used.
Wifi available to purchase.

Charging points for electronic devices

USB charging point. Regular 110V AC power port at every other seat ( shared port)

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
A hot meal were served
Moist hot towels were provided to freshen up before the meal.

On the tray -  Starter, hot meal, bun, dessert, Box with salty biscuits, chilly dip and cheese, still water and cup for coffee. Cutlery, wet wipe, one sugar sachet, salt and pepper, serviette and small chocolate.
I ended up having the chicken as the other choice (Salmon) were finished. This is the last row that is served from the front kitchen. The stewardess did offer to find out if there are any Salmon meals available from the other dining carts but I declined.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal as well as a small packet of pretzels

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean.
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.
Baby changing facilities

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on  Emirates - Travelling with infants   
 

Crew

The crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

First class disembarked first, then business class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

What I liked

Tasty and well presented meals.
Entertainment system.
Very generous seats.

Not so good

Noise from the kitchen. Service was at times a bit slow.
The A380 can take over 500 passengers, luggage can take a long time to arrive at the carousel due to the sheer volume of luggage that must be handled.



Overhead locker space

Seats

Electrical Socket

USB Socket and Headphone socket

Entertainment screen

Dinner