We spent 14 hours in Qatar Airways' Qsuites with our baby. It's easy to see why it's the 'world's best' business class.
My family tried a long-haul flight in Qatar Airways' Qsuites business class. The food was great, and the pods made flying with a baby easier.
Sam Shead
- My family spent just over 14 hours flying in Qatar Airways' Qsuite business class.
- Having two suites and a solid bassinet made flying with a baby even easier, and we all slept well.
- The in-air meals and beverages were great, too. Overall, I was impressed by my Qsuite experience.
The thought of flying in economy for just over 14 hours from Melbourne to Doha with a 10-month-old filled me with dread.
This trek came at the end of a five-week trip to Australia, during which we'd visited friends and family across Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
To give ourselves a fighting chance of getting through the flight, I decided to upgrade our family to business-class seats.
I didn't book any old business-class seats, though; I had selected two of Qatar Airways' Qsuites. (Our daughter is under 2 years old, so she doesn't need her own seat, but more on that later.)
I'd flown in a Qsuite a few months earlier, so I knew how good it was. Now, I wanted my wife and baby to experience it for themselves.
Before our journey, we relaxed in an airport lounge that we accessed using our business-class tickets.Sam Shead
Qatar Airways doesn't operate its own dedicated lounge at Melbourne Airport, but because it's part of the oneworld alliance, we were able to use a Qantas lounge before our flight.
Compared to Qatar Airways' flagship business-class lounge in Doha, the Qantas lounge is fairly understated, with plain red chairs and no windows.
That said, there was still a reasonable selection of complimentary food and drink during our visit. A couple of the red wines on offer even scored over four out of five on the Vivino app, where people review wines. Anything over four is considered to be a good score.
My wife had some nachos, but I tried to save myself for the food that'd be served on the flight, since I knew it would be excellent.
Our warm onboard welcome set the tone for the rest of the flightSam Shead
We often wait until the last minute to board to minimize the amount of time we spend in a confined space with a baby.
For this trip, though, we were eager to start enjoying our premium seats. We boarded as soon as we were able and got ourselves comfortable.
Each row was configured in a 1-2-1 setup, with a window suite on each side of the aircraft and two suites in the middle.
My wife and I each had a pod along the windows. We set up our daughter's bassinet in my wife's pod, and I sat in the suite in front of them.
Within minutes of sitting down, I was offered a glass of Duval-Leroy Champagne, which I didn't refuse.
It didn't take us long to see why many consider this the world's best business-class seat.Sam Shead
Passengers and frequent fliers often consider Qatar Airways' Qsuite to be the best business-class seat. It also won Skytrax's World's Best Business Class Seat award last year (and several years prior).
It's not hard to see why. Stylish, private, and comfortable, this fully reclining seat puts most other business-class products to shame.
The suite has a tall, sliding privacy door and plenty of legroom. There's also an all-access power outlet with USB and HDMI ports, a reading lamp, storage shelves, and a hook.
Next to the main chair, there's a padded armrest of sorts with hidden storage that can serve as a side table or a small seat if someone wants to stop by briefly while in the air without blocking the aisle.
My wife and I were able to sit next to each other to quickly share a drink, though it was a snug fit. Throughout the flight, there was plenty of room for Cora to sit next to her mum.
Our baby enjoyed the view from her bassinet.Sam Shead
The airline provided Cora with her own bassinet, and she was able to lie flat in it and sleep. When she was awake, she enjoyed sitting up and looking out of the window.
The bassinet sat nicely on top of a console in the Qsuite, only leaving us with slightly less space for our belongings.
We found this lie-flat bassinet to be far better than the one British Airways offered on our flights to Australia, which was more upright and felt like a car seat.
Qatar Airways' business-class menus felt very high quality.Sam Shead
The onboard food and drink were nothing short of exceptional and a far cry from the bland plane food many airlines offer.
Dinner began with a salmon amuse-bouche and bread basket. I followed it with a burrata starter that came with green grapes, a dill and basil salad, and a mandarin-oil dresing.
For dinner, I had a delicious beef tenderloin (a bit too well done for my liking, but still very tasty) with tarragon butter, green beans, and pickles. I wrapped up my meal with an impressive board of cheeses, nuts, and fruit.
When I woke up, I was offered coffee, fresh fruits, and warm pastries.
We were treated like royalty by the cabin crew.Sam Shead
Qatar Airways' cabin crew were generally very kind and attentive, topping up empty glasses and clearing tables quickly.
The white cloth covering my table, silverware, and candle (electric, don't worry) during mealtimes were also nice touches that made eating in the suite feel even more sophisticated.
We also really appreciated it when one of the crew members took Cora for a walk around the cabin when she was being a bit fussy. Sadly, I didn't get her name.
The bathrooms were clean and equipped with changing tables.Sam Shead
Fortunately, the bathroom near us in business class felt fairly spacious and featured a changing table.
It's never easy changing a baby on a plane, but having extra room to move around helped. The bathrooms were also kept clean throughout the flight.
Still, changing a diaper is rarely fun.
I passed some time with my suite's large touchscreen monitor.Sam Shead
Although we were offered complimentary onboard WiFi, I couldn't get it to work. I'm sure I could've asked the crew for assistance, but I found I didn't end up needing it.
Each suite featured a 21-½ -inch touchscreen monitor for in-flight entertainment, which I took full advantage of. There was an excellent selection of movies and TV shows to choose from, and I ended up watching "F1" starring Brad Pitt.
Occasionally, I'd use the screen to check how fast we were going or how high we were. I could also have used the HDMI port to connect my own devices to the screen if I'd wanted to enjoy my own downloaded media.
We slept better on this flight than we have on any other.Sam Shead
My wife and I each received amenity kits full of luxurious-feeling Diptyque products, including face cream, body lotion, lip balm, and an eau de toilette.
Qatar Airways also provides business-class passengers with pajamas for their flight. I changed into these before going to sleep and found them very comfortable, to the point that I still wear them at home.
When the seats in the Qsuite are fully reclined, they make a pretty comfy bed, which the cabin crew made up for us with a pillow and blanket upon request.
The three of us managed to get a good few hours of sleep on this flight, which is more than can be said for our other long-haul flights on the way to Australia.
All in all, the flight felt like a good value — and I especially recommend Qsuites for families.Sam Shead
For us, the flights felt like a bit of a bargain. We paid £217 (about $290) plus 70,000 Avois, a travel rewards currency used by Qatar Airways, for each seat.
We then had to pay 10% of a normal adult cash fare to add Cora to our booking, which cost £597. Our total came to 140,000 Avios and just over £1,000.
Overall, the flight was definitely worth it, and a great use of our Avios. If we'd paid cash, each Qsuite would have cost several thousand pounds.
Although traveling with a little one is rarely straightforward, the private and spacious Qsuite made it easier. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the bassinet slotted onto the console of my wife's pod and by how much Cora liked being in it.
I'd definitely book a Qsuite again in the future, and I think these can be a great option for traveling families.
Plus, I'll be keeping my eye out for similar seat offerings from other airlines — Cathay Airways' Aria seat and All Nippon Airways' "The Room" are already on my radar.
Read the original article on Business Insider