Flight Review: Qatar Airways, New Economy Class Product
QR68 Frankfurt to Doha Airbus A350-900 XWB (Xtra Wide Body) One of the only two Airbus A350 in service worldwide, both operated by Qatar Airways, is finally going to make its way to the first Asia Pacific destination - Singapore, on Monday, 11 May 2015. Earlier this month, I had flew on this futuristic looking aircraft from Frankfurt to Doha, the first commercial route operated by the A350. The A350 is seriously wayyy so much better than its closest competitor - the Boeing B787 Dreamliner. It is quieter, slightly longer and much wider than the Dreamliner. The seat product in the economy class is way so much comfortable too, with wider seat, larger leg-room and better entertainment system.
Flight Details
QR 68 Frankfurt am Main International Airport - Doha Hamad International Airport Dep: FRA 1540 Arr: DOH 2240 Total Duration: 6 Hrs Aircraft Type: Airbus A350-900 XWB (Xtra Wide Body) Seat: 39A (Economy Class) Cabin Configuration: 3-3-3
The galley is a common sight whenever we board the plane from door 2 (economy class entrance). When I got onboard the A350, it was different. Several passengers in front of me slowed down to take a look around. It was the impressive vaulted dome that first caught my attention as I took a few step forward before turning to the aisle. When I brought my eyeline down, I realized that the cabin was really broad and spacious.
The Economy Class Seat Product
Qatar Airways adopted the 3-3-3 seat configuration in their A350, with each economy class seat measuring up to 18" wide. If you are lucky enough to have the whole row for yourself, it is definitely comfortable to lie down on the fully flat seat base with arm rest fully retractable.
The legroom on the A350 is as spacious as the B777-300ER. I could not tell which model has a wider legroom since I fortunately or more unfortunately have a pair of short legs. One thing worth mentioning is that there is no entertainment equipment box under the seat. Hence, there is a very good amount of room to stretch the legs.
If you are more fortunate to have longer legs, you may try to request for the emergency exit seat or the bulkhead seat. They are free of charge but are usually blocked for higher tier card members or passengers with infant.
Taken from Qatar Airways Website
The Entertainment System
One of thing I love the most is the entertainment system. It is seriously very impressive. The 4th generation in-flight entertainment system features a 10.6" HD touch-screen TV and a touch-screen remote control. It is intuitive and works very smoothly. Its touch-screen is functioning almost like an iPhone 6. It has similar sensitivity and zooming function. With its great flexibility, I was able to zoom-in/out and rotate the world map around freely without a single lag.
Another thing I love the most is definitely has to be the tail camera. While I had the big screen showing the tail camera all the way to take-off, I was able to display the airshow on my remote screen. Beside having the airshow and the control function, the remote screen also has several games that operate separately from the main screen.
Pictures Taken Prior and During Take-off
Ladies, are you mesmerized by his radiant stare?
The cabin crew in Qatar Airways came from all over the world. I do noticed that there were more Asian and Eastern European among them on almost every flight.
Meal Service
About 10 minutes after take-off, the seat belt sign was off and the crew sprang into action. By the way, the signs on the A350 is shown in a mini screen display, located at the top near the individual lights and air con.
Moments later, the crew started off with the first round of meal service. The drink options for economy class was quite extensive. There were a few options of juices, soft drinks, wines, hard liquors and a champagne.
I am not too sure if all afternoon flights on Qatar Airways serve light snacks immediately before the lunch service. Whenever I flew out of Munich or Frankfurt on Qatar Airways during the afternoon, they always served these breadsticks with Tomato Paste right before the main meal. The catering company in QR Germany stations is Do & Co. They are quite well-known for producing tastier meal than other companies.
Shortly after the first round of service, the lunch menu was displayed on the screen.
Starter Pea, Tomato and Onion Salsa Main Course Chicken breast with a Tuscan style bean sauce, orzo pasta with tomato, spinach and bell peppers Slow cooked beef with a mustard sauce, mashed potatoes with cabbage, carrots and peas Vegetable kofta with tikka masala sauce, onion pilau rice, cauliflower and pea curry. Bakery Basket Chocolate, Bread roll, Cheese, Tea or Coffee
Chicken breast with a Tuscan style bean sauce, orzo pasta with tomato, spinach and bell peppers
I have to agree that the colours may not be appealing, but the meal was really delicious. The peas were surprisingly juicy and appetizing. The main course was also full of flavors. Being an Asian, I did not know that was actually a pasta. The texture and taste was just like a well-cooked rice.
After the crew had served all the rows, they made another round of drink service before they collected the trays and served the third drink service.
Amenities
After the meal, I took a visit to the lavatory. The size is pretty standard but there are something worth mentioning. The interior design is similar to the one in the business class. Even for economy class, they provide Salvatore Ferragamo amenities in the lavatory .
Later Part Of The Flight
As the flight was flying from daytime to total darkness, the cabin lights were dimmed down to the evening light mood. This totally reminds me of W Singapore.
Along the way to the Doha, the crew did some walked down along the aisle with a tray of drinks. At some point of time, they went to every row to offer some snacks like chocolate bars, potato chips and biscuits.
Just 40 to 50 minutes before landing, the cabin was brightened up for the crew to prepare the flight for landing. Towards the end of the flight, it was dimmed down again for landing.
Bottomline
Taken from Qatar Airways Facebook Page
Personally I prefer the A350 over B777-300ER and B787 Dreamliner. Comparing to the Dreamliner, A350 is much more spacious and comfortable. I will generally try to avoid flying with the Dreamliner, especially on long haul. Comparing to the Boeing 777-300ER, the A350 is definitely much quieter. Since Boeing 777-300ER has been on service longer than the A350, you may find that the in-flight entertainment system in the B777-300ER belongs to the older generation. Many airlines have yet to re-fit their seat product in the B777-300ER. P.S: This is not a sponsored post. The above content is based on my truthful thoughts and experience. Opinions expressed here are not from any entity. If you find this blog post useful, you may consider booking your Qatar Airways flights via this link here (for affiliate commission). All pictures are taken by me, unless stated otherwise
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9 Comments
Linh
5/12/2015 04:35:11 pm
Thanks for the review, not sure where you're getting your statistics from but you've often mentioned that the A350 is wider than the 777-300ER which is definitely not the case.
Reply
They Are Judged
6/12/2015 05:10:18 pm
Thanks for the correction Linh :) I probably read the wrong information. I will make the amendment soon. ^^
Reply
Edward
3/4/2016 02:22:40 pm
Hi Tee, is there any AC power socket in the economy class seat for this flight and also for qatar's a380?
Reply
They Are Judged
3/4/2016 03:19:17 pm
Unfortunately I can't recall if there is any AC power socket but there is a USB port. So sorry on that, Edward. The seat product on both A350 and A380 are the same btw.
Reply
SKYARC
26/7/2016 06:16:54 pm
LINH,
Reply
YourSoundMan
24/12/2016 09:53:02 am
Uhh.. The 777 officially entered service in mid-1995, making it a 22-23 year old design. So it still has potential for passenger upgrades for at least another decade.
Reply
Laura
19/3/2017 10:09:31 am
Hi, great review.
Reply
They Are Judged
19/3/2017 01:00:14 pm
Dear Laura,
Reply
27/8/2017 04:10:57 pm
Kits make building a plan quite easy. There are many diverse types of airplane kits. You simply need to find a design you like, buy it and then put it all together. Kits vary from the simple to the very complicated and come in wood, plastic and metal.
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