You know, I almost cannot
imagine it being any better, almost. Hi there, my name is Kevin and I make
honest, unsponsored and to the point narrated video tours about hotels and flights all over the
world. This is my 93rd video and today we’ve got an exceptional QSuites flight from Philadelphia
to Doha. I hope you’ll join me for the ride. Welcome to, umm, beautiful Philadelphia-
Terminal A at the airport to be exact. If you’d like to know more details about
the fare I paid for this flight and the next five videos I have in queue, please
feel free to check the description below. Checkin today was a breeze with just one flight
being checked in at this time with three or four agents devoted to the business class line. After
the agent checked in the family in front of me’s 300 bags, it was my turn. So, super long story
short, I’m flying to Singapore. My original second flight was canceled and when I was reassigned to
a new flight I had no ability to select a seat. After a few calls to Qatar, I was able to get
an aisle side center seat, which at least meant I wouldn’t have to deal with the horror of rubbing
elbows with someone in the center honeymoon seats. The flight was, naturally, full. My last
chance to get a window seat was here and now. And she did it! It was not a quick click
of the button but the check in agent took care of it and won me over.
Sorry, that was supposed to be short. Anyway, today’s flight wasn’t originally
supposed to happen- but frankly if I talked about all of the flights
and hotels that also weren’t originally planned to happen in the past year, I’d
probably need to start a new channel. By the way, welcome to the channel if you’re
new here. So, just like 16 months ago, I had never edited a video in my life- and here I
am now diving in full time, so of course you know how much I would appreciate you giving this video
a thumbs up and for subscribing to check out three new videos every week. I truly do believe that I’m
just the guy that is roaming around making content that you want to watch- so I am always all ears
about suggestions to make my content better. Except of course for you telling me not to
talk about Patreon, which I just launched- link in the description below. Massive
and genuine thanks for all that you do. As you may have noticed, I ended up in the
Centurion lounge instead of the Admiral’s club since the only one available was a
schlep in Terminal C. For Centurion lounges, it’s not that I’m not a fan, I’m just not
head over heels for them like many are. That said, at least there was a decent selection
at the bar. As for the food, it was all tasty but it was just odd to me that the primary, actually
the only protein dish was fish. The rest was tasty and if you’re here do everything you
can to snag one of these cozy nooks because it can get very crowded in here. Before we head to the gate, let’s check out
today’s stats. We would end up taking off to the west before heading up to 34000 feet for our
12 hour flight to Doha, landing 11 minutes early. Time to head to the gate and board.
Today’s aircraft is a 777-300ER that was delivered to Qatar new in 2009. In the
past, it’s worn both the FC Barcelona livery as well as the World Cup livery. But
today, it’s in the basic silver and maroon scheme- changed back perhaps
when the QSuites retrofit took place. In the past 10 years or so, I’ve
had around 70 long haul flights, probably around 50 of them in premium cabins. I
say this simply to stress what I’m about to say. This was the best cabin crew I’ve ever had,
easily. From the moment I stepped on board until until the moment I stepped off, I was
taken care of, I know that sounds like a very basic thing to say, but it’s the way in which
it was done that made all of the difference. I’ll get into details about it shortly, first off,
let’s take a closer look at the seats on board. All 777’s have 42 Business Class seats. I wish
I could say all odd numbered window seats are rear facing and closer to the window, but that
is not the case- so depending on your aircraft make sure you look at the seat maps closely. In
terms of seats to avoid, 1 Alpha and Kilo have ever so slightly less room due to the curvature of
the aircraft, but it’s really not a big problem. When booking, I selected 3 Kilo for
myself a rear facing true window seat. These suites are well known for the center
honey moon seats being very close together, which isn’t great if you’re strangers,
but if you’re traveling with a partner, the two seats can be turned into
essentially a single double bed. As for seat measurements I took, It’s a
very comfortable 21” wide and 20” deep providing ample support for long flights with
the suite itself being 40” wide at its narrowest. When lying flat, it turns into a 73” long
bed with a decent amount of foot cubby space and 24” of width with the armrest pushed
down. My only complaint is that the seat is not truly fully flat, which I’ll show
you as we take a look at the seat itself. This is not a layout that feels particularly
open, but that’s kinda the point. QSuites emphasize your own personal space- and
they do a very good job at it as well. Multiple sets of the center
seats are also considered Quads and if you reserve the four seats together,
you can slide the IFE monitors to the side and essentially create a small room with four
seats in it- a very clever trick for families. Here, you can see an example of the window
seats that aren’t actually against the windows. Note that these seats have a larger
side table and larger side cushion. The flight attendant brought me a flute of
champagne and then surprisingly closed my door, which was a very nice touch. Just under your side table is a newer generation
remote control for your IFE as well as a universal power outlet, USB type A port, HDMI port and
the mysterious paywave scanner which I’ve seen on multiple airlines but have never actually
seen used. Next to your seat is your armrest cum seat extension cum storage cubby which can
raise and lower as well as of course, open up. Inside, you’ll find your noise canceling
headphones, a bottle of water and plenty of space to stash some other stuff. Up over your shoulder
is a reading light and coat hook- and, just want to point out the materials used. Of course in
this day and age the majority of materials are plastic or poly or something or other, but here
they just look beautiful, really beautiful and pleasingly understated- especially compared
to their biggest competitor, Emirates. Overhead vents were available- as they are
in all QSuite configurations and your window side armrest could also raise and lower-
though it was a bit of an effort to do it. At your seat are two pillows- one area where
Qatar could improve. This maroon pillow will be slipped into a pillow case at bedtime but it
still feels like a throw pillow to me- and then the super small and flimsy pillow which I think
is more of an instagram accessory than anything. Then, there are the pajamas. I’m not sure the
exact cutoff of flight length for when they are and aren’t handed out, but I was given a
pair on both this and my next 8 hour flight. They’re of a nice quality and well frankly you know you’re fancy when your pj’s
have tissue paper inside them. Slippers were a touch nicer and
larger than standard issue these days. The blanket is thick and rolled tight enough to
do some serious damage should an on board pillow fight break out. Seriously, as dense as a brick. I
love how the blanket is very long- but they could be just a bit softer- I’m thinking about Etihad’s-
which are probably my favorite out there. Dyptique amenity kits- boxes really, were at each
seat at boarding and despite not having a pouch, has to be one of the nicer kits I’ve gotten in
a while. Note, on flights originating in Doha, you’ll get a proper pouch, which you’ll
see in my next trip report. Covid safety kits are also at the seats. And here
is a better look of the foot cubby. Of course, full paper menus were available which
I’ll show you in full during the meal service. Under the table there was also a
storage nook with a well placed lip to keep things stashed when not needed. The
noise canceling headphones on offer were better than most airlines
provide, but still not great. The tray table, super sized and super stable was
great though. If you did need to get some work done I reckon you’d have more table top space
available here than in many office cubicles. Asked the captain what was taking so long before
going back to my seat to watch the FIFA filled safety video. Had I watched more than
a handful of soccer matches in my life, this probably wouldn’t have all been lost on me. Pushback came around a half hour late, but I
didn’t mind a bit because of the hospitality. I’ll admit, by this point I was already impressed.
It seems, there are three types of airlines these days. Those willing to do anything to
increase shareholder value, those trying but failing to be the best and those trying and
succeeding at being the best. Whatever you- or I- may think of Qatar, it’s hard
not to acknowledge that this airline is one of the best soft power assets
any country on earth could have. Alright time to actually go somewhere. Ten
minutes in and we’re still on the ground! Philly’s airport is to the south of the
city center. We’d be taking off to the west before making a u turn to join our oceanic
track. Best sound on earth is coming up next. In no time we were at cruising
altitude and leaving the Jersey shore behind while we chased the moon.
Our route today would take us just a bit south of the great circle route to avoid
Ukrainian, Syrian and Israeli airspace. On to the IFE. The safety video mentioned
4000 entertainment options on offer and while I didn’t count that many, I did count
how many movies and tv series there were on offer which you can see below. Also, wifi. $10
bucks for the full flight- no data caps. That’s it. Props to Qatar for having what must be the
most sensical airline wifi service on earth. To everyone that skipped directly to this chapter,
welcome to the video. Dinner service- which was my choice, the full menu is a la carte and served
whenever you’d like- started with warm mixed nuts and a glass of pinot. Feel free to pause the
menu to take a closer look. The red prices on the wine pages are sample US prices of the
listed wines to give you an idea of value. My candlelit turbulent dinner started off
with a hearty portion of Maine Lobster Bisque which was out of this world good to the very
last drop. The acidity level is what made it so good- just enough to offset all of that
richness and a very good sign of things to come. Next up were a few of my favorite words. I’m weird, I enjoy turbulence. We had a trio of
prawn salad which was a bit of a disappointment. It was tasty, but it was the
same prawn salad delicately placed next to various items to
make it seem as if it was a trio. The turbulence related main course delay gave me the chance to show
off the beautifully etched flatware. For the main, I had Chicken hariyali with
vermicelli rice. And here’s where the wifi package came in handy- because I had no idea what the dish
was, but was able to google it- essentially it’s a green curry from either northern India
or Pakistan- you can decide on that one. Next up was what is usually my favorite course
in the air. A cheese plate with a glass of port. The service concluded with a chocolate and
praline crunch cake. I think, it was enough. The moving map was decent, but not the
newest generation- though I did find the Titanic marker a bit strange and the only thing
that really bothered me throughout the flight were the number of ads and PSAs that ran during
the moving map. Honestly I don’t care at all but when I’m trying to get some rest
I like to keep the moving map on- but had to turn it off since the screen
brightness was constantly changing. The toilets were nicely appointed with more
diptyque products- highly recommend the facial mist for long flights. Also, a bench is
available and something that when I first saw it made me think, “gross”... in reality the crew
put a fresh seat cover on the seat in between every passenger’s use- and also
constantly folded the toilet rolls. Let’s pretend we’re not over the
desert and it’s not broad daylight, I just wanted good lighting to film the bed. Just after meal service, the crew offered to
put the seat cover on or totally make the bed. Everything was comfy and cozy- except for
the only thing I truly hated about the seat. It doesn’t lay completely flat. You can see the
flat armrest to the side which would be totally level. This, combined with the obtrusive
headrest make it difficult, if not near impossible for side or stomach sleepers. Back
sleepers, feel free to disregard all of this. Snack baskets were brought around a few
times- a few times that I saw at least, the doors are actually high enough here so
you really don’t notice the aisle traffic- a big different from the like of BA. Anyway, my morning started over northern France.
While we take a small tour, let me talk about the service. I’ve flow 6 segments on Qatar in
the past years. I can say with confidence that all cabin crew are trained to the letter and know
how to do their jobs well. Today’s crew went much further. I have never felt so taken care of on a
flight and that’s what made this flight different. It wasn’t about attentiveness or
friendliness, which was also on point, it was much more a sense of genuine hospitality.
The crew serving my aisle were let’s say exceptionally exceptional, but in general
all crew on board were warm and effortless. Middle Eastern airlines employ crew
from every corner of the globe. There is no inherent level of cultural hospitality
like you’d find on ANA or Singapore, for example. But at the same time, how the hell do
you train someone to offer such great hospitality on a daily basis with a group
of a dozen or two strangers. It was perfect. Breakfast service started soon after- and it was
the best breakfast I’ve had in the air, I think ever. Let’s be honest, normal breakfast is not the
most exciting meal on an airline, but today’s menu was not normal. I ordered two dishes, Breakfast
Nachos as they were called and Shrimp and Grits. As I suspected, the Breakfast Nachos were in fact
chilaquiles, which are a popular Mexican breakfast dish of tortillas usually topped with salsas,
eggs, beans, cotija cheese a few other toppings and either a red or green sauce. This hit the
spot in so many ways I don’t know where to start- and how it made it’s way on a plane from Philly to
Doha is beyond me. That came with some pastries, a greek yogurt parfait, a strawberry basil smoothie
and copious amounts of freshly brewed americanos. Not to be outdone by Mexico though, the
American south had something to say loud and clear with the Shrimp & Grits served
with warm cornbread that were up next. It tasted even better than it
looked and I’ll leave it at that. The further we flew the more
surreal the landscapes became. The cabin was prepared for landing as the
crew gave out more cold towels and chocolate- by the way, you can choose cold or hot towels. Our approach brought us across Saudi Arabia
before crossing over Dammam and Bahrain as we turned south through what I’m assuming
was a mixture of moisture, pollution and sand. Finally, some turquoise waters came into view before we landed at Qatar’s
Hamad International Airport. We were followed in by one of my all time favorite
special liveries, which is worth a double take. Taxiing to the gate didn’t
take long and before I knew it, this 12 hour slice of paradise was over. But,
let’s just say the airport was pretty good too. Let’s get into the Flip Flop Score. Feel free
to pause if you’d like to take a closer look. Genuine thank you to anyone who liked this video
or subscribed because of it. I really hope I see you again on Wednesday for the first in my nine
part Bali series at the very new Andaz Bali.
