Qatar Airways is always one of the top two airlines which I would search for when booking new travel. With two direct flights daily from Edinburgh to Doha, one early morning and one early afternoon, this then allows for great onward connections to suit.

Index

1. Pre-trip / Booking

2. Departure

3. Airport Lounges

4. Boarding the Flight

5. In Flight

   1. Welcome

   2. The Seat

   3. Washbag

   4. Food and Drink

   5. IFE (In Flight Entertainment)

   6. On Board WiFi

6. ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights

7. ThePrivateTraveller’s top tips (any areas for improvement?)

8. Would I fly Qatar Airways again?

9. My Final Thoughts on the Flight

Pre-trip & Booking

For our trip to Zanzibar, I quickly identified that Qatar Airways would be the best way to get there. An afternoon flight to Doha with a short connection, then onwards to Zanzibar island itself. Normally it’s so straightforward to book online with Qatar, but this time (using miles) it wasn’t anything like as easy. With BA and Qatar now being linked for BA miles (you can use either to book a flight on either airline) I was trying to book a flight with Qatar using BA miles. It was confusing in that as part of the booking process it would make you seem as if you were logging into your BA account (and therefore I thought it could ‘take’ the miles that way) but it obviously wasn’t. It would let me go through the whole booking, seeming like it had worked ok, then a day later I would get an email telling me my booking had been cancelled.

I tried to contact them for help multiple times, the answer was always just to try again. It was only on I think the fourth time of contact (a mix of live help and actually phoning to get to speak to an agent) that someone genuinely understood the issue and helped. Once they explained that the miles had to be transferred across to Qatar before the booking was started (kind of obvious, once you know) the booking then went through on the first time and wasn’t cancelled!

Departure

The Edinburgh departure was easy, there was a shortish queue at the check-in desk and our bags were checked in and tagged straight through to Zanzibar. We were given lounge passes for the Plaza Premium Lounge, the BA lounge which we would normally use was closed for refurbishment - well, at least I hope that’s what it is closed for; it has been looking very tired recently.

In Doha at Hamad International, we had the meet and greet service who met us on arrival at the foot of the aircraft steps and escorted us through security to the lounge. They then came back just under an hour before the onward connection to Zanzibar, but as it turned out this was probably a bit too late and we’d already missed the first boarding calls and the premium bus service to the remote aircraft. We ended up being almost the last to board, albeit the experience within the airport at Hamad International is always exceptional.

Airport Lounges

At Edinburgh, with the BA lounge being closed as I said, we were given passes to the Plaza Premium lounge, upstairs from gate 15. The welcome was good when our passes were scanned, there was a decent food (buffet) selection albeit not exceptional and an Edinburgh Gin bar. Knowing that we would be eating on board, soon after take off, I just tried some pea and mint soup with bread rolls, with an Edinburgh Gin Orange & Basil Gin with tonic to go with it. Decent seating too - actually a very good replacement for the currently closed British Airways lounge.

In Doha, we had access to the Al Safwa First Class lounge - this was the first time, having only been in the Al Mourjan Business Class lounge before. I’d seen images of this first class lounge before and it lived up to expectations, it really was exceptional. Clearly a vast investment had been made and it had recently been closed for refurbishment/work. It was so much bigger than I had expected, the ceiling heights were vast and we were told it had been modelled on the Doha Museum. There were so many areas to sit and relax, or have a proper meal - we sat in the restaurant and I just had some soup (again, it’s a recurring theme here) and ‘Mrs’ a tiramisu dessert. Choice and service was excellent, with the menu changing throughout the day dependent on timing.

The only thing I would say was disappointing (as well as not having long enough to experience it fully - the arrival flight was late and with it being such a remote stand it took ages for us to get there; and we had to pay extra to use this lounge) was the shower suites. We went to the Spa to ask to have a shower each, but had to wait quite a bit of time until one became available. What I hadn’t realised is that each of the rooms seemed to all be treatment rooms too, but if you wanted a shower only, one of these had to be available and you just used the en-suite shower part. The room I was allocated was absolutely amazing (indeed it had a Gharieni warm sand massage bed) and was ultra-cool (temperature wise) but the shower suite seemed to be either heated or not air-conditioned at all. It was so hot that by the time I’d had my shower, I was just way too hot too. Minor, but not what I had expected. 

Boarding

Neither boarding experience was amazing, at Edinburgh (from Gate 19) it seemed a bit chaotic and the staff didn’t seem to know how to organise the various queues. We did get to board eventually though, running a bit late, hence the late departure and the slightly later arrival into Doha.

As above, with the departure to Zanzibar being a (very) remote stand, that probably wasn’t the best experience either, being almost last with the escort from the Al Safwa lounge.

In Flight

I’ve broken down the key components of the flight and services offered, sharing my opinion on them below:

Welcome

An excellent welcome once on board each flight, the first was Airbus A350-941 Dreamliner (5 years old - QTR26W) and then the onward flight to Zanzibar was a much older (15 years) Airbus A320-232 (QTR64B).

We were offered drinks on arrival on both (the first flight from Edinburgh was quite a while before asked), but the very decent usual choice and I opted for a glass of the Laurent-Perrier Grand Cuvée Alexandra Rosé 2007 France champagne. There was also a warm towel but no snacks until after take off. With the planned departure from Doha of 2:20am, both of us just opted for a glass of sparkling water on that flight leg.

The Seat

Nothing on Qatar compares to the Qsuite, so it’s always a bit of let down when it’s their older seats, albeit was what was expected on these flights when we booked. It was a 1-2-1 configuration Edinburgh to Doha, then 2-2 Doha to Zanzibar. We opted for two individual window seats on the first flight (4K and 5K was all we could get) and then 2A and 2C for the onward (front row had been reserved). Luckily though in the Doha lounge they were able to phone through and get us moved into 1A and 1C.

Both seats were decent however (not Qsuite), good quality and well equipped with storage space and charging points. Each had a remote control for the TV, but actually touchscreen seemed to work just as well. Both seats were lie flat, comfortable and easily adjusted electronically.

Washbag

On the EDI-DOH flight it wasn’t so much of a wash bag but a box. When they came to offer the welcome drinks, the crew brought a Diptyque box with body lotion, face cream, nourishing lip balm and the signature scent EDT mini bottle. There was also a pair of flight socks, eye shade and ear plugs underneath. On the Zanzibar flight, it was an even smaller fabric ‘cube' with just the socks, shades, and ear plugs with no toiletries at all. Both flights however in the toilets (clearly much better on the new Airbus) had toothbrush/toothpaste and shaving cream/razor sets to pick up as required.

Food & Drink

It was a good menu on the Edinburgh to Doha leg, but as I’d pre-ordered an Asian vegetarian meal (usually a bit more exciting than just the standard vegetarian option) I wasn’t given the option of choosing anything from the standard menu. The starter was nice (couscous with tomatoes) and of course the trio of breads with oil/butter is always a Qatar favourite. The main course though wasn’t great (boiled gyoza filled with vegetables) but there was an awful lot of tofu too which I really detest. Dessert (as much as the menu options of salted caramel & chocolate mousse or fresh berries with orange syrup looked delicious, or a cheese plate), I was given some cut fresh fruit.

On the Zanzibar leg, although the standard menu wouldn’t have been good for me (mushroom & artichoke ravioli) the pre-ordered Asian vegetarian did sound excellent. At (then) almost 3am we opted to not eat, and instead pre-ordered something just before landing. Not an extensive breakfast by any means, but it was fine with us both having a bread roll, croissant (butter and jam) with a green tea and some orange juice.

IFE (In Flight Entertainment)

Good touch screen on the first flight with the same selection of films, TV shows, music and games as seems to be on the whole Qatar network. I watched both Agatha Christie’s Death In Venice (Kenneth Branagh) - awful, followed by Book Club: The Next Chapter. Book Club, set in Italy, was very predictable, but loved the scenery and made me want to go back to Rome, Venice, and Tuscany; all locations used.

On Board Wi-Fi

This was available on the newer Edinburgh to Doha flight leg, but nothing available on the older aircraft to Zanzibar.

There was an hour free for Privilege Club members, followed by then $10 for the whole flight - service was decent until about 90 minutes away from Doha, when it stopped working permanently.

The Private Traveller’s Absolute Highlights

There is a lot going for the Qatar Airways flights, here are just a few of them:

• Qatar’s in-flight service and professionalism

• Qsuites, though not on these flights!

• Getting to experience the Al Safwa First Class lounge was exceptional

• Hamad International - one of the best in the world; just a shame this time we had a lot of remote stands so the experience wasn’t as seamless as normal

• The Laderach chocolates after each meal service - just the best chocolates from Switzerland

The Private Traveller’s Top Tips (Areas for improvement)

Whenever I take a flight, I do always like to look on the positives on the airlines we fly with etc. but sometimes you can’t help but notice things that (for me, but I realise this is always personal) might have made for a better trip. If I am aware of anything, I will share them here.

• Not great booking experience using miles, nor the help provided initially

• Food poor on the first flight

• Remote stands, I guess can’t be helped but just not the same wow boarding. Must say though, coming off from the Edinburgh flight there was a special Business Class coach which left quite promptly once the cabin had emptied.

Would I fly Qatar Airways again?

Yes, in a flash. It’s great going direct from Edinburgh to Doha then you have a massive selection of onward connections. Always a favourite and even more so when Qsuites are fitted.

My final thoughts on the flight

Definitely an airline I will use again and again, seeing more roll-out of Qsuites would be amazing, and although I’ve never been on one of their flights with a first class service, this is definitely something I’d like to experience.

I hope this review has been helpful, if so please like and comment or let me know if you think this is either too detailed, just right, or not detailed enough! Also, let me know what you think of my other airlines reviews.

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