Qatar Airways begins Seattle services with Boeing 777 Qatar Airways began its services to Seattle, United States operating the Boeing 777 aircraft on January 29, 2021. Qatar Airways is operating the Boeing 777-200LR on a variety of long-haul destinations. This aircraft is configured with only two classes of service where all Business Class seats feature 180 degree recline. Also, this aircraft flies with 42 seats of Business Class and 217 seats of Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Seat Selection

I previously posted this review against the 777-300 ER seat plan as there was no Q-suite seat plan for 777-300 ER last year. I flew Business Class on 2 December 2018 from Sydney to Doha and deliberately booked on the 777-300 ER, not my normal choice of aircraft, as I prefer the A380 for long haul, but I was desperate to try the Qsuite, which is yet to be fitted to the A380. Many of Qatars fleet of 777-300ER and 777-200LR have been fitted, but check seat maps and ask if you want to try it, which flights it is available on, because it is definitely worth it; better than many First Class products.

Qatar Airways 777 Business Class

Essentially Qsuite has a 1 - 2 - 1 configuration with 48 suites in Business Class. Suites alternate between forward and rear facing. Rows 1-6 are ahead of the front exit and rows 7 to 11 are behind the second entrance/exit door, so if you are in 1-6 you board separately and dont get disturbed, in 1-11 you still board first but then have all economy boarding through the door ahead of you and coming past. Until take off your sliding door to the suite is locked in the open position. I was in 11B which is a window, left hand side, forward facing and last row before economy class curtain divider. First the pod or suite itself. Simply outstanding, it really is like your own small room with ample bench space, large fold out table with several adjustments. One thing they got right now is the seat pitch, old business you always sat too high and slightly reclined which felt awkward and lifted your feet off the ground, this is flat and straight backed now. One thing I really liked now, is the seat doesn't have a leg extender anymore that raises you feet off the ground, instead the seat slides forward or backward to bring your legs closer to the feet rest. The leg extender always left your legs at an odd angle and still hanging down so no good for DVT on long flights. One thing I wont say I disliked but was a bit annoying, the main storage bin to the left under a cushion is well tucked away but a bit fiddly trying to get the lid open and closed. Then if you have stuff on top of the cushion and want to get into the bin, you have to move it all and the lid gets caught on the seat belt unless you lift it out of the way. But aside from that very comfortable and like a little oasis, especially with the sliding door that fully seals you in.
The seat position itself in 11B, great view of the engine and wing leading edge and despite being near the economy divider curtain, it was ok, didn't notice anything. If you are one of these people though who really prefers no disturbance of curtain being drawn and closed or a family maybe behind you in economy with a young child, then get a seat further forward. The Qsuite though is outstanding and so much better than the old business pods which were still a great product, but now you sit lower and are enclosed and feel very private as you dont see everyone else now, the old seats you sat up very high and could see everyone. I only marked entertainment down slightly as the World Map on this flight was a version with less control than normal.
Service as always impeccable on Qatar and staff exceptional in Business, but that has always been my experience in economy as well with them. I forgot the stewards name serving my section of about 6 people, but he was from Serbia had been with them 2 years, so if you read this, big thanks to you, your manner and service was above and beyond.

Qatar Airways B777 Cockpit

Qatar Airways has one of the world’s two best business class products, QSuites. They also have a very special first class lounge, but that’s mostly been welcoming to regional first class passengers (of which there are fewer during the regional blockade against Qatar itself).

International first class has been a product only on the airline’s Airbus A380 aircraft. For the most part they’e flown that only to a couple of destinations in Europe and Bangkok, though that was extended to fly all the way to Auckland. The A380 first class product is surprisingly weak.

Qatar Airways A380 First Class

Qatar Airways A380 First Class

Up until this past summer it was my expectation that the demise of the A380 on Qatar would mean the end of the airline’s offering a long haul first class. However the airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker says not so fast.

“We are studying the possibility of having a very exclusive first class cabin of just four seats, for example,” Al Baker says, describing it as a deliberately “very niche product” aimed at well-heeled Qatari travellers.

“We have huge demand here in Qatar to two or three European destinations” such as London and Paris, Al Baker explains, “so we may introduce a very small first class cabin for our local passengers who want a very exclusive first class product.”

The airline will have a subfleet of their new Boeing 777-9s, serving limited routes like London and Paris, that will offer first class. This will be a small number of planes, and probably offer just four suites.

We won’t see the product for awhile as aircraft with first class won’t be among the initial deliveries of these new planes. In fact it could be 2028 before we see it.

And anything that’s projected out to 2028 isn’t just far from certain, but more in the realm of entirely speculative, at this point. However any first class that does materialize will have to be better than QSuites, and indeed better than whatever QSuites are 8 years in the future. Combine that with Qatar’s outstanding service and catering it has the potential to be a fantastic product.