Qatar Airways is one of the Big-3 Middle East carriers, taking advantage of the strategic location of its home base Doha to offer connections to a wide variety of destinations worldwide. Naturally, the airline’s reputation precedes itself, being an award winning airline known for its premium levels of service and innovative cabin products.

I’ve been wanting to experience Qatar Airways and the transit experience in Doha for some time now, and the opportunity presented itself during my recent trip to Manchester. Flying from Kuala Lumpur, the red-eye combination of Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways with a transit stop in Doha made the most sense for my itinerary, and I was able to cross two items off my travel list.

Transit at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

DOH is a multi-award winning airport, and it’s easy to see why. The transit security checks were fast, the terminal is a nice place to spend some time in, and Qatar has clearly invested serious money into keeping DOH competitive with the world’s best.

The latest addition to the DOH experience is The Orchard, a cross between an indoor garden and ultra high-end shopping space located in an expansion of the original terminal structure. While comparisons have been drawn between it and Singapore’s Jewel, I must say The Orchard is a nicer place to take a quick walk in while Jewel is a much more impressive sight.

An interesting thing I noted as I cleared security at my gate was that DOH seems to prioritise jet bridge access for departing Qatar Airways flights, while arriving flights (like mine from Kuala Lumpur) get the remote stand treatment. I’ve no issues with boarding via stairs, but it does reduce the premium experience especially if you’re a premium passenger.

I was one of the last passengers to board, and while we had an on-time push back, a lengthy taxi to runway 34L meant that we departed DOH almost 10 minutes later than scheduled.

Onboard Cabin & Amenities

Qatar Airways equips its B787-9 in a 2-class configuration, with 30 flat beds in Business Class and 281 seats in Economy Class. Their B787-9 were the beneficiaries of a refurbishment exercise, which saw new seats installed. A7-BHP, the 3 year old B787-9 operating this flight, was sporting the new cabin interiors.

Qatar Airways B787-9 Economy Class

Economy Class onboard the airline’s B787-9 are laid out in an industry-standard 3-3-3 configuration. The seats are Recaro CL3710, also an industry standard for long-haul Economy cabins. The seat comes with 31 inches of pitch, USB and AC charging sockets, and an adjustable headset. It wasn’t comparable to the 36 inches of pitch I just had on my inbound Malaysia Airlines flight, but with my backpack in the locker the space proved to be quite comfortable for the overnight flight.

Somewhat interestingly, the seatback was fitted with a flap that had a rubberised surface. This is presumably intended for passengers to mount their own phones or tablets.

A pillow (with single use covers), a plastic-wrapped blanket, and an amenity kit was already laid out at all seats prior to boarding. All in all, it was very much a standard Economy offering on a premium airline.

Qatar Airways Economy Class Amenity Kits

Amenity kits are given out on Qatar Airways’ overnight flights. These are packed in a single use paper packaging, and contains a pair of sleeping socks, an eye mask, a pair of ear plugs, and a set of travel tooth brush & toothpaste. Pretty nifty, though I suppose it’d have been nicer if the packaging was reusable.

Oryx One Inflight Entertainment and Onboard Wi-Fi

Oryx One is Qatar Airways’ flagship inflight entertainment system. Given the late hour, however, I opted not to test out the system as I desperately needed sleep. Instead, I had my go at Oryx One on a subsequent flight from Dublin.

The airline’s planes are also fitted with Onboard Wi-Fi (also named after Oryx One). I wasn’t initially aware of this until I boarded and tried (and failed) to connect to the system onboard. I wasn’t able to get my phone to work with the Wi-Fi on this flight, but I was more fortunate on my subsequent flight.

Qatar Airways DOH-MAN Breakfast service

With the exception of a round of drinks after takeoff, breakfast was the only meal service for this overnight flight. A choice of two main courses were offered, and I went for what the flight attendant described as “Spanish Breakfast”. This consisted of a sausage, some mushrooms, a tomato based sauce, an omelette, and something else containing corn that wasn’t familiar with. Alongside the main course was a sago dessert, a bowl of sliced fruits, a croissant, and a choice of drinks – I went with orange juice.

The menu for meals on Qatar Airways flights are usually accessible before the flight on their app, and also via the onboard Wi-Fi. I only found that out later and wasn’t able to ascertain what was the other option and what exactly went into my Spanish Breakfast. All food served on Qatar Airways are halal.

I was groggy after waking up from my sleep, but I am pleased to report that the breakfast was good and woke me right up!

Arrival at Manchester Airport (Terminal 2)

Our arrival at Manchester saw us descent through the usual cloudy skies of northern England, followed by a touchdown on runway 23L. A slow taxi to Terminal 2’s Pier 1, and we parked on stand some 17 minutes ahead of schedule.

Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 had begun expansion works when I last passed through in 2018, and I was pleased to see that the first phase yielded a modern (albeit minimalist) space that surpassed the rest of the airport. Works are currently ongoing for the second phase of works, meaning the original portions of Terminal 2 have been stripped bare for the better.

I am also pleased to report that our flight had the entire arrival immigration hall to ourselves – always a welcome sight after an overnight flight, especially in the UK.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t able to properly enjoy this flight on Qatar Airways, but it was a comfortable enough experience for an overnight connecting flight to Manchester. I suppose at that late hour, comfort and an excellent breakfast are what truly matters. On those fronts, I have no complaints.