How Qatar reinvented its already award-winning business class QSuite
Sipping champagne at 32,000 feet while stretching out on a lie-flat bed is a luxury, but some airlines do premium better than others. Has Qatar Airways’ new business class got what it takes to be the best way for Australians to fly to Europe, leaving the flying Kangroo’s best cabins empty?
Qatar’s QSuite has long been renowned as the best business class in the air and only just last month was crowned with the title in Skytrax’s popular Best Airlines Awards.
And that was before the airline unveiled its new generation QSuite, improving on an already much-loved product. At the same time as the launch, Qatar also revealed Sama, the World’s First AI Digital Human cabin crew.
The timing to improve Qatar’s business-class product couldn’t be better, with Flight Centre reporting a jump in premium bookings this year compared to 12 months ago. According to the group, more travellers were opting to pay for the luxury for flights to Europe – understandably, given the distance.
So what’s new in the next-gen QSuite?
The game-changing Qsuite Next Gen claims to facilitate “a mindful work-life balance for professionals, friends, and families”.
The redesigned Quad Suite is now equipped with moveable 4K Panasonic screens, a first for any airline in the world. What this means for passengers travelling with family, friends, or colleagues, is that the screens can be repositioned to the side to create the largest social and productivity space in the sky – up to four passengers in the Quad Suite.
If it’s just you and one other, you won’t miss out on your privacy as the screens are also available in the Companion Suite.
Dining for two? Or three, or four?
If there’s more than one travelling with you, and you want to enjoy a meal in the sky as you would on land, the new-gen Quad Suite or Companion Suite is what you’ve been looking for.
With increased space for dining together, as well as added privacy with taller, digitally controlled dividers, you and your companions can easily transform your individual space into a combined dining experience you won’t experience anywhere else.
When it comes to relaxing, you can even transform your singular seat into a lie-flat, but if you’re travelling with a companion, the new QSuite allows you to optimise this and create a double bed in the sky.
With larger lie-flat and double beds, the new Quad Suite will also offer the 5-star Qatar Airways turn-down service with a dedicated ‘Make My Bed’ feature.
According to Qatar, the new Companion Suite has similar characteristics to the Quad Suite, now with the noteworthy revamp of offering the same shared space in window aisles.
Stay connected
For those who want to keep scrolling, even when they fly, the airline is reportedly to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi onboard – one of the world’s fastest.
“Adopting new technologies for increased passenger convenience and connectivity, the Qsuite Next Gen delivers a vast array of customisation options, ranging from ambient lighting to privacy controls, through its upgraded touchscreen Passenger Control Units,” Qatar states.
When and where can I fly?
The new QSuite Next Gen will be rolled out onboard Qatar’s Boeing B777-9 aircraft by 2025.
Qatar currently operates 40 weekly flights from six Australian cities direct to Doha, and from there offering multiple connections to many European and Asian ports.
– Canberra – daily flight
– Melbourne – double daily flights
– Sydney – daily flight.
– Perth – daily flight.
– Brisbane – daily flight.
– Adelaide – 5 weekly flights.
For more information, visit Qatar Airways here.
