Qatar Airways came hair-raisingly close to eliminating the Airbus A380 from its fleet during the heat of COVID. Having parked all 10 during the global downturn in air travel, the airline hadn’t planned to bring any of them back to service. Then-CEO Akbar Al Baker famously told me that buying the superjumbo was the airline’s ‘biggest mistake.’

However, as passenger demand surged and Qatar faced issues getting all of its Airbus A350s into service, it moved to bring back most of its A380 fleet. Two aircraft (A7-APA and A7-APB) have been permanently retired, but the other eight are happily flying about, serving some of Qatar’s most in-demand routes.

I had the opportunity to travel to Doha as a guest of Qatar Airways for the purposes of its Gulfstream G700 reveal. Here’s what it’s like in business class on the airline’s largest plane.

Airport and boarding

Departing from Heathrow’s Terminal 4 is always a bit tedious. No fault of the airline at all, but the location of T4 means arriving by rail at Terminals 2 and 3 and then waiting for an onward train to T4. It only adds maybe 10-15 minutes to the journey, but it’s worth factoring in if you’re not usually a T4 flyer.

Qatar has an exclusive check-in area for its premium passengers in T4. I didn’t really need to check in as I’d already done so online and had carry-on only, but I wanted to get the experience (and the very lovely QR boarding pass!).

After check-in, it’s through to fast-track security, which was pretty swift and uncomplicated. Arriving in the departures hall, it’s just a short walk to the Qatar Airways lounge, located just next to gate B1.

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When it was time to board, an announcement was made in the lounge to let us know. A short walk later and I was arriving at my gate, ready to board.

Operating the flight today was A7-APH, a 7.5-year-old Airbus A380, originally delivered to Qatar Airways in May 2017.

Boarding for premium passengers was through the front upper door, with first class flyers turning left and business class turning right. The aircraft accommodates 48 in business class in 12 rows of 1-2-1 seating.

The seat and amenities

Now, you might think that buying a Qatar Airways business class ticket and not getting a QSuite experience might be disappointing, but that’s not necessarily the case. While the hard product certainly delivers excellence in the QSuite, Qatar’s A380 business class is actually very good.

The seat itself was very comfortable, with lots of attention to detail in the materials and finishings. I particularly liked how every seat buckle is branded with Qatar’s iconic oryx emblem, and the integration of the airline’s signature burgundy into various elements throughout the cabin.

The seat has a lot of moving parts, and there are infinite combinations of footrest height, recline, lumbar support and suchlike to help you get into your most comfortable position. Controls are located on the console table to the side of the seat, making it easy to reach from both sitting and lying down positions.

Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

One moving part I particularly loved was the armrests, which you can adjust up and down as you wish. It was pleasant to be able to get them out of the way for dinner and work, and to raise them up for an armchair-like experience when sitting watching a movie.

Speaking of movies, Qatar supplies premium passengers with very good-quality noise-canceling headphones, which really make all the difference when you’re trying to focus. Oryx One, the airline’s entertainment system, had a good mix of old and new movies, audiobooks, music, and TV shows. I felt perhaps there was a smaller selection than on some international carriers, but there was certainly plenty to keep busy on this six-hour flight.

Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

One of my favorite features on modern jets is the external camera stream to the IFE screen. It’s great watching the world go by, seeing what’s below or gazing down on the A380 from the top of its tail. Qatar Airways went all-in with its cameras on the A380, with THREE available to watch – tail, belly and nose.

Naturally, an amenity kit awaits each passenger at their seat. This one was by Dyptique of Paris and included lotion, lip balm, face cream, eau de toilette, and a pair of socks. For even more comfort, the cabin crew offered super soft Qatar Airways pajamas made by the White Company.

What was surprising was that despite most of the world feeling COVID is ‘over,’ Qatar continues to offer its ‘Travel With Confidence’ protective kit to every passenger. This contains a face mask, gloves, and hand sanitizer and was a welcome addition – I saw several other passengers making good use of the sanitizer and face mask on board.

There are conveniently located charging ports and USB outlets just next to the seat. Storage is available on both sides of the seat: a small cubby in the armrest is ideal for a water bottle and phone, and a larger storage bin by your knee is big enough for a handbag or laptop.

Food and drink

Qatar Airways offers an extensive and regularly changing menu, with options to suit all palettes. For my flight, I picked from the à la carte selection and went with a classic Arabic mezze to start, followed by Gulf style chicken machboos.

Before the mezze arrived, I was delivered an amuse-bouche of some sort of beef dish. It was delicious and tender, with a fresh sauce, perfect to whet the appetite. The Arabic mezze has always been my top choice on any Middle Eastern carrier – nobody does houmous and pitta quite the same, and it was just as excellent as I expected.

The chicken machboos was not something I’d tried before, and I didn’t know whether to expect something spicy. It was spiced, but not spicy, if that makes sense. It had a beautiful flavour and the crispy shallots really gave it a lovely crunchy texture.

For drinks, a wine list was available at each seat, including champagnes from Duval-Leroy and Tattinger. The airline also had a solid selection of beers, spirits, soft drinks, teas, and coffees.

The tray table is worth mentioning at this point, as sometimes the business class tables can be so darn big they are rather uncomfortable. Qatar got around this issue by creating a table that not only folds out to double its size, but can also be positioned any distance from the passenger, meaning it doesn’t cut into your stomach when you’re reclined.

Sleep experience

Despite the short flight time, I had one of the best sleep experiences when traveling with Qatar on the A380. The seat is well padded and super comfortable to start with, and while Qatar doesn’t offer a mattress topper, I didn’t think it was needed as the seat was perfectly cushioned already (I often find the mattress toppers get scrunched up and end up making me uncomfortable anyway).

Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

The blanket provided is really exceptional. One side is soft cotton, breathable and nice on the skin, while the other side is a rich velvet in Qatar’s signature shade. The whole thing is quilted and really quite heavy, which means it lies nicely against your skin and keeps you at a perfect temperature.

A pet peeve of mine, particularly in recent years, is the lack of ‘gaspers,’ or personal air vents overhead. I do like to be in control of the temperature, so when I get on a plane and see they don’t have any, it’s a bit disappointing. Thankfully Qatar opted to have its A380s delivered with gaspers, so my sleep was even better given that I could adjust if I got too hot or too cold.

Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

The bar

Qatar Airways doesn’t have any showers on its A380, which is something its neighboring airline Emirates gets lots of attention for. I would argue that showers are something of a novelty rather than a needed amenity, but some people love them.

What people also love about the Emirates A380 is its rear bar, arranged in a horseshoe shape. It’s cool, but Emirates is not the only airline that has a bar on board.

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The A380 being the largest passenger jet in the world has allowed airlines to be creative with the space available onboard.

On the Qatar A380, the bar is located mid-ship, just behind the 12 rows of business class seats and before you get into the top deck economy section. I didn’t have a tape measure to hand, but it felt a lot bigger than the Emirates bar, and definitely had more space and seating for passengers to enjoy the experience.

The central bar is elongated, with sweeping curved seating along the side of the bar and against both sidewalls. Fresh roses decorated the end of the bar, and small snacks regularly appeared on the bartop for people to help themselves. There was also a selection of snacks like popcorn and nuts in a basket on the bar.

The bench seats are perfect for chatting with other passengers or just spending time in a different environment. Every seat has a belt, so if the sign comes on, there’s no need to rush back to your seat.

During my outbound flight, which was quite late in the evening, there was limited use of the bar by passengers. However, on the return flight to London, a daytime service, the bar was frequently busy with people having lively conversations and enjoying a drink or two.

Overall impressions

I absolutely loved my experience on the Qatar Airways Airbus A380 for this flight. The aircraft is quiet, smooth and peaceful, and the real estate offered in business class is copious.

Qatar’s attention to detail shone through in everything from the colors, materials and finishes in the cabin, to the attentive cabin crew and exemplary dishes on the menu. I found it very easy to get comfortable and to sleep on the flight, and when I wasn’t sleeping, there was plenty to keep me entertained.

Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

Given the attention the QSuite gets, quite deservedly, for setting the bar for business class flying, it could be tempting to feel disappointed if you end up assigned the Airbus A380. But there’s something to be said for flying the biggest passenger plane in the skies, not least the access to the fabulous bar, and with a decent hard product and Qatar’s exemplary food and service, I reckon you’ll enjoy your non-QSuite flight just as much!