Travelling by Air, Qatar

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Trapped in Doha Airport? Long layover, but not enough time to get out of the Airport? Or do you just want to look cool being greeted at the Arrivals Hall with your name on a sign held by a beautiful young lady. And you get to jump the entire queue at Security. If that was not all, you get all the food and drink you want, comfortable sofas, free internet services and you can sleep stretched out. The price is economical as well.

The Bad Part

• They do not make it easy to book. The booking form is hellish and you have to send a copy of your Credit Card, front and back!
AND…..

• NO ALCOHOL. How bizarre. You can buy loads in Duty Free which is all of 3 meters from the door. Sneak it in. I did. Just watch out. Some staff enforce the rules more that others! And they do not have a corkscrew for wine.

PLEASE NOTE: You can book the Lounge even if you fly Economy

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Doha International Airport is the hub of one of the world's best airlines, but the airport itself is no 5-star masterpiece. I have only flown into Doha, never out, so my experience is with the international arrivals, and it was disappointing. After landing, we had to walk down steps off the plane instead of having a regular gate at the airplane level. Then of course, we had to wait in line around 30 minutes for passport check; I didn't like the set up because everyone in line could watch you hand your documents and bribes to the passport checkers (kidding, I saw no bribes!). Then it was to baggage claim, where your bag had already been removed from the carousel because passport control was so slow. After that you have to throw your bags on an x-ray machine that somehow passes for customs declaration. Then you go out into a wide path lined with people yelling and holding signs. If you see your name on the sign, you can't meet the person waiting for you because of the short wall in the way; instead you have to continue straight outside in the sweltering desert heat. To get back inside where your greeter is, you have to go around a security barricade and jump a curb, then re-enter the arrivals area, where the rental car counters, bank machines, cafe, and restrooms are located. Oh, and the restrooms are in a dirty, tiny, obnoxiously smelling room tucked way back in the corner.

This old airport is suffering from extreme overuse, as the number of passengers per year has increased seven-fold in just ten years, going from 2 million passengers in 1998 to nearly 15 million passengers in 2007.

Luckily, a new Doha International Airport is being constructed just east of the old one. The new airport will open in 2011 or 2012, and when complete, will be able to handle some 50 million annual passengers.

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Qatar Airways bills itself a the world's 5-star airline. The airline is based out of Doha, Qatar and operates flights to some 80 international destinations. Now that I have experienced Qatar Airways, I have been lucky enough to fly with three of the world's five, 5-star airlines (I've also flown Asiana in Korea, and Cathay Pacific in Southeast Asia; I have yet to fly Singapore Airline or Malaysia Airlines.)

What does 5-star treatment entail, you might ask? Start with an interactive TV at every seat which offers 175 movies in at least 20 languages, almost all with Arabic subtitles. This entertainment system also have games, live satellite TV, music and much more. The staff was extremely professional and competent in at least five languages. The food was certainly better than average, with a nice selection of entree, fruit, vegetable, drinks, and desert. Despite being an airline of an Islamic country, they do serve wine and beer. Their first class cabin is especially impressive, with chairs that recline 180 degrees into comfortable beds.

Probably my least favorite thing about the airline is exiting from its hub airport in Doha, when you are dumped right out into the street after baggage claim and customs. As far as I could tell there were no restrooms and no place to wait. If you need restrooms, a waiting area, rental cars, money, or food, you have to drag your bags around the barriers, hoist them back up over the curb and re-enter the building.

Qatar Airways has no business claiming to be a five-star airline. After I arrived in India, I received an email stating that the airline had cancelled my reservations for my return flights. Customer service in India was simply horrible. It was the worst service I have ever received from not just any airline, but from any kind of business anywhere in the world. It almost seemed as if their ultimate goal was to make this entire affair as difficult as possible for me. They simply informed me that there was not sufficient time for my transfer in Doha and left it at that, as if they just expected me to stay in India for the rest of my life. Never at any point did they do anything helpful at all. Rather than looking for solutions, they simply threw up more and more roadblocks. They could have found alternate routes, booked me for an overnight stay somewhere between flights, or any of a number of other solutions. Instead, they said I had to fly out of a different city than the ticket I bought. One city was 6 hours away by bus, while the other was 16 hours away. And they said I had to get myself there.

Finally I gave up and emailed my wife in the US to have her try her luck with the New York office. They got me on a return flight, but back in India the insisted that I sign an indemnity form releasing the airline of all liability for costs I would incur because of the change in itinerary. They treated me like a criminal, not a customer. When I finally did get to Doha, the employees there were equally unhelpful. I told them the least they could do is give me a complimentary upgrade to business class, but they balked at every turn and acted like they owed me nothing. Finally one employee at check-in counter went out of her way to get me an upgrade, but she actually disobeyed her supervisor in doing so.

I will never, under any circumstances, fly Qatar Airways again. And I highly recommend that other travelers avoid them at all costs. It is the most unprofessional business I have ever dealt with in my life.

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Qatar Airways promotes itself as the world’s ‘Only 5 Star Airline’. They must be the only ones to believe that rubbish. My first flight with tem was on a plane that looked like it had been decorated to look like a bad message parlour/brothel. The seats were poorly covered; amenities poor and the staff looked bored or were extremely indifferent. I would not have given it anything but a 2.5 star rating. Free drinks had to be coerced out of the staff who acted like they were the ones paying for them. The TV screen had a couple of channels that could not be stopped or paused like on GOOD AIRLINES. And their prices can be shocking.

Their organisation on the Ground during a transfer to Yemen was scary. The flight to Yemen was, in my experienced opinion, unsafe. The staff could not control a large group of women and seating was thrown into chaos. The crew did not have a good understanding of English and spoke no Arabic. Arguments broke out among passengers because everyone was in the wrong seat and many would not sit down. We were delayed ON THE PLANE by 1 hour because of this. They disregarded many sections of the safety briefing due to time and seeming lack of training. Shocking. Movies? None. Drinks? 1 and that was trouble to get. I have some peanuts thrown at me and the whole flight was like a zoo. Passengers used mobiles actively the whole flight and no staff member did anything about it.

5 Star Airline? No. 5 Ring Circus and total rip-off? Yes.

Qatar Airways. Do not fly them. Fly Emirates. Wish I had.

Qatar Airways is definatly one of the better airlines I have been flying with. Service is great, staff is friendly, and planes are on time...
All the new planes got a small screen on the seat infront of you, with games, music, and tons of movies. On a 7 hours flight I didnt feel bored for one second...

It was a pleasant experience to fly with Qatar Airways. The staff on board was very friendly and they take care of you very much. Unfortunately, the aircraft didn't have the personal entertainment system like it is present in Emirates but otherwise everything was upto the standard. Cleanliness and tidiness was proper. The also allowed me to take photos, where some of the stupid airlines don't ;-)

In the recent years as Qatar has developed significantly, Doha as being the capital has been the main center for all the development projects.

The new Doha International Airport is 2.5 Kms away from the City Center and it receives many international flights daily from all major destination in Europe, Asia and America. The interesting thing is that it is the Only Airport in the whole country !

Please note that there is No Departure Tax for Qatar !For any flight enquiries you can dial the airport's phone number: +974-4656666. The flights of Qatar Airways arrive here usually on-time but i would recommend you to call enquiry before going the airport either for catching your next flight or going to receive anyone.