Most airports have a separate queue at the check-in counters for business and first class passengers. In Doha they do things a little differently. They have an entire terminal dedicated for premium passengers flying on Qatar Airways.As a guest of the airline, I was probably the only economy class passenger to use the premium terminal yesterday, which comes with spacious and well appointed business and first class lounges, a business centre, jacuzzi and spa, and some modest, yet sufficient duty free shops.
After a bit of breakfast in one of the lounges, it was time to board my flight. Doha Airport doesn’t have any air bridges, so we boarded using the stairs, which actually suits me fine, because it allows for a good view of the aircraft, and harkens back to the good ol’ days of air travel, although I’m not old enough to actually remember those days.
Qatar Airways is a relatively new airline that was launched in 1997. Since then it has grown from four aircraft to 62, with another 178 on order/options, including 5 Airbus 380-800s.
The first leg of our flight to New York was a six hour service to Geneva, which was very comfortable, and the time went surprisingly quick. Qatar Airways offers good service, with two meals on each leg, and like the other 5-star airlines has an extensive in-flight entertainment system.
There were two disappointments. Plastic cutlery in economy and the entertainment controller was fixed to the armchair making it difficult to use. I asked the lead cabin attendant if using plastic cutlery was standard practice (I thought it may have been some inane U.S. security rule), and he said it was. A 5-star hotel wouldn’t use plastic cutlery for their guests, and neither should a 5-star airline. It may seem like a small issue, but it’s the little things that make the difference between a good airline and a superior one. At a 5-star hotel the newspaper comes in a cloth bag each morning. In the 4-star hotel it comes in a plastic bag. Later that day, I would learn that Cathay Pacific also cheapens the experience by using plastic cutlery in economy.
The other issue I had was the in-flight entertainment controller was fixed to the armrest, making it difficult to use. The three other airlines profiled on this trip all had controllers that come away from the armrest. The cabin attendant told me that some of aircraft are configured with the more contemporary system, but the particular aircraft I was on hadn’t been updated.
On the flight from Doha to Geneva, I was impressed that one of the flight attendants laid a blanket on me, when they noticed my eyes were closed. Qatar Airways enjoys 5th Freedom rights between Geneva and New York, which means they are able to sell and transport passengers between two different countries, so more passengers joined us in Geneva for the onward flight. I was suitably entertained on both flights by the extensive and interesting selection of documentaries available for viewing.
We were anticipated to arrive into New York early, which would have been good since I only had a couple of hours to transfer airports from Newark to JFK. Our approach to New York was a little bumpy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am partially deaf thanks to a couple of screaming kids nearby. I felt sorry for the parents, although the mother probably could have handled a stressful situation a little better. Anyway, everything was looking good for our approach, and then just as cleared the perimeter fence of the airport, the pilots increased engine thrust, and we started climbing away from the airport. This was my second aborted landing in the past few days. The passengers around me were a little unsettled by all this, and my seat mate laughed and commented that I would probably need to take a taxi to JFK, instead of two trains.
After we leveled off, the Captain announced that wind shear was detected at the airport, and they decided to abort the landing. We circled around and made a successful landing. Once on the ground, there was another delay of 30 minutes, because of aircraft blocking the gate. It was then I decided to abandon the idea of taking the trains to JFK and opted for a taxi, which by the way is highway robbery—$91 for the fare and $30 in bridge tolls. One toll was a whopping $22. I told the driver that must be the most expensive toll in the world…he said he didn’t know. Anyway, after having to stop at a bank machine on the way, the driver dropped me off at Kennedy Airport, and after emptying my wallet, I checked in for my last 5-star flight on Cathay Pacific to Vancouver.
The first leg of our flight to New York was a six hour service to Geneva, which was very comfortable, and the time went surprisingly quick. Qatar Airways offers good service, with two meals on each leg, and like the other 5-star airlines has an extensive in-flight entertainment system.
There were two disappointments. Plastic cutlery in economy and the entertainment controller was fixed to the armchair making it difficult to use. I asked the lead cabin attendant if using plastic cutlery was standard practice (I thought it may have been some inane U.S. security rule), and he said it was. A 5-star hotel wouldn’t use plastic cutlery for their guests, and neither should a 5-star airline. It may seem like a small issue, but it’s the little things that make the difference between a good airline and a superior one. At a 5-star hotel the newspaper comes in a cloth bag each morning. In the 4-star hotel it comes in a plastic bag. Later that day, I would learn that Cathay Pacific also cheapens the experience by using plastic cutlery in economy.The other issue I had was the in-flight entertainment controller was fixed to the armrest, making it difficult to use. The three other airlines profiled on this trip all had controllers that come away from the armrest. The cabin attendant told me that some of aircraft are configured with the more contemporary system, but the particular aircraft I was on hadn’t been updated.
On the flight from Doha to Geneva, I was impressed that one of the flight attendants laid a blanket on me, when they noticed my eyes were closed. Qatar Airways enjoys 5th Freedom rights between Geneva and New York, which means they are able to sell and transport passengers between two different countries, so more passengers joined us in Geneva for the onward flight. I was suitably entertained on both flights by the extensive and interesting selection of documentaries available for viewing.
We were anticipated to arrive into New York early, which would have been good since I only had a couple of hours to transfer airports from Newark to JFK. Our approach to New York was a little bumpy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am partially deaf thanks to a couple of screaming kids nearby. I felt sorry for the parents, although the mother probably could have handled a stressful situation a little better. Anyway, everything was looking good for our approach, and then just as cleared the perimeter fence of the airport, the pilots increased engine thrust, and we started climbing away from the airport. This was my second aborted landing in the past few days. The passengers around me were a little unsettled by all this, and my seat mate laughed and commented that I would probably need to take a taxi to JFK, instead of two trains.After we leveled off, the Captain announced that wind shear was detected at the airport, and they decided to abort the landing. We circled around and made a successful landing. Once on the ground, there was another delay of 30 minutes, because of aircraft blocking the gate. It was then I decided to abandon the idea of taking the trains to JFK and opted for a taxi, which by the way is highway robbery—$91 for the fare and $30 in bridge tolls. One toll was a whopping $22. I told the driver that must be the most expensive toll in the world…he said he didn’t know. Anyway, after having to stop at a bank machine on the way, the driver dropped me off at Kennedy Airport, and after emptying my wallet, I checked in for my last 5-star flight on Cathay Pacific to Vancouver.
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