It’s quite unique as how Qatar Airways in creating a revolutionary new business class product has also created itself an own grown problem. A problem which brought to the creation of a new term to describe it in modern aviation. Let’s dive into the problem the creation of the QSuites has generated for Qatar Airways.
What Makes The QSuite Unique and Revolutionary?
The introduction of the QSuites changed massively what is expected from a modern business class experience. A game changer for passenger and for all airlines that had to scramble to make up lost ground to Qatar Airways. The concept came to fruition with the Qatari airline deciding to let go of its first class product. With that decision taken the airline concentrated its efforts on creating a hybrid first-business experience. A blend of features that created what many see as the first premium business class.
What makes this seat so unique is the fact that you are not travelling on a mere seat. You have your own little space, isolated from the rest of the cabin thanks to partitions and a door that slides closed. Also the central seats are laid out in such a way to offer so-called honeymoon seats. These are seats next to each other particularly appreciated by couples as you might have imagined. Finally the icing on the cake is the possibility to have an open space for 4 seats with the partitions opening making a common area for larger groups with 2 forward and 2 aft facing seats.
All of these features made the QSuite rapidly a sensation and something that most premium focused travellers have grown to appreciate. So what is the problem?
Qatar Airways Self-Inflicted Issue With The QSuites
The issue is that the QSuites are so good and so loved by travellers that they have created a massive consistency issue in the onboard business class hard product. Simply because these much sought after business class cabin are only available on a selection of planes:
- All Airbus A350-1000
- Part of the Airbus A350-900 fleet
- Part of the Boeing 777 fleet
On older planes, such as the A330 and the A380 let alone the A320s, a much older less premium product is available. Cabins that go nowhere near offering the same experience the QSuites offer. Therefore it makes a massive difference if the QSuite is available or not on any given flight.
What makes things particularly frustrating and is at the core of this self-induced issue is the fact that Qatar Airways is notorious for changing planes on a very short notice. That means that even on routes that regularly receive QSuite fitted planes might be “downgraded” to much older machinery. Therefore you might go from an industry leading seat to something that has been out of date for years. And because you purchased a Business Class seat and not specifically a QSuite, you won’t be allowed to claim any compensation or, if your ticket doesn’t include it, a date change. All you can do is just reluctantly get on board and enjoy what is undoubtedly an inferior experience.
So keep in mind when booking a QR business class ticket that there is a possibility that this might happen. That you might find yourself travelling in an outdated cabin configuration.
How Getting or Being Qatared Became a Thing
Being let down by the continuous plane changes has become so common place that a new word was created to describe this event. Many started using the term to be “qatared”, to indicate the instance in which you are let down and de-facto downgraded by a last minute plane change.
The irony is that in many ways the airline made this problem worse digging itself deeper into this hole. Many of the A330s should have already been retired at this point, yet they are still flying. Why you ask? Qatar took on airbus on the alleged paint issues found of the A350s. With push coming to shove, Airbus decided they finally had enough and cancelled all QR orders for the type. Therefore Qatar Airways found itself forced to extend the A330’s service life. This aggravated the consistency issues in the fleet across the Business class cabins. Let’s wrap things up with a happy flying wish and hope you don’t get Qatared.
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