Each of the new innovations in the Q Suite puts the airline on a par with or slightly ahead of what many of its rivals offer. Virgin Atlantic has installed the new Retreat Suite on its Airbus A330s, which features two large seats with sliding doors for privacy and enough room on either side of the huge dining table for two people to sit comfortably and eat facing one another. JetBlue boasts the Mint Studio on its transatlantic Airbus A321 aircraft. The suite has an additional ottoman seat on one side, giving you a choice of where to sit. American Airlines is in the process of introducing a new Flagship Suite.
The new Q Suite manages to amalgamate the innovations of other carriers, plus its own, into a single package. But is Cai right to say that the Q Suite is better than first class on other airlines?
I agree with her that the suite itself is better than the current first-class offerings from British Airways and Air France, and it certainly offers the chance for far more social travelling than any first or business-class ticket out there. But it is not as effortlessly elegant as Qantas’s new first class aboard its A350s, which has a residential feel thanks to light-coloured fabrics and wood-effect veneer. What’s more, Qatar does not offer showers, which passengers on Dubai’s Emirates and the Abu Dhabi flag carrier Etihad can enjoy. Nor does Qatar offer a separate bed and seat as Singapore Airlines does in its Suites Class cabin aboard its Airbus A380s.
Qatar’s business-class cabin will be large, with around 40-50 seats on a wide-bodied jet. First-class cabins on other carriers offer no more than 14 seats, with some as small as six. Some do away with all overhead bins to create a more spacious and visually relaxing cabin. Plenty of travellers would prefer a slightly less snazzy suite for the exclusivity of a smaller cabin.
Cai can settle the argument once and for all when she shows off Qatar Airways’ new first class next year. Her boss, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the chief executive of the airline, promises it will elevate the carrier to the best in first and in business class. No pressure, then.