15th December 2016
Qatar Airways 830 Doha (DOH) - Bangkok (BKK) Departure: 2112 Arrival: 0711 Duration: 5:59 Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Registration: A7-APA Seat: 2A (First Class)
Qatar Airways currently has 6 three-class configured A380 and 7 more on order. While many airlines who have A380s fly to the US, Qatar Airways sends all its A380 fleet to to Europe, Asia and Australia. There was a happing last time when QR had an inaugural A380 flight to Atlanta(ATL), but as soon as the super arrived, there was no available gate to disembark.
To introduce Qatar Airways A380 cabin, there are 517 seats in total: 8 First class, 48 Business class and 461 Economy class. The first class seats from row 1-2 has 83 inches of pitch and 23 inches of width (bed width of 33 inch) while business class from row 10-22 has 80 inches and 22 inches and economy class from 25-31 and 40-83 with 32 inches and 18.5 inches respectively. There is an economy class on the aft of the upper-deck right after the lounge in 2-4-2 configuration which feels less compact compared to the main deck's 3-4-3 arrangement.
Having only 8 first class seats makes the F cabin spacious but all 8 of them are open suites meaning, there is little privacy. And when the flight is full, it could be really uncomfortable as you can see and hear passengers and crews passing along the aisle.
The Cabin:
As you can see the picture of the cabin below, being as a red-eye flight, the cabin mood lighting intensity was so strong the whole cabin turned orange. Mood light reduces reduces the symptoms of jet lag and it helped our body to settle down time changes.
The first class cabin is located in the upper-deck, with open suite which made the cabin less isolated and gave wide aisle spacing compared to their neighbor's Etihad and Emirates. As I have mentioned above, there was very little privacy between seats in my fully booked flight, the cabin was not busy due to the fact that it is evening and everyone went to sleep shortly after meal. In the forward section by the stairways, a small mini-bar and magazine rack are on each side for refreshments although no one really went there to pick up bottled drinks. Also there are no overhead storage spaces which could be uncomfortable for passengers who bring luggages instead, the cabin crew will take it and store them inside a compartment behind the magazine rack.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Cabin.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Cabin.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Cabin Stairway.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Cabin: Mini Bar.
The Seat:
Designed with luxurious leather and burgundy wood finishing, the open suites were Qatar Airways' favorites. All the seat adjustment buttons are on the armrest as well as a touch screen seat adjustment tablet device under the armrest that makes it easier for passengers to set the seat positions and lightings. There is a small tray that is permanently attached to place small items, snacks. A footrest can be used as an ottoman if you have companions flying with you for dining.
Reading lights are located overhead as well as beside the head rest on the seat itself. There are both controlled using a tablet device in the armrest. As you can see from the second picture below, the reading light on the seat is turned on when you raise it upwards and turns off when you stow it back. Keep in mind the light does not turn off until stowed fully into the head rest. A side lamp beside the monitor has low intensity even though it is set to maximum brightness. What I assume is that, as the seat is open, if the brightness is too high, the passenger beside you can be disturbed so they might keep the brightness to medium to low.
The armrest goes fully downwards when you set your seat to bed mode so there is additional 10 inches to spaces when it is fully flat. Privacy panel is installed on each aisle section of the seat where it goes up enough to cover your upper body but still it is too open. The two layered window blinds are automatically operated with buttons on each window.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A: Seat Adjustment Setting.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A: Seat Adjustment Setting.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A Privacy Panel.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A Privacy Panel.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2E.
Qatar Airways First Class Seat 2A.
In-flight Meals:
The first class meal service is an a la carte type so you can ask for a meal anytime on your desired time. Obviously, there are more choices than business class and of course my favorite Caviar in first class. All the meals were carefully plated and well prepared. I have added pictures of the menu below so you can take a look at the menus on this sector.
Qatar Airways First Class Welcome Drink and Snack.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Amenity Kit, Welcome Drinks and Snack.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Menus.
Menu and Beverage Lists:
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Dining.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Dining.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Starter.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Caviar.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Caviar.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Main.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Cheese Platter.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Dessert.
In-flight Entertainments
Qatar Airways' Oryx One is installed on Thales system IFE system on A380s with contents similar to those I have reviewed previously. A 26 inch touch screen monitors as well as remote controllers are installed on each first class seats. The screen was clear and wide, there was no problem enjoying shows and movies on this flight. What was bothering is the remote controller. While the touch screen monitor worked flawlessly, the Thales remote controller always lags when operating it on most of the flight I have used with it.
Similar to business class cabin, the headphone are wrapped in a plastic but in first class the plastic wrapped headphone is cased on a leather bag. The headphone is noise cancelling and has a 3-pin audio jack that con be connected to the port by the armrest.
The power socket is located just beside the monitor screen where I find the distance far from the seat. When I was charging my iPhone using a standard iPhone charger, the connector reached up only to the armrest.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class IFE.
Qatar Airways A380 Safety Video.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class IFE: Headphone.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class IFE: Headphone.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class IFE: Touch Screen Remote Controller.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Power Socket.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Power Socket.
Lavatories:
Similar to Emirates, Qatar Airways has two lavatories in the front section of the first class cabin. But there is no shower facilities on board which is little disappointing unlike their competitors Emirates and Etihad. The size of the lavatories are small compared to Emirates but the huge mirror on the wall makes the space looking huge. What I like is the sink is wide enough to prevent water splashing outwards. Other than there is a toilet with a leather cover and a comfortable leather sewn bench beside it.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory Sink.
Summary:
This was my first time on board Qatar Airways A380's first class cabin but I have not experienced fully. 5 hours flight seems really short to find out all the interesting features on board the A380.
The service on both ground and air were exceptional with vast choices of in-flight meals from caviars to ice-creams. I have tried number of its regional first class with B777s and A330s but the service on A380 was new and different. The seats were comfortable with ottoman for inviting a guest and a large table for dining. The content on in-flight entertainment was similar to the one on the business and economy class but with bigger screen, it is much better to view.
I have no idea if the flight to Bangkok is always full as there are 4 flight per day. Thankfully, most of the passengers were asleep so the cabin was quiet and felt private. Also, on this flight, I did not manage to visit the on board lounge as I, too, went to sleep after the meal, but I have another upcoming flight to London next month where I will review mainly on the in-flight lounge!