Review: Qatar Airways Qsuite from JFK-Doha

‘Often described as the best business class in the sky, Qatar Airways Qsuite does not disappoint!’

Welcome to Suite Life Traveler where we review airlines, hotels, restaurants, and more. Today we review the Qatar Airways Qsuite from JFK to Doha. Each airline review on Suite Life Traveler will be evaluated based on the following metrics: Check-in Experience, Lounge, Seat, Service, and Food & Drink. This will come out to a total score of 50.

Check out the full video review on thesuitelifetraveler Instagram.

CHECK-IN EXPERIENCE: 7/10

Qatar Airways departs from Terminal 8 at New York’s JFK Airport, the American Airlines and British Airways terminal, and is shared with One World partners like Cathay Pacific. This is one of the better terminals to fly out of and most of the time the lines are short, especially if you have priority check-in and security.

While the check-in process is quick and easy, Qatar Airways doesn’t have a separate check-in line for One World Emerald or Platinum Privilege Club at JFK, which means the Business class check-in can get quite busy as all Privilege Club, One World members and business class passengers can all line up in the same line.

Unfortunately, Qatar Airways isn’t able to use the private check-in area at Terminal 8 that American Airlines and British Airways use for International First or One World Emerald status holders.

LOUNGE: 8/10

As a Platinum Privilege Club member and One World Emerald, I’m able to access the Soho Lounge. Alternatively, business class passengers can leverage the Greenwich Lounge.

The Soho Lounge is one of the best lounges I’ve been to in North America and is more akin to a lounge you’d experience in Asia or the Middle East. It is quite new and part of American Airlines and British Airways’ recent efforts to renovate and build all new lounges in Terminal 8.

There is a large selection of food at this lounge that you can serve yourself buffet style which includes hot options, soup, salad bar, sandwiches, cheese, nuts, and dessert. If you are not satisfied with the buffet options, you can order a la carte style from a digital menu and it will be delivered to your table. There is also a full bar where you can order beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. All food and drink is free of charge.

While the lounge is not huge, it is very private and has a lot of seating options across 5 different sections. Having been to this lounge over 5 times now, I have never seen it overcrowded and have never had trouble getting a seat. This is likely because the criteria for entry into this lounge is limited and mainly for One World Emerald status holders.

SEAT: 9/10

It is almost impossible to get a 10/10, but the Qsuite comes as close as you can to a perfect business class seat. In fact, this seat is better than almost any first class seat out there.

With the Qsuite you get an incredible amount of space, true privacy with a sliding door, ample storage, charging ports, HD TV with more entertainment than you can ask for, noise-canceling headphones, a fully adjustable seat that turns into a lay-flat bed, and a large sturdy table for dining and working. Compared to other business class products, the space and privacy you get are the biggest points of difference.

Service: 9/10

To date, the best in-flight service I have ever had is on Qatar Airways. While this flight wasn’t the best service I’ve ever received, it was still top-class. On Qatar Airways, you have a dedicated flight attendant who will be at your service for the entire flight (unless they are on crew rest), and introduce themselves while providing you with a welcome drink of water, juice, or champagne and a scented cold towel as you are seated. The A350 has quite a large business class cabin and on the flights to and from JFK, the cabin crew can be a bit panicked and rushed while trying to introduce themselves, provide welcome drinks, and take food orders before take off. On trips to different destinations on the QSuite with fewer seats, this franticness does not happen.

After takeoff, the service is faultless and the FA does a fantastic job preparing the table, servicing the meal, and preparing my bed before takeoff. They are always willing and happy to help, unlike many FA’s on other airlines who get annoyed when you ask for even the most simple thing, like water (I’m talking about you, American Airlines)!

Food & Drink: 9.5/10

The food and drink selection on Qatar is the best I’ve experienced on any airline so far. Dine-on-demand is a game changer and allows you to enjoy the flight and service a lot more, instead of being forced to eat as soon as you board, especially if you want to sleep immediately. This flight leaves JFK at 1:00 am as an example.

In addition to the bread basket which is served with all meals, the a la carte menu offers soup, two choices of appetizers, four choices of mains, a cheese plate, and three different desserts. You have ten different wines you can choose from, along with beer, spirits, cocktails, soda, juices, coffee, and tea. If you do not want a full meal, you can select from four different light snacks or select from four different light meal options like King Crab Mac and Cheese. For breakfast, you have four different starters and four different mains that you can choose from.

On this flight, I opted against the Arabic Mezze, which is the most popular appetizer and I went for Tomato Soup and Burrata. The Burrata is the best appetizer I have EVER had on an airplane and if it is an option on your Qatar Airways flight, you must order it! My main was the Asian Style Seabass, which was very tasty.

While I tend to indulge in the incredible wine offering, dessert, and breakfast I skipped on all three and enjoyed 8 hours of sleep instead.

OVERALL: 42.5/50

Often described as the best business class in the sky, Qatar Airways Qsuite does not disappoint! The onboard experience is second to none and it is going to be difficult for any current business class product to beat this. From the seat and service to the food and drink, it is all exceptional. The New York departure experience brings the score down a little, but you can expect a higher score to come on a departure from Doha which will feature on the site soon.

While a one-way ticket from JFK to Doha can go for over $10,000 USD, so can many other business class products so if you have the money to spend, this is the airline spend it on. If you are looking to use points, this trip is 133,000 Avios + tax which is equivalent to approximately $1,330. It is easy to transfer Avios from American Express and there are always redemption tickets available on Qatar Airways.