Welcome

Friends,

It is a great day to talk more about travel adventures on planet earth, and I hope you enjoy the commentary on Qatar Airways.

Even more so, I hope wherever you fly to next is wonderful. It is a delight to write to you now—and, in that, to welcome you onboard this column.

Let’s get going.

Links

Status match to Air Tahiti Nui, which while novel has no material benefits.

American Airlines NPS has collapsed, per aviation watchdog @JonNYC on X.

Story

In the fall of 2019, my wife and I flew Qatar Airways in business class from Doha to Dallas. We were on one of their A350’s that featured the (relatively new at the time) QSuites seats.

For the slightly uninspiring name, the QSuite lived up to the hype that had denoted its arrival on to the “airline scene” (if that is even a thing) in 2017. We had an absolutely stellar flight, as have thousands of others who have made YouTube video after YouTube video showcasing the product.

Sidebar: I have my own QSuites YouTube video coming out soon, too, and I will be sure to link it here so you can measure it against the thousands of others. Because why wouldn’t I?

Anyways. Thank you for bearing with this sidebar.

QSuites has been widely acclaimed as the best business class in the skies today—and for well-deserved reasons:

All the seats are (cute little) “suites” with closing doors, countless novel features, and an unbelievable amount of personal space. It is like a very fancy office cubicle where your chair becomes a bed—or, if you are seated in the center section and so-inclined, a double bed.

Their food and beverage program (the menus) is near-industry leading. That is slightly subjective, but the food quality really is top-notch with certain routes even featuring a caviar course, which is (insofar as industry standards are concerned) an amenity traditionally reserved for true “first class” products.

The service flow (that is my former flight attendant talking) is fantastic and entirely customer centric: there are no carts. You dictate when and what you eat, with few limitations. The onboard entertainment and (soon to be Starlink) wifi is fantastic, too, but that feels closer to table stakes to me in 2025.

The service itself is absolutely wonderful. Qatar Airways has been criticized as being too rigid in their standards and rules for cabin crew from a corporate culture standpoint. I understand this is changing, at least in some ways, for the better. In all cases, their crews are generally very, very good at delivering a quality service product. I have also just met a lot of really wonderful people who work for the airline.

Lastly, their lounges in Qatar are fantastic. They have elements of many first class lounges (like sit-down dining) but at a scale to accomodate the high volume of business class passengers who travel, everyday, through their primary hub at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. It is a truly spectacular airport.

Writing all of this does confirm I need to make a video, not so much to compete with all the noise out there but to put into further perspective how quality the product is overall. It is generally good to give praise where it is due.

Back to our question: is this the best business class product in the world?

Academically, the answer is probably yes.

But is it, really? That’s where the story gets more interesting. Business class, when stripped to its core, is about sleep. Sure, you are buying a seat with plenty of luxurious add-ons, but the real goal is that you arrive at your far-flung destination rested. Qatar Airways delivers on this in spades.

They are not alone here, and the quality of the softer elements of their product like food, service, and lounges do come down to questions of preference. For instance, I am eager to try Air France’s newest seat as my understanding is that they are giving Qatar Airways a run for their money. When I do, I will report back here and try to make a video to complement it, too.

There reality is there are a lot of really strong business class products in the world, and that is why I think this game is fun. In a certain sense, it never gets old: innovation meets culture, meets routes, and you always have a new option to fly and try.

There are days when, because it feels something like home, I think American Airlines has the best business class in the world. But objectively this is not (presently, at least) the case.

Business class is fun because it enriches a travel experience and can make flying something special instead of something to survive. And as dramatic as that reads, I have found it to be true. So I like flying business class.

Big Picture: You will probably like flying Qatar Airways in business class, and I totally recommend you give them a try. Are they the best? Maybe—but it may not matter that much. There are plenty of great options, and they’re all worth trying (on the right fare).

Happy flying.

Forward

Do you know anyone who would like to see some of my pictures of Qatar Airways in business class? Please feel free to forward this on to them.

Remember, this life you are living has meaning. Be well today.

-Tommy