On boarding the plane a couple of immediate observations were the cleanliness, no crumbs to be found on the seats of this aeroplane, its newness, no shabby carpets or tattered seats, and best of all the space. Travelling in economy there is plenty of legroom and a great feeling of spaciousness.
Departing on time earned them even more brownie points as did the friendliness and helpfulness of the cabin crew. There was always someone walking up and down checking that you had everything you could possibly need. After a recent flight where I struggled in vain to get the attention of the stewardess for 40 minutes in an attempt to get a glass of water this was a very welcome change.
The food is excellent. A salad, served with a choice of two mains or a vegetarian, a desert, a chocolate, plenty of bread, some cheese and a choice of drinks. Mains included dishes such as chicken biryani, lamb served with vegetables and rice, or for the vegetarian spinach and cheese curry with rice.
As for the movie choices well…I am a person who refuses to sleep on flights considering it a great waste of movie watching time. The selection of movies was immense, more than up to date (ahead of UK, probably in line with US film releases) and a fantastic selection. Categories included Premier films. A Did You Miss? section. Classics, Family Films, Short movies as well as Arabic, Hindi and World Cinema films. I was glued to my screen until we were told the plane would soon be landing – ahead of time! (One bit of advice though take your own earphones to plug in as the ones they give you are comfortable but the sound is a little quiet at max volume).
Was it a fluke good flight? Nope I have very happily now travelled on Qatar Airlines many times and each experience was identical to the first. Do not hesitate to fly with this airline, they are as they claim a 5 Star airline!