I found my gate at the far end of the North concourse, and saw that boarding for my flight was delayed a few minutes. It’s the first time I haven’t had to go through gate security at Doha which is always the protocol for US-bound flights. They opened the gate area around 6:15pm and immediately allowed First Class to board. First Class on this Dubai-bound flight was technically seated in business class but for Middle Eastern flights Qatar calls it First Class which also allows Al Safwa Lounge access. Some people use this as a bit of a travel hack to upgrade their lounge experience when flying from the US and tacking on a flight to Dubai, Amman, Cairo, etc.

QR1018 A350-1000 DOH-DXB
Scheduled: 18:35-20:55
Actual: 18:46-21:03

Despite the short length of this flight, it was on one of the newer QSuites-equipped planes. I suppose Qatar Airways uses these short turnarounds to increase aircraft utilization between long-haul flights in the same way you see Delta fly A330s and A350s between Atlanta and Orlando.

I sat in 9A, the last row of QSuites, in a rear-facing seat closer to the window. It was also closest to the galley which turned out to be a good thing. The downside was only one window instead of two.

A prepackaged towel and pre-flight beverage was offered, so I chose the rose champagne. Arabic coffee and dates were also provided.

Even though the captain said our flying time was just 45 minutes, a menu was offered. The flight attendant warned me I’d maybe have 10 minutes to eat, but I’m a fast eater 🙂 I provided my choice of the chicken biryani before we pushed back.

We were delayed a bit, but took off for Dubai. I was also able to watch the cameras on my screen. There were some nice views of Doha on our climb out.

As soon as we hit 10,000 feet, the flight attendants sprang into action and brought the light meal around. There was hummus, pita bread, the chicken and a dessert. I had a sparkling water with it.

The food was tasty and I had enough time to finish the chicken and some of the hummus. I wasn’t a big fan of the orange and pistachio bisbousa.

Before too long, we were on approach to Dubai. I took some pictures as we were descending then landed a bit late.

Unfortunately, we were sent to a bus gate, which is apparently quite common over on the less modern side of Dubai airport in Terminal 1.

We had to take a bus, then a train, then go through immigration where I met my Etihad chauffeur.

It was a bit of a treat to fly in QSuites for such a short flight. The service was excellent and they managed to get a small meal served even with a 45 minute flying time. In the US, I doubt we’d even get a drink in first class on a flight that short.

Up Next: Etihad Chauffeur Service Experience

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