I’ve flown with Qatar multiple times and the service has always been great. Very professional, organized, the food is delicious and plentiful, tons of entertainment.
The Achilles heel of the experience with Qatar Airways is the Doha Airport, especially for travellers arriving into Doha and not transiting. This airport suffers from being ambitiously big and the immigration into Qatar being overly time taking. At the end of my particular flight in which my travel was ending in Doha, the plane parked at a very remote terminal, from where it took me 30 minutes to arrive just at the immigration counter, with fast paced walking and the time on a train inside the airport. Then, at the immigration counter it takes up to a minute or more to process each tourist visitor,due to time taking face and finger scanning processes and langugage barriers if there are questions or information to be exchanged verbally with the officers. If several planes have landed at the same time, it is not unusual that one has to wait 45 to 60 minutes in the immigration queue. In short, the frustration of arriving at Doha takes away all positive vibe of the airline, as the airline and the airport are heavily intertwined and are marketed together.
The Qatar Airways staff pre-boarding and also on the flight from Dallas to Doha were incredibly mediocre and arrogant. Consider retraining these individuals Other flights were ok.
Seating is terrible, having seats so crammed is unacceptable for a 15-hour journey. I cannot stress enough how uncomfortable it is to sit in such an aircraft. Leg space is roomier in a domestic aircraft. I have not experienced this kind of crammy seating in domestic flights either in the US or other international airlines overseas.
The overall flight experience between Doha and Kolkata was satisfactory. The staff onboard were notably engaged, responsive, and enthusiastic, providing a level of service that stood out, especially when compared to the less attentive crew on the earlier leg from Heathrow to Doha. Their eagerness to assist made the journey more pleasant. Additionally, the time spent at the Silver Lounge in Doha contributed positively to the experience. The lounge offered a comfortable and relaxing environment, with adequate amenities and attentive staff. Overall, both the flight and the lounge experience in Doha met expectations, making for a smooth and satisfactory travel experience.
There was frequent beverage ,meal and snack service. The crew was very hospitable and professional.
The rows of seats in economy class are seriously close to one another making eating and resting just about impossible - there is hardly any legroom. Anyone larger than average size would have an incredibly uncomfortable flight. I had to basically share my seat with the lady passenger next to me as she was too big to fit into her allotted seat.
Check in desk people constrained by fear. Obvious typo on Uganda visa, even though approved, caused loss of flight. Something is definitely wrong with this system.
Don't be afraid if you board an Oman Air Airbus A330 - it will take you to Colombo and not Muskat. The Aircraft is leased by Qatar Airways ;-)
No towels or tissue and chocolate and mint provided before arrival
