- August 2022
- Qatar Airways 836
- Doha (DOH) – Bangkok (BKK)
- Departure: 0302(DOH)
- Arrival: 1310(BKK)
- Duration: 6:44
- Aircraft: Airbus A380-861
- Registration: A7-API
- Seat: 1A (First Class)
In this part 2 of the review, I will go over my experiences on Qatar Airways A380 First Class after taking off from Doha. You can check part one of my pre-departure experience here.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class After-Takeoff Drinks
My flight took off an hour behind schedule so it was past 3 AM by the time the onboard service started. The first service commenced relatively quickly within 10 minutes after taking off from Doha with an after-takeoff drink with mixed nuts.
Having too much champagne on the ground, I decided to have a glass of still water instead. After a couple of minutes, the crew member came back and brought the after-takeoff drink and warmly heated nuts.
Qatar Airways A380 DOH-BKK First Class Dining
A really late-night dining service started 30 minutes after take off. By this time of the hour, I was deeply thinking if I should proceed with dinner or get some sleep first. In the end, I accelerated to try almost every meal for the next two hours.
Similar to Qatar Airways Business Class, the meal service was à la carte, dining on demand so I can request any meals anytime throughout the flight. The only difference between Business and First is how the meals are served. Business Class meals are still served on trays while First Class meals are served individually.
| UPDATE: Starting September 2022, select destinations will have Business Class meals served without a tray. |
These are First Class menus from Doha to Bangkok:
I ordered the following menus for my late dinner:
- Amuse-bouche
- Malaysian Laksa Soup (Soup of the day
- Caviars with smoked salmon
- Pan-fried king prawns with lemon butter sauce
- Cheese plate
- Filled chocolate lava with sweet potato cream
Of course, there were much more options I could have eaten but I was getting really sleepy at the same time so I will postpone trying the other menus for next time.
The dinner kicked off with an amuse-bouche which is scallop on beetroot-dyed barley.
Then it was followed by my favorite menu: Caviars. Qatar Airways offers great quality caviars served along with salmon, dried crackers, blinis and minced boiled eggs.
Next comes the soup of the day. I am not a fan of ’Laksa’ soup since it was quite spicy to me but it was okay to refresh my taste before the main meal.
Then as a main, two pieces of king prawns in lemon sauce with braised vegetables were served. The king prawn was juicy, similar to those you can find in Thailand’s seafood restaurants.
And of course, after the main meal follows desserts. For the first dessert option I chose the cheese plate followed by my favorite dessert: Chocolate Lava.
The cheese plate had a selection of different cheeses with accompaniments.
I am a big fan of dessert and the chocolate lava is a must-try!
And for a light option before arriving in Bangkok, I requested a “Warm open faced XO lobster sandwich on a toasted brioche bun.” This lobster sandwich was one of the best I have had in my entire premium class dining so far. Yummy…
For beverages, champagnes, wines and different types of liquors are all available although I ended up with Krug most of the time.
If you do not drink that much, cranberry juice is also my favorite. You will notice in my coming posts, I requested cranberry quite a number of times.
Prior to my arrival in Bangkok, the crew member came and gave me a box of Läderach chocolates.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Inflight Entertainment
At the very front of the seat has a large 26″ touch screen monitor installed. The inflight entertainment on Qatar Airways A380s also features Oryx One with more than 3,000 choices of movies, songs and box sets to enjoy.
A380 has a camera view which is an amazing feature for aviation lovers.
Aside from the touch screen display, the aircraft is equipped with a Thales AVANT IFE system which comes with a touch screen remote controller (The same can be found on Qatar Airways’ Boeing B787-8 fleets).
But to be honest, I dislike Thales’ remote controller since the response time of the touch screen remote is sluggish and quite frustrating. So I prefer to reach the screen and press the display manually.
Noise-canceling headphones provided on First Class are located under the right armrest compartment. The headphones are wrapped in a plastic bag for hygiene and kept inside the headphone pouch.
The power socket is located next to the screen, behind the lamp. Location-wise, it is a little uncomfortable to reach and charge my electronics since it is more than 3 feet away.
Onboard Wi-Fi is also available on all Qatar Airways A380 fleets. While the Wi-Fi is not as fast as Super Wi-Fi, First Class passengers will receive a complimentary 200MB voucher with a code written on it.
Business and Economy Class passengers need to purchase the standard Wi-Fi for a rate of US$10 for 100MB and US$200 for 200MB.
Keep in mind that the Wi-Fi is not unlimited and after the data cap has reached, you’ll need to repurchase.
Qatar Airways A380 Onboard Lounge
What’s special about the A380 is that there is an onboard lounge on the rear of the upper deck. Unlike some other A380 operators who have their own First Class lounge/bar in the forward area, Qatar Airways’ onboard lounge is located behind its Business Class cabin which is shared among First and Business passengers.
This is due to the upper deck Economy Class installed at the tail section creating lesser space to put its own First Class lounge.
The lounge has a long bench that seats around 3 to 4 passengers on each window side and the one in the center that fits two. The bar itself with a large wooden top is positioned in the center of the cabin and there are displays of liquors on the wall shelf.
On one side, there is a basket of chips, caramel popcorn and mini shot-glass desserts.
In the lounge bar, both alcoholic drinks from cocktails to non-alcoholic drinks can be requested to be made by the lounge staff.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Bed
Before visiting the onboard lounge, I asked the crew if she could help set up the bed opposite my seat while I was away.
And after I returned from the lounge chilling, there was a bed set up with warm bedding and a blanket.
I have frequently flown on Qatar Airways’ regular Business and Qsuites, and seeing this massive seat turn into one big bed, was indeed impressive.
Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatories
Qatar Airways First Class lavatories on its A380s are not that fancy like Singapore Airlines or have an onboard shower facility like Emirates and Etihad. But Qatar Airways designed its lavatories as simple yet luxurious.
From a large touchless sink to extra space for passengers to change their clothes, the lavatories offer a spacious space and a bench to take care of looks.
Toiletries such as razors, toothbrushes and mouthwash can be found inside the drawer on the side of the sink.
Summary
This was my first A380 flight after three years as the pandemic wiped the A380s out. Luckily, Qatar Airways reactivated eight of its ten aircraft and I was back onboard the flight to Bangkok.
The First Class service on Qatar Airways was superb although there was a little flaw with the seat belt. Dining-wise, Krugs and caviars were fresh and amazing. I couldn’t stop drinking and eating.
Six hours on First Class is still less to enjoy so I am eyeing the Sydney route when the award redemption cost is lesser.
I headed back to Doha the next day on the return flight to Doha with the same amazing crew members. I will be reviewing my inbound flight in my next post.
