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Home » Trip Reports » Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class Doha to Paris
Flight ReviewsQatar Airways

Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class Doha to Paris

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 20, 2018November 14, 2023 9 Comments

a seat in a plane

After literally a day in the Al Safwa lounge, I ventured back into the terminal and proceeded to the gate for my connecting flight to Paris. This would be my first time aboard a Qatar Airways A380.

Boarding had started early and I found myself one of the last passengers onboard. Stepping onto the aircraft, a pair of flight attendants greeted me. Inspecting my boarding pass, one escorted me left to my seat in the front of the upper deck. This flight took place in 2016, but more on that below…

a screenshot of a blue screen with white text

a sign with a picture of an airplane

a man standing at a reception desk

a large white airplane in a terminal

a plane in a terminal

Qatar Airways 039
Doha (DOH) – Paris (CDG)
Sunday, June 05
Depart: 07:25 AM
Arrive: 01:20 PM
Duration: 06hr, 55min
Distance: 3,091 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 2A (First Class)

a hallway with cabinets and cabinets

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Seating

The Qatar Airways first class cabin routinely receives mixed to negative reviews. It is true: compared to other premium first class products or even Qatar’s own Qsuite Business Class suites, there is far less privacy in this cabin.

However, I found the seat extremely comfortable in the seated and lie-flat position, thereby mitigating the lack of privacy. Like Lufthansa First Class, the eight open seats can be partially shielded by a retractable privacy partition. Other seat controls include a multi-way seat adjuster and power outlet. Each seat also has a closet large enough for a garment bag or two articles of clothing. The closet door includes a place to store your shoes.

a room with televisions and screens

a room with chairs and a person in the door

a seat in an airplane

a seat with a table and pillows

a seat and chairs in an airplane

a seat in a plane

a pillow on a chair

a bed and a tv in a plane

a seat in a plane

a seat in a plane

a phone on a wall

a tv and a shelf in a room

a seat with a label on it

a close up of a device

a phone and a bottle in a box

a close up of a device

a close up of a device

a close up of a device

a light on a fabric surface

Comfortable bedding is provided and the seat transforms to a large bed in lie-flat mode (81 inches).

a seat in an airplane

a seat belt and pillows on a bed in an airplane

a close up of a red fabric

And what a beautiful aircraft this is:

a staircase with a light on the ceiling

a stairway leading up to a blue light

As we took off from Doha, I snapped the following pictures:

a city next to a body of water

a large port with many containers on it

a city next to the water

a city with many tall buildings and a body of water

a city with a body of water

an aerial view of a city

an airplane wing seen through a window

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Bar

My favorite feature of the flight and this aircraft is the beautiful onboard bar. Qatar spared no expense in carefully choreographing every detail. I loved the accents in the overhead lighting and the roses.

a bar in an airplane

a seat in a plane

a table with fruit and roses in the ceiling

a seat in an airplane

a bar in an airplane

a shelf in a room with a light fixture

a bowl of fruit and roses on a table

a group of bowls of food on a table

I wrote about my conversation in the bar with a flight attendant from Iran, which was absolutely the highlight of the flight.

a woman standing behind a bar

You can see the alcohol selection pictured below: I did not drink any alcohol in the bar. I did, however, enjoy some mixed nuts, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and was beckoned to stand behind the bar for a picture…

a sign with a bottle of wine

a bar with bottles of alcohol

a bowl of nuts and a glass of orange juice

a man standing behind a counter in an airplane

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Dining

Qatar Airways offers a la carte dining-on-demand in first class. The menu for my flight had both breakfast and lunch options:

a menu with text on it

a white paper with a logo on it

a white paper with black text

a menu of a restaurant

a menu of food on a white surface

a white paper with black text

a close up of a menu

a red menu cover

a white paper with black text

a menu with a bottle of champagne

a bottle of wine on a white background

a menu with a bottle of wine

a magazine with a picture of a bottle of wine

a green bottle of wine on a white background

a menu with a bottle of wine

a menu with a bottle of wine

a menu with a bottle of wine

a menu with a bottle of wine

a menu with a bottle of liquor

a menu with text on it

With an early departure, I enjoyed breakfast after takeoff and a light lunch before landing. Breakfast included Krug (more for the photo, if I am being honest) with a strawberry and fig smoothie, cappuccino, bircher muesli, and a cheese omelet. Fresh breakfast breads were proactively offered.

a glass of milk on a napkin

a table with food on it

a bowl of oatmeal with berries

a plate of food on a table

a cup of coffee with a spoon and a packet on a tray

a table with food and a television in the background

a plate of food on a table

On both sides of the front of the cabin, a snack station offered light treats like popcorn and nuts as well as juices and water.

a shelf with glasses and snacks on it

a bottle of water and a glass of water on a table

About an hour before landing, I ordered Arabic mezze followed by a steak sandwich. The mezze turned out be a trio of fried items that I simply passed on. The sandwich wasn’t great (it could have been warmer), but was also respectable for an airline sandwich.

a plate of food and a bottle of soda

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a sandwich on a plate

I ordered cappuccino after and a FA proactively brought dessert as well. Just what the doctor ordered, but talk about a beautiful dessert…

a cup of coffee and dessert on a tray

a piece of cake on a plate

a dessert on a plate

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Service

I won’t call the first class service bad, but it was a typical Qatar Airways business class flight. In one sense, you can label Qatar Airways’ business class service akin to first class on other airlines due to the personalized, on-demand nature of it. But the service just dragged on this flight. With only eight passengers in first class, I thought service might be a bit quicker than in business class, but it took an hour for breakfast and 30 minutes for lunch. I don’t like extended waits between courses, but I cannot blame the FAs for not hustling. Apparently three FAs is not enough for a full-cabin.

And perhaps this is something I bought on myself, but the FAs must have thought it was my first time flying in first class based on the number of pictures I was taking. It seemed the FAs got a kick out of it and giggled as I continued to take pictures of every angle of each cup and glass and especially when I started taking pictures of the seat in its various positions. That’s not a complaint, but it felt like I was just a source of amusement.

All that to say, the crew was very well-intentioned, courteous, and cheerful.

a woman pouring liquid into a container

In case you are wondering, I always ask FAs for permission to post their pictures on my blog.

Qatar Airways A380 Business Class

While visiting the bar, I took a peak at business class. Qatar offers reverse herringbone seating onboard the A380 in business class, a seat I have reviewed on the A350.

a row of seats with monitors on the side of the plane

> Read More: Qatar Airways A350 Business Class Doha to New York Review

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Lavatory

I love the large lavatories located on either side of the upper deck landing of the forward staircase. Some carriers turn this area into a lounge, which makes no sense to me. It is so nice to have some room when using the facilities, even if there is no shower like the Etihad and Emirates A380s. Fresh flowers, toiletries, and Rituals soap and moisturizers were available.

a bathroom with a sink and a mirror

a white flowers in a pot next to a bench

a toilet with a seat up

a drawer with black boxes and a bottle of water

a group of bottles on a shelf

a group of red roses on a silver surface

> Read More: Etihad Airways A380 First Class Review
> Read More: Emirates A380 First Class Review

Qatar Airways A380 First Class Amenity Kit

I received a Giorgio Armani amenity kit with contents inside including socks, eye shades, ear plugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, and comb. Qatar currently uses Brics for its amenity kits.

a magazine and a small black bag on a table in an airplane

Qatar Airways A380 First Class IFE + Wi-Fi

I’ve reviewed Qatar Airways in-flight entertainment across several aircraft. Moves, TV shows, games, and music were available. Click here for an in-depth description. I appreciated the large screen onboard. For most of the flight, I had the camera tuned-in.

a tv on a wall

a hand holding a cell phone

a hand holding a cell phone

a television on the wall of an airplane

Wi-Fi is available onboard, though I gave up after several attempts to connect. First class passengers are given a complimentary wi-fi voucher.

Then vs. Now

Has Qatar changed between 2018 and 2016? Not really. New amenity kits, new blankets, faux candles, but everything else is still the same. Here’s a review from just a few months ago.

CONCLUSION

Qatar Airways is not a stunning first class product. While Qatar Airways has the best business class product in the world, it does not offer the world’s best first class product or frankly even come close. But I still very much enjoyed this flight and would not hesitate to spend the extra miles to fly in first class over business class on the Qatar Airways A380.

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Previous Article A Touch Of Kindness On My British Airways Flight
Next Article Why British Airways Business Class Is Totally Worthwhile Within Europe

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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9 Comments

  1. MILESMachine_ Reply
    September 20, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    Awesome detail and pics as usual, thanks Matthew

  2. dave Reply
    September 20, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    6hr and 555min, Thats a long ass flight if i’ve ever seen one . lol

    • Matthew Reply
      September 20, 2018 at 8:49 pm

      Thanks! Fixed.

  3. Debit Reply
    September 20, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    Which of the middle east airlines do you find hires the hottest flight attendants.

    • OVTraveller Reply
      August 17, 2020 at 6:38 am

      Thank you Matthew for your most comprehensive review. Having had to cancel my Qatar flights to and from Europe in their QSuits, due to the pandemic restrictions, your review helped to slightly overcome a sense of great loss. Hope it will all go away, better sooner than later,

  4. hbilbao Reply
    September 20, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    I have to say this: your pic is sooo cute.

  5. JustSaying Reply
    September 20, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    ZERO privacy……looks horrible!

  6. Paolo Reply
    September 21, 2018 at 3:46 am

    Most amenity kits are crap. The ones by Brics are keepers; attractive , functional and high quality. I like the look of their luggage range but it’s a bit hard to find: the only Bric’s store I recall is in the shopping arcade next to the PH Milan ( also, there’s a wonderful bookstore in the same arcade)

  7. Aaron Reply
    September 21, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    “The Qatar Airways first class cabin routinely receives mixed to negative reviews.”

    I think that’s a bit harsh. I’d it routinely receives positive to mixed reviews. The only sore spot seems to be the privacy*, but it isn’t any worse than what you’d on other airlines like Lufthansa or JAL or non-suites on Air France or a few others. And while yes, the Qatar suites provide more privacy, the first class suites are much more comfortable for sleeping in. Privacy aside, most people really like the design and look of Qatar’s first class.

    *Really, unless you plan on watching porn and/or m@sturbating, that much privacy isn’t needed anyway, imo.

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