Welcome Aboard Qatar Airways Business Class

Its arguably one of the best business class products on the market and perhaps for good reason; a number of its characteristics and offerings mimic more of a First Class product vs your standard business class affair. 

In addition to roomy seats that transform into fully flat beds, some of these suites come fully enclosed with sliding doors. Plus, on select flights, patrons are treated to caviar service, pajamas + slippers, an amuse bouche, and course meals. 

⚠️Fair warning though. Not all seats are created equal. Perhaps sometimes one of the baffling things about the airline - the lack of consistency. For its flagship product, QSuites (fully enclosed suites) you’d want to be on the lookout for this designation when booking your flight. Typically these can be found on the carrier’s A350-1000s and select B777-300ER and A350-900 aircraft. A nearly identical product also exists on their B787-9s. 

Overall top notch service and crew (albeit if some were not quite as enthusiastic as others). Well done. 

For attentive, trusted, and customized travel itineraries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

American Airlines - Premium Economy: New York to Madrid

Cabin Class: Premium Economy

Route: New York to Madrid   

Meal: Special - Vegan (VGML) 

Aircraft: Boeing 777-200ER

It’s been a few years since first trialing American Airlines’ version of Premium Economy. This mini cabin between Business and Economy, a segment that’s grown in popularity in the last several years (though to be fair, it’s been 32 years since its debut on Virgin Atlantic), has become commonplace on most long haul carriers. In fact, those who’ve historically shied away from it are jumping onboard, capitalizing on its lucrative revenue generation. For instance, we’ve recently seen the likes of Emirates introduce—and arguably perfect it; and continue to roll it out to its fleet, while others follow suit, bolstering their respective offerings.

Recently we had the opportunity to pop back on American, from New York to Madrid, to see if we could spot any material updates. After all, they were the first US-based carrier to introduce the product in 2017. All told, things largely remain the same (which isn’t a bad thing per se). Some of our observations:

🧳: The Cabin: We were delighted to see a refreshed cabin featuring a modern, updated space complete with mood lighting, refurbished seat coverings, updated amenity kits, etc.
🧳: In-flight Entertainment (IFE): Though still functional and easy to navigate with more than plenty of options to keep one entertained, the apparatus itself and interface could use a refresh. It’s starting to show its age. This is an offering wide observation, so not necessarily only applicable to this cabin.
🧳: WiFi Connectivity: This is an area American could use a strategy change - the hefty $35 flight duration charge, with no access to complimentary messaging, is increasingly becoming an archaic notion.
🧳: Food and Beverage: A couple choices for Premium Economy, plus plentiful alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage selections. The pre-ordered special meal (Vegan) was surprisingly good and a welcome departure from what can sometimes be uninspiring selections.

Overall, a mostly pleasant ride with some less competitive offerings though a pretty solid ride for the transatlantic hop.