Qatar Airways is best known for its Qsuite long-haul business class. But if you’re thinking of flying Qatar, remember that the airline operates a diverse fleet with multiple seat styles. So it’s important to be a smart shopper and know what you’re getting when you book.
We recently wrote about Qatar’s A320 business class, and we’ll be back later with a dive into Qsuite. But in this story we’re featuring one of Qatar’s other long-haul business class seats, which we flew on an Airbus A350-900 flight from Cape Town to Doha.
Read on for the full details. For those of you considering Qatar Airways for your future travel plans we outline how this seat stacks up against Qsuite. And for those of you just AvGeeking from the comfort of your homes we have all the window seat views and videos you could ask for.
As a US-based flyer, when I think of the big Middle Eastern airlines I think of epic long-haul flights on 777s, A380s, and other big planes. But can those airlines deliver a great experience on smaller single-aisle aircraft?
We got to find out on an A320 flight from Doha to Zanzibar on Qatar Airways, Skytrax’s best airline in the world for 2024. Over the course of the six-hour flight we got a close look at the airline’s narrowbody business class seat and “medium-haul” service style.
So what should you expect onboard a Qatar A320 compared with their 777s, 787s, A350s, or A380s? Read on to find out. And as usual we have some window seat views for you to enjoy along the way.
Photo by Bob Hines/NASA – flickr.com, Public Domain
A misconception has been circulating in news and on social media for weeks that the NASA astronauts who flew the Boeing Starliner -named Calypso- to the International Space Station are “stranded in space”. It’s easy to make comparisons with airline passengers stranded mid-itinerary in unfamiliar airport terminals.
STARLUX Airlines’ inaugural flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) received a traditional water-cannon salute as it taxied to the gate
STARLUX Airlines added Seattle as its third North American destination on Aug. 16, 2024, following Los Angeles and San Francisco, which saw service starts in 2023.
The fledgling Taiwan-based airline was launched in 2018, with its first services from Taipei to Macau, Penang, and Da Nang having started in 2020. The carrier positions itself as a luxury airline, with four service classes on each of its 23 aircraft. STARLUX’s Airbus 350-900s feature 306 seats, spread across four cabins: four first-class suites, 26 business-class pods, 36 premium economy recliners, and 240 economy seats.
Airline staff waited to greet the inbound planeSEA has an automated airside docking systemThe A-359 approaching the gate
The airline also serves 23 Asian destinations via its all-Airbus fleet of A321neo, A330neo, and A350 aircraft.
Starlux and Alaska Airlines are codeshare partners
Alaska Airlines signed a strategic partnership with STARLUX in 2023, allowing each airline’s loyalty program members to earn points on one another’s flights. The partnership will allow customers of both airlines to book connecting flights on a single ticket.
STARLUX will serve SEA three times a week
The current flight schedule calls for three flights a week, with plans in place to increase the frequency to daily service in early 2025.
Even the cargo containers were shiny and newThe plane is powered by the impressive Rolls Royce XWBNosing up to the gateA fine-looking set of landing gear
It’s always an absolute joy to get rampside access for the arrival of a big jet.
STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai (left) and Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho exchanged welcoming giftsA welcome ceremony inside the airport’s reception area featured traditional drummers… and the traditional ribbon cutting
With this new route, SEA now hosts 53 nonstop international services on 27 different airlines. We’re hoping to provide you with more STARLUX coverage in the future.
It’s an exciting time for New York City’s airports. We’ve already written about the amazing planespotting from the new skybridges at LaGuardia and the huge New Terminal One project at JFK. Across the Hudson River at Newark International there’s major work going on too. The first phase there was a from-scratch rebuild of the 50-year-old Terminal A. We dropped by, and we can say from firsthand experience that the result is impressive.
Join us on a photo and video walkthrough of the new terminal, with an eye towards the AvGeek appeal and planespotting potential.
The new Terminal A, which opened in late 2022, is the airport’s southernmost terminal.
The new Terminal A was built alongside the old one, to allow a gradual operational transition from one to the other. In the satellite image below you can see both the new terminal (bottom) and the old one (top). The latter has since been decommissioned.
I try to get to airports on public transit whenever I can. One issue with the new Terminal A is that its temporary AirTrain station is a fifteen-minute walk from the terminal, or a short extra bus ride. This will eventually be fixed when the current cramped and unreliable EWR AirTrain gets rebuilt. But that’s years away, and so for now the public transit access situation is a hassle.
But once I got to the new terminal I completely forgot about the AirTrain situation. Compared to the old dark and cramped Terminal A the new building is full of light and bursting with Jersey-themed art.
The terminal’s TSA security checkpoint features big status screens and some futuristic-looking neon-trimmed bag scanners.
Once you get through security the terminal layout is fairly straightforward. Most gates are along the terminal’s main east concourse, with a few on the smaller north and south concourses.
As of now there are five airlines operating out of the new Terminal A: American, United, Delta, JetBlue, and Air Canada. The first three each have their own lounge here.
And now for the part you’ve been waiting for: the planespotting. There must have been some #AvGeeks on the terminal design committee because there are a TON of beanbag-type seats in prime spotting positions right up against the windows.
The best views are at the very end of the main terminal pier, where you’re closest to the airport’s runways.
Bring a camera with a good zoom lens and you can score some shots with the Manhattan skyline in the background.
We spent a great hour taking in the views from the terminal before boarding an outbound flight on a United 737 MAX. The timing of our takeoff roll lined up perfectly with a gorgeous golden sunset.
The Verdict on Newark’s New Terminal A
The new terminal cost nearly $3 billion, and is forecasted to serve 15 million flyers a year. So the stakes were high for Newark to get this right. Luckily the new Terminal A seems like a winner. It’s airy, bright, and full of decorations and local flair.
The only gripe for now is the AirTrain situation. Between the 15-minute walk from station to terminal and the fact that Terminal A is already the farthest station from the railway link, factor in an extra 20 minutes to get here on public transit.
Overall though it’s a great place to fly from, and to planespot from too. If you’ve swung by already let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
