It’s a long trip from Los Angeles to Doha, the capital of Qatar. Measured in distance, it is 8,285 miles, or 13333 kilometers. Measured in time, a non-stop flight from LAX-DOH takes about 15 hours, 50 minutes.
Now Qatar Airways has stepped in to offer a more comfortable and potentially productive flight for business or upscale leisure travelers. Qatar just announced that its Business Class experience, Qsuite, is available on flights to and from Los Angeles. Will it be enough to pull travelers bound to the Persian Gulf away from competitors like Emirates and Etihad with their luxuriously-outfitted A380s? Although Qatar also operates Airbus A380 aircraft, even those behemoths of the sky do not yet possess the Qsuite. The LAX-DOH route instead is operated on a Boeing 777.
Qatar Airways is the only carrier currently flying non-stop from LAX to Doha, although American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Turkish Airlines fly one-stop to Qatar. From Qatar, passengers can connect to more than 150 destinations worldwide through Qatar Airways.
So what differentiates Qsuite from ordinary Business Class? A Qatar spokeswoman described Qsuite, actually patented by Qatar Airways, as “A First Class experience in Business Class.” The suite features what Qatar says is the industry’s first-ever double bed in Business Class. Privacy panels stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, which the airline also claims as a first. The folding panels let passengers can share the journey or create private time, according to a spokesperson.
The multiple configurations give business travelers a chance to actually work productively on the flight, by running through a presentation or checking the figures and facts with their on-board colleagues. In Qsuite, the media panel includes an all-access power port, with USB, HDMI and NFC capabilities for plugging in laptops, storage, and other devices.
Couples traveling together can also enjoy Qsuite, as Qatar claims it features the first double bed available in Business Class. You’ll also find sliding doors and a Do Not Disturb indicator, allowing you private time away from the cabin is guaranteed to be uninterrupted.
Such innovations led to Qatar Airways being named ‘World’s Best Business Class’ by the 2018 World Airline Awards from Skytrax…
