After a nice meal in the Al Safwa First Lounge, it was time to head on to Abu Dhabi. To do so, I booked Qatar Airways First Class, as an add-on to my Business Class flight from Hong Kong. Qatar Airways B737-MAX 8 First Class resembles domestic US First, but it’s a much better product overall. Especially so on on a short, sub-one hour flight.
Note: this is part of my trip report series covering my around-the-world trip to Taiwan in January, 2024. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Qatar Airways (QR) Flight 1040
- Monday, January 29, 2024
- Depart: Doha – Hamad International Airport (DOH), 01:56, 6m late
- Arrive: Abu Dhabi – Zayed International Airport (AUH), Terminal A, 03:54, 1m early
- Duration: 58 minutes
- Seat: 2F
- Equipment: Boeing 737-MAX 8
Aside – the irony of a personal income tax guy aboard Flight “1040” isn’t lost on me…
Check-In and Boarding
The Cathay Pacific agent in Taipei checked me through to Abu Dhabi, so I didn’t have to visit the desk in Doha. If you have access to the Al Safwa Lounge, you can board directly from the lounge if leaving from a remote stand. Apart from dedicated boarding, the only real benefit is a fancier bus to the plane. These First Class buses include fancier chairs, and only 12 seats. And with so few passengers to board, you escape the usual scrum to get on a bus filled to capacity.
Bus rides to remote stands at Doha tend to run quite long. This was no exception. At least we sampled some interesting planeporn along the way, including this Pegasus A321neo.
And finally, we pulled up to our 737-MAX 8 and headed up the stairs.
Qatar Airways B737-MAX 8 First Class – Seating, Interior, and In-Flight Entertainment
Regional First Class on the MAX 8 features 8 Collins Aerospace MQ cradle seats in a 2-2 configuration. The seats measure 20″ wide, with 40″ of pitch, and 5″ of recline. In other words, similar to domestic US First Class, though with better pitch. I liked the look of the seats, and they still look quite new despite the plane being 4 years old. A bit unexpected was the bright purple trim, compared to the usual burgundy. Though you do find the burgundy on the pillows provided.
Legroom felt quite generous, given the 40 inches of pitch. That’s 3-6″ more than the typical domestic First Class seat.
The seats also include a divided footrest. I don’t like footrests in general, but I really don’t like these. It’s easy for one foot to fall off, resulting in an awkward setup.
One thing I noticed is that the seats seem pretty thin. They’re fine for a 1-hour flight, but I question how comfortable these are on a longer one.
Seat controls are simple, with a single push button controlling recline.
As for seat storage, there is a small compartment below the armrest.
If you’re looking for in-flight entertainment, meanwhile, you won’t find it. At present, Qatar Airways does not provide WiFi on its 737 fleet. Nor is any other type of IFE offered. However, Qatar is in the process of installing free Starlink WiFi across its entire fleet. Qatar expects to complete installation on its narrowbody fleet sometime in 2026. Given the short flight duration, I didn’t look for a power or USB port. According to the AeroLOPA seat map, First Class seats do have both, however.
Food, Beverage, and Service
Despite the short flight time, Qatar manages to execute a full meal service on this route. Service began with a pre-departure beverage of water or lemon-mint juice. I decided to try the lemon-mint juice, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. The mint wasn’t overpowering, and the juice was freshly made.
In fact, I enjoyed it so much I used it for my usual PDF selfie.
During boarding, the FAs handed out menus for the flight. Options at this late hour included a snack platter, hot and cold beverages, and even a full bar.
In addition to the pre-departure beverage, the FAs also offered Arabic coffee and dates before pushing back.
Just 6 minutes after takeoff, the FAs sprang into action to deliver the meal service. The meal was nicely presented, and everything was quite tasty. I was especially impressed that they managed to make the spring rolls crispy. The labneh in particular was really good. While I thought the lemon might overpower, it was actually quite flavorful.
I also ordered a karak chai (literally “strong tea” in Hindi) to go with the meal. For those unfamiliar, it’s a variation on Indian chai popular in the Gulf countries. The main differences: evaporated milk instead of regular milk, the addition of saffron, and a higher proportion of loose tea. This results in a thicker, stronger tea than traditional Indian chai.
I have no idea how close this version is to the real thing, but the cardamon version was a decent tea. Though honestly, I struggled to tell the difference from regular chai.
Funny thing is, overall, I found the meal on this short hop better than on the long-haul from Hong Kong. The quality was just better all around. And let’s face it, this is a darn impressive meal on a 58-minute flight. Especially considering you get nothing on flights longer than that here in the US.
I found service top notch on this flight as well. The First Class FA hustled from start to finish, and even managed to squeeze in drink refills. Quite impressive for 38 minutes of flight time.
We had no flightseeing on this route, due to the middle of the night departure and arrival.
Final Thoughts
Qatar Airways really impressed me with their short-haul premium cabin service. Service and food were excellent, and it grants you access to the Al Safwa First Lounge. It does, however, come at an extreme premium to Economy Class. Nearly 5x more expensive, in fact; the cash price comes in at QAR 3,300 (~$905) from Doha to Abu Dhabi for a random July round-trip. If you want to sample the product, your best bet is to add it as a tag flight to a long-haul Business redemption. Typically you can do so at no extra mileage cost, assuming you find availability.
