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Qatar Airways unveils a new economy seat – which looks good

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I was at the launch of the new Qatar Airways economy seat in Berlin yesterday.  Economy travel is not something we focus on much, but I thought it was worth a quick look.

Let’s be clear.  There isn’t much you can do with a standard economy airline seat to make it better.  This is why I am quite impressed with what Qatar Airways is doing, where lots of incremental changes add up:

  • each seat gets a 13.3 inch 4K TV screen – it is almost as wide as the seat back.  My one worry here is that the screen glare from neighbouring seats will be annoying, especially if you are trying to sleep.
  • the seats are ultra-slim which seems to improve legroom – I tried one out and my 6’2′ frame was not wedged against the seat in front
  • there are two flip-down trays – one just below the TV which includes a cupholder and the usual 2nd tray just above knee level
  • the back of the seat in front curves inwards at the bottom, giving your knees more room
  • the seats are partially in shells – this means that if the person in front of you reclines, the back of their seat does not come forward into your face
  • all seats have USB charging sockets

Qatar Airways also announced an upgrade to their ORYX IFE system, taking it up to 4000 channels, and an increase in the size of food portions.  Desserts will be 50% larger whilst main courses will be 25% larger.   There will also be a move to using more recyclable and biodegradable items.

New Qatar Airways economy seat

That’s the good news.  The bad news is that you won’t be seeing this seat in a hurry.  It is being introduced initially on the new A320LR aircraft which will not serve the UK.  It will only be rolled out to other aircraft as part of the natural replacement cycle, which means it may take eight years to complete.

The food upgrade IS happening more quickly, however.  It is due to launch imminently and be available on all routes by the end of the year.

Category

Qatar Airways and Privilege Club

Comments (131)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Mark1980 says:
    7 Mar7 March 10:49

    OT need to make a purchase of approx £1100 at B&Q – does anyone know of a way of getting a discount? Any supermarkets currently doing discounts on gift cards etc? TIA

    • Michael says:
      7 Mar7 March 11:21

      Not sure what you’re buying but if you can get it online – BA will give you 2 avios (Think it’s two but might be one or three) per £ spent through the BAEC e store.

    • Nick M says:
      7 Mar7 March 11:26

      I think various employer portals (and similar) allow you to purchase with a discount… I can get 7% off using our childcare voucher link.

      Not sure about supermarkets at the moment, but I maxed out our Amex SuperDrug offers back in December!

    • Travel Strong says:
      7 Mar7 March 12:17

      If you have a friend with a trade card (and they have spent >£1k there recently) they will get you 10% off. They don’t take amex, but they will take 52 x £20 gift cards purchased from Tesco etc…!

    • Mark2 says:
      7 Mar7 March 12:17

      You can at least get Amex points buying GC from Tesco or Morrison’s

    • N says:
      7 Mar7 March 14:05

      2x 4% back with Airtime Rewards with a Curve and an underlying mastercard.

  • Waddle says:
    7 Mar7 March 10:53

    OT: Amex Gold
    What form do the lounge passes come in? Does the cardmember have to be the one using them?
    So on a family trip can I give my Gold LoungeClub passes to my in-laws while my other half gets in using a Revolut Metal pass and I get in on my HSBC LoungeKey. Is that doable?

    • Rob says:
      7 Mar7 March 11:18

      Comes as a plastic card with cardholder name on. Cannot be transferred.

      • Shoestring says:
        7 Mar7 March 17:32

        @Waddle 1 of the Lounge Club passes can be used for a guest, so you might have to pay for 1 person (out of 4) to get in but not 2

    • Liam says:
      7 Mar7 March 14:53

      You might get lucky at some airports/lounged. My girlfriend once used my Lounge Club card when I wasn’t with her and had no problems. (I’m afraid I can’t remember where, exactly.) I wouldn’t bank on it, though.

  • Ian says:
    7 Mar7 March 10:57

    OT:

    Any tips for a good Hilton redemption anywhere in the UK for around 35k HH Points?

    Easy on dates, have been looking at the Points Explorer but just wonder if there is a hidden gem I’ve not found.

    Thanks for any help.

    • BJ says:
      7 Mar7 March 11:05

      A weekend in Aberdeen, Friday-Sunday in one hotel or try a different one each night to maximise myway points. DT at the beach and Hilton Treetops are both super on upgrades. There is also HGI in city. A new full service Hilton also opening soon.

    • Neil says:
      7 Mar7 March 11:11

      DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Spa Chester if you fancy a Spa break. No idea how many points it is though

      • BJ says:
        7 Mar7 March 11:30

        Many rooms there have a bad smell of damp including new ones. Otherwise a nice hotel.

    • Mr Dee says:
      7 Mar7 March 21:35

      Hilton At George’s park is well run

  • Michael says:
    7 Mar7 March 11:23

    It doesn’t bother me but for accuracy for your readership – should be the A321LR not A320LR.

    • Rob says:
      7 Mar7 March 12:51

      The press release said 321 but Akbar clearly said A320 in the presentation, so I changed it.

  • Nick M says:
    7 Mar7 March 11:56

    OT – We will be cancelling my wife’s Amex shortly and looking for a home for 70k points… We have 300k Avios, 120k Virgin, 3k Eurostar, 80k Hilton, 50k Marriott (+ a 7 day travel package), 44k Radisson.

    I know that it depends on how we’re planning to use them, but we have 2 children under 5 and don’t have any set ideas at the moment – should I just be boring and top up Avios (RFS tickets), Virgin (in anticipation of KLM etc / potential redemption / Miles plus money) and Hilton (generally 10k-30k rooms) or is there something else I should be looking at?

    I’m aware it isn’t a huge number of points for family travel, so probably doesn’t make sense to start a new collection… but I’m open to any suggestions!

    • Shoestring says:
      7 Mar7 March 12:41

      Transfer 1000MR points to all the schemes to renew dates/ expiry

      rest is up to you & your plans

      • Jtz says:
        7 Mar7 March 16:44

        Great idea, will remember this for surplus points

        • Shoestring says:
          7 Mar7 March 17:15

          I always transfer 1000 MR points to our Iberia a/cs once a year to stay 100% safe – I know this is more frequently than necessary but it keeps you safe & IB are ruthless about cancelling points over the expiry date plus have ‘nastier’ rules than BAEC about expiry

          you can always transfer them to BAEC the next day

    • Scallder says:
      7 Mar7 March 12:45

      Nick – with 2 kids under 5, I would personally look at putting them towards Marriott. The reason being that some of their longer stay properties (Residence Inn) in a number of countries sleep 4 and can quite often get a 1 bedroom apartment, so would have a lot of space. I don’t collect Hilton points so not well versed on Hilton to be honest, but some Residence Inn properties in decent locations can be had for 25k per night. So the 70k you have would be 105k Bonvoy points so would make 155k. With a 5th night free, that would get you a week somewhere at the 25k point level.

      • Nick M says:
        7 Mar7 March 14:25

        Thanks – are there any particular Residence Inns that you’d recommend?

        I also have a Cat 6 Travel Package, the most suitable European option that allows 4 in a room seems to be a Portuguese property which is a Cat 5… if we go for this, fingers crossed for a partial refund!

        • Scallder says:
          7 Mar7 March 16:35

          I’ve only stayed in one before I’m afraid, however I’ve got 10 nights coming up over Easter in Philadelphia (city centre location) and Washington DC (Dupont Circle) which I managed to get us 1 bedroom suites for, both on points. I’ve heard the free breakfast isn’t anything to write home about, however in your instance for a family of four, that benefit can save a bit as time goes on.

          We’ve got a 1 year old however even before she came along, my wife and I stayed in one before as well as a couple of Staybridge Suites and very much enjoyed having the additional space as well as the facilities to cook/do breakfast if we wanted to (Staybridge Suites didn’t do free breakfast when we were there).

          I haven’t checked for four, but have a look at the Westin Costa Navarino in Greece – we’re going there in September and they’re certainly allowing us to have our daughter in a crib in the room – don’t know how old your children are but that might be worth a look (category 5)

      • Louise says:
        7 Mar7 March 18:50

        Can second that, we stayed in residence inn San Diego Bayfront, with our 16 months old. Really enjoyed our week and the room was ideal.

    • Rhys says:
      7 Mar7 March 13:15

      Have a look at this article: https://headforpoints.com/2017/09/25/club-carlson-family-room-redemptions-a-good-deal-or-not/

      Rob, is this something that you could do an article on in the future? Point redemption at high end hotels in Europe suitable for families? We stayed in Domes of Elounda last August using a Marriott travel package as a result of it being mentioned on here previously.

      • Freddy says:
        7 Mar7 March 13:42

        I’d be interested in this also

      • The Savage Squirrel says:
        7 Mar7 March 13:47

        +1 to an article (series?) on family travel, as Rob must have a lot of knowledge and expertise in this area!

        At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have found Radisson family rooms are a good option for family travel on points and have the best conversion rate from Amex.

      • Nick M says:
        7 Mar7 March 15:37

        Definitely keen for this – and very willing to be sent to review properties of a slightly lower standard than Rob’s family might normally look at 🙂

        I was looking at topping up Radisson, and maybe a couple of nights at the property near Disneyland – but at 55k points for a family room (18k MR), I’m not sure if I’d rather a couple of RFS flights instead!

    • pauldb says:
      7 Mar7 March 14:32

      I’d probably be boring and put them to Avios. Particularly if you have any plans in the next 2-3yrs to go longhaul (which should involve 241s) – that will leave your pile rather small. In any case RFS are a great option presuming you are or will be restricted to school hols (if you’re using LON airports). Generally I think hotel points aren’t great, or at least are too restrictive, for families.

      • Rob says:
        7 Mar7 March 14:40

        Marriott is better for families because so many hotels let you pay a cash supplement during the booking process for a bigger room or suite.

        Radisson Family Room redemptions are also good but they have a far smaller footprint.

        • Bill says:
          7 Mar7 March 15:08

          You cannot beat a premier inn if everyone is going to be in the same room. Some admittedly are better than others – e.g. subtle night light at newer hotels

    • 1967stuart says:
      7 Mar7 March 20:45

      Whilst I have nothing to add Nick on what has already been mentioned, loved the question you asked as like a number of people we are exactly in the same boat…….balance to clear out of Amex rewards (so to wait then 6 months and reapply) and wondering where to put them across our small-ish but equally important stash of Avoid, Virgin, Hotel points.

  • Jim Hodson says:
    7 Mar7 March 12:12

    When should I spring for BA PE upgrade to New York. Offered at £238 now. Does it come down nearer the time?

  • Ben says:
    7 Mar7 March 12:17

    Does anyone have any codes for Emirates? I have the offer on my Amex but wanted to see if I can get the price down a little further.

  • Ammar says:
    7 Mar7 March 14:13

    OT – Need to cancel a RFS with BA that i booked, just wanting to find out, will i get the points back? Do i need to pay anything extra or do they just not refund the £35 cost of taxes that I originally paid?

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