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Qatar Airways introduces caviar in Business Class as the quality gap keeps widening

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Never an airline to stand still, Qatar Airways has announced it is introducing a caviar service for business class passengers, starting tomorrow.

Caviar is generally served only in First Class cabins, with airlines such as Air France, Emirates and Lufthansa serving the fish roe to top customers.

Whilst Qatar Airways already offers caviar for those flying in First Class on its A380s, this announcement means that many more customers will get to try the savoury snack. It makes it, I believe, the first airline to offer it in business class.

My first taste of caviar was actually on Malaysia Airlines, in their ex-First Business Suite cabin.

Qatar Airways introduces caviar in Business Class

According to the airline: “the new caviar service can be enjoyed as a standalone option or part of the onboard meal courses.” This means you can continue to enjoy Qatar’s dine-on-demand catering, including its signature Arabic mezze starter, as well.

The caviar in question is Baerii from the Siberian sturgeon. This is the most popular cultivated species as it grows to sexual maturity relatively quickly and means the roe can be harvested sooner at around 5-6 years of age.

Qatar Airways has told us it will serve 15g per person. A 30g tin of Baerii caviar retails for around £30 – £40 in the UK which makes this a substantial commitment in aviation spending terms.

The caviar will be served in the traditional way, with garnishes of creme fraiche, chopped chives, chopped red onion and crumbled hard-boiled egg. It is paired with a slice of lemon and thick chunks of Balik style salmon, blinis and Melba toast.

The service will initially start on 13 routes to and from Doha, including:

  • Boston
  • Dallas
  • Hong Kong
  • Houston
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Melbourne
  • New York
  • Paris
  • Sao Paulo
  • Singapore
  • Sydney
  • Washington DC

There is good news for UK travellers, with London one of the first cities to see the new service.

Qatar Airways introduces caviar in Business Class

Back in 2013, Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said that “Five per cent of the global caviar production goes to Lufthansa first class. Five per cent. We are the biggest caviar customers in the world.”

This title surely now goes to Qatar Airways which, although only launching on 13 routes initially, will presumably serve far more caviar across its much-larger business class cabins. Lufthansa has also cut back the number of First Class seats it offers since 2013.

Spohr said the volumes Lufthansa needed were “hard to get” which raises the question of where Qatar Airways is sourcing its caviar from. Has it invested in a new aquaculture farm? The Middle Eastern carriers take a far longer view than most – as we covered last year, Emirates has six million bottles of wine and champagne in storage, some of which will not reach maturity until 2037.

Let’s hope Qatar Airways stocks enough of the stuff on board as I expect it will be popular!

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Category

Qatar Airways and Privilege Club

Comments (201)

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

  • Bob says:
    14 Aug14 August 14:06

    My very last time with Qatar Airways was early March 2020, just weeks before the pandemic, travelling CGK-DOH-AMS. During the AMS leg we had a small plate with, amongst others, some cheese, olives, and salmon with a ‘large teaspoon’ of caviar. And that was in Business class.
    It’s not quite the same as the small jar of Oscietra caviar I had on an earlier occasion in First on the A380, but still..

  • Occasional Ranter says:
    14 Aug14 August 14:06

    “On its long-haul flights JAL serves food from top UK Japanese restaurant Roketsu that is delivered fresh to the plane at London Heathrow and it’s the same at other stations. If you only choosing Western options, you’re missing out”

    You assume too much….I was flying F from London to Haneda (on points) and I worked my way diligently through the Japanese menu. Beautifully presented, amazing variety and some of it was great, but some of it was just so so.

    • meta says:
      14 Aug14 August 15:22

      Does QR partner with top chefs and restaurants? Do they serve fresh food and what kind of ingredients they use? Everythintg they serve is seasonal.

  • PH says:
    14 Aug14 August 14:23

    Does anyone actually like caviar, or is this just to catalyse social media photos

    • Rhys says:
      14 Aug14 August 14:27

      I like it!

    • Ironside says:
      14 Aug14 August 14:49

      It’s OK. Not bad, nothing to get overly excited about.

    • JDB says:
      14 Aug14 August 15:00

      Why don’t people actually just appreciate and enjoy their food rather than endlessly photographing it?

      • Peter K says:
        14 Aug14 August 15:30

        Do you never oooh or aaah over the food others at your table are eating, or them over yours? Sending a photo to friends is a way of sharing the joy of what you are eating to those who can not be there with you. That’s why I do it sometimes.

        Of course, some do it to try to improve their kudos with strangers, but each to their own

        • Camille55 says:
          14 Aug14 August 18:13

          Completely agree with ‘sharing the joy’ comment. Also, to capture the moment.

          Some time back in Bellagio (Italy, not Vegas!), I snapped a pic of a plate of blueberry pasta. Not only was it beautifully presented, it tasted delicious…..but it also brings back memories of that wonderful trip!

      • Dom says:
        15 Aug15 August 00:49

        For the same reason people post complaints about another person’s comment, because they can.

      • HampshireHog says:
        15 Aug15 August 02:09

        @JDB please have a word with Mrs HampshireHog

    • NorthernLass says:
      14 Aug14 August 17:29

      I don’t like the taste, and when I think about what it actually is, I feel positively queasy!

      • BJ says:
        14 Aug14 August 17:56

        +1 (and unfortunately I was forced to eat it on quite a few occasions to avoid causing offense. The worst part was when attempting tobadd just avtiny amount to the blinis or whatever they’re called the hostess would take them from me and smother them. It’s ten times worse than haggis and I cannot stand that either.

        • Lady London says:
          14 Aug14 August 21:37

          Have you considered developing an allergy perhaps, @BJ?

          • BJ says:
            14 Aug14 August 22:20

            I have a very common allergy @LadyLondon but unfortunately it’s not one we can share with the OHs mama.

  • Ladyshopper says:
    14 Aug14 August 14:42

    Missing the point somewhat I know, but what would be really impressive to me would be if ANY airline could actual cater for more than one dietary requirement. I need to be gluten free, and I’m also vegetarian. You can only ever book a meal that covers one or the other. Obviously I book the GF meal, but 99% of the time it is meat or fish, so I can’t eat it. I have to go prepared every single time I fly, which isn’t always that easy.

    In October we’ve got flights from Birmingham to Auckland, with a 9 hour layover in Doha, so over 30 hours of travelling. Plus staying in an airport hotel the night before. It’s actually quite tricky to pack food for all that time, and I really wish I didn’t have to. It surely can’t be that difficult in this day and age where people often have multiple requirements to be able to cater.

    • Andrew. says:
      14 Aug14 August 14:44

      Caviar is both Gluten free and vegetarian isn’t it?

      • babyg_wc says:
        14 Aug14 August 15:05

        i think veggies can eat eggs.. but i dont think they like the fact the eggs cant be extracted from a live fish…

        • jj says:
          14 Aug14 August 17:42

          Not so according to Google: “With the advent of caviar farming, sturgeons can be carefully monitored and maintained in a controlled environment. When the time for caviar harvesting arrives, the fish are gently anesthetized to prevent stress and discomfort. This humane approach allows the caviar to be harvested without harming the sturgeon, ensuring the continuation of caviar production without endangering wild sturgeon populations.”

          Qatar will be serving farmed caviar.

        • Ken says:
          14 Aug14 August 18:06

          Most of the time the fish are killed (at around 7 years) and the eggs harvested.

          As an omnivore I know people will say it’s double standards, and there is inevitably cruelty in all livestock rearing, but I just find it abhorrent to keep a fish in a tank for so long solely for its eggs.
          Not as bad as eating foie gras though.

      • Ladyshopper says:
        14 Aug14 August 19:04

        Pescatarians eat fish. Vegetarians do not.

    • KevMc says:
      14 Aug14 August 15:00

      Perhaps give Qatar a call? They may be able to make a special request via their internal system?

    • Peter K says:
      14 Aug14 August 15:35

      I agree that this is a real issue. It doesn’t make sense.

      Or also doesn’t make sense that a gluten free meal has items with a “may contain” in it that aren’t then suitable for coeliacs.

      My best suggestion for such a long journey is protein bars (if you can have them) and crackers.

      A raw vegetarian meal, while very, very dull, would also be suitable.

      • Ladyshopper says:
        14 Aug14 August 19:09

        Thanks. it’s quite frustrating really. And totally agree, having may contain warnings on gluten free meals completely negates the point of providing them if you’re coeliac.

        I’ll be travelling with several GF noodle/rice pots that just need hot water, and the usual crackers, protein bars and sweet treats.

        I’ve also read that Qatar only provide fruit as dessert when you book a GF meal, so again, very minimal effort.

        I will try calling them as KevMc suggested above, but I don’t hold out much hope. I think you only get to order from the list of special meals, and there is no wiggle room for anything else, but I’ll give it a go.

        Really hope I can grab something hot that is gluten free and veggie from the lounge in Doha seeing as we’re there for 9 hours, but I’ll go prepared for there nothing to be available there either!

    • BJ says:
      14 Aug14 August 18:00

      They probably all think the fruit platter satisfies that requirement. I’m tempted to try it sometime to see if they make any effort with it.

    • HampshireHog says:
      14 Aug14 August 21:26

      no gluten intolerance is real, veggies are a choice

  • JDB says:
    14 Aug14 August 14:58

    It’s reassuring to note that an article on caviar has attracted more than twice as many comments as the one on Greggs a couple of months ago.

    • whiskerxx says:
      14 Aug14 August 15:19

      Why?

    • ChrisBCN says:
      14 Aug14 August 17:32

      For balance – I just had a lovely sausage roll from Greggs at London Bridge station. It was served very hot, and was cooked enough that it was the right shade of brown with a certain crisp to it.

      • BJ says:
        14 Aug14 August 18:06

        It was hot? Must have been the first ever.

        • ChrisBCN says:
          14 Aug14 August 18:39

          It was very hot! I had only popped in to pick up a drink, but they were perfectly golden so I had to have one. My last one was maybe 3 years ago and it was soggy and lukewarm, so have avoided until today.

          • BJ says:
            14 Aug14 August 22:35

            I’m nit really a fan, between sausage and puff oastry I find them altogether too oilly. Still I’ve had them at Gregg’s when tgere was little else left, and on LNER First when every otber nenu option included cheese.

        • The Urbanite says:
          15 Aug15 August 15:39

          @BJ the food turnover in that London Bridge Greggs is insane, the oven doesn’t stop so chances of getting cold stuff there is refreshingly low!

    • BJ says:
      14 Aug14 August 18:04

      However, if it was a Greg’s bacon roll as opposed to a sausage rollvthen such an article might break comments records.

    • Jimbob says:
      14 Aug14 August 18:16

      I’m guessing a Gregg’s sausage roll is less controversial

      • BJ says:
        14 Aug14 August 22:29

        Yet it shouldn’t be, there’s a very ‘good’ reason ehy pigs are the primary focus of much medical and toxicology research so if the caviar activists had thouggt a little deeper about the sausage rolls…

        • HampshireHog says:
          15 Aug15 August 02:14

          @BJ tbh I have no qualms about pigs being before me in medical testing

  • patrick says:
    14 Aug14 August 15:27

    People imposing their personal tastes on others, militant veggies….whatever next?

    • Bernard says:
      14 Aug14 August 16:19

      Nothing militant in what they said.
      But saying that reflects poorly on that post.
      Qatar is fine on demand, choose what you want: you do realise that?

  • Chief Clancy Wiggum says:
    14 Aug14 August 16:22

    Siberian? So Russian? I would not eat it then even if it would be the last food on Earth!

  • Thomas says:
    14 Aug14 August 17:09

    HfP moral compass is like the best roller coaster in the world!
    Jumping on Caviar like there is no better thing in life, to planting trees when taking a flight, to hating single use plastic, to being annoyed of the lack of a full bath in a bathroom!
    It seems HfP turns like the wind, all in favour of the hand that feeds them!

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

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