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Hi everyone
I would like to book a business class flight from Sydney – Manchester. As it will be my first time flying with Qatar, which business class seat should I try to book. I’ve heard about q suite but I’m not too sure if that is something I can get on my journery and if It is something I can book with points.
Lastly does anyone know how I can find avaiblity for the flight. I’m quite flexible with dates and am looking at the start of 2026. January – March are all okay.
Ive had a try using the Qatar calender but it docent seem to be working. as I find a flight on a date it says available and when I click on It, it just refreshes and it no longer shows the flight available.
Going forward any tools that can be recommended which I can use to find reward flights. is there also a way to know how many points + taxes different journeys are or is that something I have to manually find out
Apologies for the multiple questions, I’m fairly new at this
Thanks in advance
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
Qsuite on Qatar is very good but picking a flight based on a particular seat can be risky as airlines can swap aircraft at any time. It’s not happened to us but there are many reports that Qatar are particularly guilty of this.
As above choose the flight for cost/convenience. Even the QR 2-2-2 business layout aircraft are still very good. Q suite really isn’t the be all and end all either!
Equipment swaps do seem to be quite common, but your first step should be to determine availability on that route. QR releases award seats about a year out, and business class ones go very quickly. You might find there’s nothing left now for Q1 2026, or only “flexi” options which require double points.
Qsuite is great if travelling as a family of four. Personally I don’t think it is all that special if you’re just travelling by yourself. Everyone has their preferences – some love a door for privacy, I’m not too fussed. Have a look on the Qatar site for the various configurations and to see what you get either each seat.
Standard rewards one way from Oz are 90,000 Avios per person. My recent booking to Melbourne had taxes of just over £1k for two people, so I expect Sydney to be similar, probably a bit less as it avoids the LHR charges. If you book SYD-DOH and DOH-MAN separately, it will cost you more.
For finding seats, you should be able to use the search function on the home page, selecting “book with Avios”. This will also show the ‘flexi’ (double Avios) seats. You may find there are not many at the standard price. BUT, I’ve just tried a dummy booking and am getting the same issue as you with the calendar refreshing. Perhaps give it a week or so, and if not resolved give them a call and get them to search manually.
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
Interesting..I thought the A350-1000s were all Q Suite, no? Or is it the Q Suite you dislike? Curious as I have a couple of A350-1000 trips coming up
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
Interesting..I thought the A350-1000s were all Q Suite, no? Or is it the Q Suite you dislike? Curious as I have a couple of A350-1000 trips coming up
According to Aerolopa all Qatar A351’s are Q-suite, it’s some of the A359’s that have the open-sided Super Diamond seat that I think is being referred to. Didn’t like those much myself although the seat is comfortable.
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
Interesting..I thought the A350-1000s were all Q Suite, no? Or is it the Q Suite you dislike? Curious as I have a couple of A350-1000 trips coming up
Ah sorry it could have been a 359, it was a swap out after we were delayed (DOH-JNB) due to engine failure, was 351 on my itinerary. Yes comfortable but ridiculously open.
I’ve still not flown Qsuite and am unlikely to do so unless i can rebuild my pot of AA miles somehow.
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
As above choose the flight for cost/convenience. Even the QR 2-2-2 business layout aircraft are still very good. Q suite really isn’t the be all and end all either!
Qsuite on Qatar is very good but picking a flight based on a particular seat can be risky as airlines can swap aircraft at any time. It’s not happened to us but there are many reports that Qatar are particularly guilty of this.
thanks for replies guys. I totally agree, I’m only thinking about Qatar, as I need to use the Avios I have saved. the fact that I can arrive into Manchester is also a bonus which means I don’t have to just use BA. I know Singapore airline would be an option too however I have not flown them before and do not have any points available.
Equipment swaps do seem to be quite common, but your first step should be to determine availability on that route. QR releases award seats about a year out, and business class ones go very quickly. You might find there’s nothing left now for Q1 2026, or only “flexi” options which require double points.
Qsuite is great if travelling as a family of four. Personally I don’t think it is all that special if you’re just travelling by yourself. Everyone has their preferences – some love a door for privacy, I’m not too fussed. Have a look on the Qatar site for the various configurations and to see what you get either each seat.
Standard rewards one way from Oz are 90,000 Avios per person. My recent booking to Melbourne had taxes of just over £1k for two people, so I expect Sydney to be similar, probably a bit less as it avoids the LHR charges. If you book SYD-DOH and DOH-MAN separately, it will cost you more.
For finding seats, you should be able to use the search function on the home page, selecting “book with Avios”. This will also show the ‘flexi’ (double Avios) seats. You may find there are not many at the standard price. BUT, I’ve just tried a dummy booking and am getting the same issue as you with the calendar refreshing. Perhaps give it a week or so, and if not resolved give them a call and get them to search manually.
thanks guys for doing a dummy booking. Im still getting a similar issue so I will call them next week after the bank holiday. I’m happy that its 90,000 as I was seeing 180,000 and I couldn’t understand why it was that high. but It now makes sense as I saw Flexi, and you guys have explained, that meant double the amount of points.
yes I will be travelling alone too, so Im lucky in that sense as I don’t have too many requirements. When I find a flight available I can just freely book, since q1 of 2026 looks fully booked.
I will be flying from Manchester – Hong Kong on Cathy in economy. spending a week there and then going to Shanghai. I will then take a Cathy flight from Shanghai to Sydney again on Cathy. to return home I would like to take business on Qatar, so I can arrive into Manchester via a connection in doha.
for my outbound journey which sees me go to Hong Kong and Shanghai. do you think it would be better for me to get a multi city ticket or shall I just book to 2 single journeys.
does anyone have any experience of doing something similar.
lastly would it be easy to visit new Zealand too or would that be too far of a journey since I am also doing Hong Kong and Shanghai. are flights expensive to new Zealand and if so what area would be worth visiting. how many days would I also need.
again a big thanks in advance
I’m actually returning from Sydney to Manchester next month on Qatar.
For what it’s worth….
SYD to DOH is aboard an A380. They do not have and never will have the Qatar Qsuite product.
We were booked on an A350 – 1000 from DOH to MAN. All of these planes have the Qsuite.
However this leg has now been changed to an A350 – 900. Only around one third of these have Qsuites. Luckily it appears that ours does as the seat selection shows a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration.
If it showed a 2 – 2 – 2 configuration it would have the old business class suite.
Hope that helps.
@Mynki – the A350-900 that still have the Collins Super Diamond seats as opposed to QSuite still have a 1-2-1 layout with thirty six seats in nine rows split in two cabins 1-6 and 7-9 so the plans look very similar. I think the difference is that on the QSuite equipped aircraft, the odd row numbers are rear facing.
The 350 fleet will have Starlink by Christmas, hopefully. This will change your life.
The 777s have it now.
Review on Monday!
@Mynki – the A350-900 that still have the Collins Super Diamond seats as opposed to QSuite still have a 1-2-1 layout with thirty six seats in nine rows split in two cabins 1-6 and 7-9 so the plans look very similar. I think the difference is that on the QSuite equipped aircraft, the odd row numbers are rear facing.
What a shame! It looks like I’ve misunderstood this article then. Or it’s simply out of date.
https://premium-flights.com/all-qatar-airways-qsuite-routes/
@Mynki – I’m not sure if I even understand what that website is saying! I coincidentally had been looking earlier today at a flight – QR892 to PKX on the A350-900 which I think has the older seats.
However, I really wouldn’t be concerned as the old seats may not have a door but is still overall a great seat, better than Club Suite.
It’s obviously a personal view, but QSuite really isn’t the holy grail! All QR long haul business or first seats combined with the inflight service make for a superior product irrespective of the seat.
I’m actually returning from Sydney to Manchester next month on Qatar.
For what it’s worth….
SYD to DOH is aboard an A380. They do not have and never will have the Qatar Qsuite product.
We were booked on an A350 – 1000 from DOH to MAN. All of these planes have the Qsuite.
However this leg has now been changed to an A350 – 900. Only around one third of these have Qsuites. Luckily it appears that ours does as the seat selection shows a 1 – 2 – 1 configuration.
If it showed a 2 – 2 – 2 configuration it would have the old business class suite.
Hope that helps.
oh that’s Nice, do let me know how you get on since I would like to go on the same route. okay that’s really helpful thank you, ill keep a look out when I book to see if its 1-2-1 or other the configuration
@Mynki – I’m not sure if I even understand what that website is saying! I coincidentally had been looking earlier today at a flight – QR892 to PKX on the A350-900 which I think has the older seats.
However, I really wouldn’t be concerned as the old seats may not have a door but is still overall a great seat, better than Club Suite.
It’s obviously a personal view, but QSuite really isn’t the holy grail! All QR long haul business or first seats combined with the inflight service make for a superior product irrespective of the seat.
yes I tend to agree. the consensus here, also leaned towards the opinion that a Qatar business class seat is good overall. I was only asking as I had not experienced it before, but its good to know that, that it will be a nice experience, regardless what aircraft you have on the day. on a side note, what is dine on demand. can you eat however much you want or is the demand part based on timings and convenience of the individual. thank you
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
QR have a number of variants in business and I have flown on the Q suite and others. I am not a huge fan of Q Suite as it’s claustrophobic and I am not hung up about privacy. I have always liked the open nature of the A350 cabin and last flew in March.
For me it’s the service on board and in one world QR are matchless
Make sure it isn’t the A350-1000. Worst (modern) business seat I’ve flown on in terms of privacy, there’s virtually no side panel so you’re totally exposed to the aisle whilst sleeping.
QR have a number of variants in business and I have flown on the Q suite and others. I am not a huge fan of Q Suite as it’s claustrophobic and I am not hung up about privacy. I have always liked the open nature of the A350 cabin and last flew in March.
For me it’s the service on board and in one world QR are matchless
Yes, I like the QR A350 (or indeed any A350) as well – it’s the most comfortable aircraft going, save that BA has right royally messed up the configuration.
While I don’t dislike QSuite, I don’t think it’s so great and it does make the cabin feel rather dark and enclosed particularly on a daytime flight. I find all the QR long haul business/first cabins superior to BA, even with 2-2-2 layout. A door is a bit of a gimmick although on BA it does mitigate some of the clomping.
In the end it’s all down to personal preference, but I wouldn’t choose or avoid any particular QR aircraft as they all offer a vastly superior product and the aircraft might be swapped anyway.
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