On a flight to Europe, our airfare consultant, Nat, experienced the Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 product. After an amazing experience on the A350 Qsuite product, she was excited for the final leg of her journey from Doha to Nice on QR55.

This flight is on their 787-8 aircraft, fitted out with their older [and less advertised] 'Super Diamond' Business Class seat. The same seat design that operates on their A380s out of Sydney for reference. Whilst a much more open design and far less private than the Qsuite, it was still a great flight and very comfortable seat design. Not to be mistaken with their 787-9 that has a door included, their 787-8 is fully open in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration.

Find out more about the Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 product by reading Nat’s review.

Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 Boarding and Welcome

Boarding was nowhere near as smooth as Adelaide Airport as this time we needed to take a bus to the plane that was sitting on the other side of the airport. Confusion with Business Class passengers was made aware by some travellers' remarks as Economy passengers were called to board first and only once every single passenger had departed, were the Business Class passengers called. No communication was made around this but my assumption is that they had specific buses for Business Class passengers, and it must have been tied up with other planes boarding.

Once boarded, the hostesses were pleasant and personal and much to my surprise, handed out a pair of The White Company pyjamas, despite the 08:55am-14:10pm flight time and 6 hour duration.

Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 Seat and Suite

Seat-wise, there were actually little things that I did prefer in the Super Diamond over the Qsuite design. The biggest being a dedicated shoe storage bin and a more 'open' feel to the cabin due to the storage bins being across the whole cabin, not just above the window seats. I also like the remote-controlled armrest vs the armrest in the Qsuite that needed to be manually lifted. The one in the Qsuite was quite flimsy as if you put too much pressure on it, it would un-click and fall back down.

Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 Dining and Beverages

Before take off even happened, my order was placed and I requested for shortly after take-off. In the meantime, a welcome drink was provided with warm nuts. Just like the other Qatar Airways Business Class products, I was able to ‘dine on demand’ which allowed me to have my meal first thing- so I could relax the rest of the way.

On the menu, there was a choice of starters, soups, mains and desserts! Despite the 9am time, I ordered the Tasmanian mountain pepper with Gippsland beef tenderloin. On the side, I had some veggies given my body thought it was 4:30pm Adelaide time. I was really impressed to see a reflection of Australia on the menu, especially since the flight was from Doha to Nice! The added native flavouring to the beef tenderloin made it warm, spicy and added a resinous note to the meal.

Qatar Airways Business Class 787-8 Summary

Despite all the well-earned hype around the Qatar Qsuites, I was really impressed by the 787-8 product. Although it was much more of an open concept therefore far less private than the Qsuite, it was still a pleasant flight and very enjoyable seat.

If you’re flying to Europe, any Qatar Airways Business Class product is sure to stand-out. We’d suggest getting in touch with one of our airfare specialists who can find you a deal! Learn more about other Qatar Airways Business Class aircrafts by reading out A350 QSuite review.