Luxury or Letdown? Qatar Airways FIRST CLASS & Al Safwa Lounge in 2024

Today I'm flying with Qatar Airways in First Class on their A380 to Bangkok.
The journey starts in Doha at Hamad International Airport (DOH). After making my way through the private First Class check-in facilities, I made my way to the Al Safwa First Class lounge. This is a very impressive and grandiose lounge. I made use of the a la carte fine dining restaurant and the spa with jacuzzi. After exploring a bit more I used one of the sleeping rooms to nap until my flight was ready for boarding.
I boarded my flight to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) where the crew guided me to my seat 2K. I enjoyed some Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) Champagne as part of the pre-departure service before take off. Once in the skies, the first meal service started which included caviar and more champagne. After dining, I visited the onboard bar which I consider to be the best in the sky. I got changed in the huge toilets before sleeping for a few hours. There was a breakfast service before landing.
Check out the full video to hear my thoughts on the Al Safwa First Class lounge and the onboard seat, service and amenities.
Let me know in the comments what you think of the Qatar Airways First Class experience!
00:00 Intro
00:38 Check In
01:20 Al Safwa Entrance
02:14 Al Safwa Fine Dining
02:55 Al Safwa Spa
03:39 Al Safwa Tour
04:20 Al Safwa Sleeping Room
04:48 Boarding
05:28 Pre Departure Service
06:25 Take Off
06:41 Meal Service
07:58 Onboard Bar
08:50 Toilets
09:34 Amenity Kit
09:53 Sleeping
10:24 Breakfast Service
11:15 Seat Tour
12:47 Cost
13:21 Final Thoughts
14:57 Outro

[@offel7565]

Your channel is so underrated, you should have x1000 amount of subs.

[@akashsp]

Another cracking video! Love this channel 🙌🏽🔥

[@FlyManYann]

Appreciate it man - the grind continues 😤

[@michaelgask]

Oh man... the bean bags 🤦‍♂ / But at least you got your flight this time! / Wow, that lounge!!!! Thanks for sharing, Yann. Loved sharing this experience from my laptop. Awesome pyjama edit, too. 😉

[@FlyManYann]

Yesss nice and early onboard this time. I set plenty of alarms in the sleeping room and asked the staff to wake me up if I wasn't out by a certain time! Thanks for watching again 🙏

[@michaelgask]

@@FlyManYann 😅

[@armychap007]

Great trip report as always and to me your summary was absolutely spot on. The ground service is industry leading but the seat and onboard experience could be improved. Thanks for posting, look forward to your next trip report. Safe travels! ✈️

[@FlyManYann]

Appreciate it! Already working on the next one

[@walex19]

Booked this exact first class from Doha to Bangkok for next year. Can't wait!

[@jayl549]

Breakfast isn’t invested as much as dinner for airlines. It’s strange. I agree - I’ve never had a good breakfast on a flight. Even in first class with other carriers

[@FlyManYann]

I try my best to avoid morning flights for this exact reason, although if the flight is long enough you can't always avoid breakfast!

[@jayl549]

@@FlyManYann yea, I tend to skip breakfast in a long haul. Eat in the lounge, have the dinner on the flight, pray I can make it through immigration for real food!

[@nezbrun872]

"First class passengers can board directly from the lounge via a first class bus": Not true unless it's at a remote stand, which is unlikely to be so with an A380, the only long haul QR F cabin. The F buses are primarily for regional narrow bodies that are often parked off-stand. You might get lucky and get an escort to/from the gate, although this service is quite infrequent nowadays IME.

[@PaulAinsworthLord]

Excellent review, i was in first a few weeks ago and even i learnt some new things watching this.

[@FlyManYann]

Thanks - glad you found it useful!

[@iainb9277]

Great video, my wife & son are flying that very flight in 1st in a couple of days, I'll be showing them your review!

[@FlyManYann]

Hope they enjoyed the flight!

[@isaacgomez-avraham1694]

Another great video review, Yann! I'm flying from DOH to SYD in August in that product. I hope the catering will be better on a 14 hr. flight. I'll have to try all the amenities in the First Class lounges. Thanks for all the tips. Cheers, Ike

[@FlyManYann]

Thank you! Yeah for a flight of that length you'll get a full menu with a lot more choice. I would have loved to spend 14hrs here instead of just 6 - enjoy!!

[@kevinsmith2040]

so adorable....and al safwa is incredible

[@seanp7dc]

The drink selection in Al Safwa right now is pretty poor. Food is good.

[@FlyManYann]

Al Safwa has got to be one of my favourite first class lounges I've visited so far.

[@DecisionV2]

great video as usual

[@FlyManYann]

Thanks for watching!

[@slavomt5832]

Fine review 🙂 My Japanese breakfast in Economy class,Turkish Airlines from Osaka to Istanbul was much better than Qatar Airways in First Class . Only caviar presentation looked great here. I tried Q-suite with Qatar from Doha to Bangkok and it was super nice, food was amazing, so was the service and comfort.

[@terenceshepherd6031]

Lounges etc are fantastic, but I was somewhat underwhelmed by the flight itself. Far too lacking in privacy. The videography and commentary as ever superb.

[@FlyManYann]

Couldn't agree more, the lounge was definitely the highlight for me! Especially recently coming off the Etihad Apartment flight, the difference in privacy was stark. Thanks for watching again!

[@seanp7dc]

Privacy doesn't bother me. There was no one next to me on my flight, and with the dividers up - it was perfect. Food and wine selections were outstanding. Al Safwa was hugely disappointing to me. Food was good, drink selection terrible (same as AM).

[@gunvaldsandhaland7757]

I Havent Experience Qatar First Class Jet.Great Video

[@FlyManYann]

Thank you!

[@garryb131]

1st class offering on the ground looked exceptional, can it get any better??? Sadly the on board experience had a few flaws, but still heaps of positives. As for bean bags....you did well not to go near them, at least this time you only missed the transit bus. You obviously learnt an expensive lesson.....whilst under the influence of excess bubbles, bean bags are best avoided!! .

[@FlyManYann]

I'd say it's probably the best ground experience I've had so far. I'm keen to try AF and SQ F as it looks like those two have great ground (and onboard) experiences too - although I don't think anything will come close to the grandeur of the Al Safwa lounge. And yeah haha, that was definitely an expensive lesson, as you say, my takeaway was to avoid bean bags but keep the bubbles flowing!!

[@user-vh5mi9jf3p]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 amazing

[@FlyManYann]

Thank you 🙏🙏

[@billcrews6704]

Nice review I like Qatar 1st SYD - DOH with Qantas First Lounge in SYD and Al Safwa while on a long transit. Seat 1K is my preference because everyone else is pretty nuch behind you - my last two flights the seat across aisle was empty ;-) 22:00 departure had full menu I have another SYD - DOH with Transit to DXB for EK B77W To BRU in July for Birthday RTW. Then October Qsuites from NRT transit thru Al Safwa flying QR 1st to HKG on CX Plane (th CX 1st to HND I'll Defenitely do the Jacuzzi, bedroom, and bus again! Cheers Safe Landings

[@bab3132]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Last year I flew from Australia to the USA with Qatar, going from Melbourne to Doha and then on to LAX in Qsuites and then back again in Qsuites. I went with Qatar as flying in a QSuite was a bucket list for me. It was fantastic on all 4 sections of the flight. I am an introvert and solo flyer, so I preferred the privacy that Qsuites gave me when I closed the door and also the business class food selections. First class looks great, but for me I’ll stick with Qsuites. 🙂

[@FlyManYann]

Woah that's a very long journey!! Glad you got Qsuites for all 4 segments. The privacy on Qsuite really is great and I think Qatar has one of the best (if not the best) catering in business class. Thanks for watching!

[@del_travels]

Having flown in 1st on the A380 a few times, I'd say it's hands down better than Q Suites. Privacy wasn't an issue at all for my wife and I. Only 1 other passenger on the last fllight and she slept about 90% of the journey. Bigger seat, more comfortable bed, the amazing bar as you stated. We've booked it again for Doha to Bangkok later this year, can't wait to fly it again

[@FlyManYann]

100% I'd fly this First seat over Qsuite every time. Enjoy your upcoming flight!!

[@beach182]

Ace of spades champagne ?! Sick 🤩

[@FlyManYann]

I got my money's worth 🍾🍾🍾

[@seanp7dc]

This champagne was very good. I think I had a full bottle (and maybe a bit more). Food catering on my flights DOH-SYD-DOH on QR F was outstanding (especially ex-Australia).

[@azeemkhandwala5716]

love the video and the thorough explanation of your experience! quick question, was the jacuzzi you booked at the Al Safwa lounge complimentary or was that an additional cost?

[@jetawayjoe]

Great video. I will say this, your breakfast looked a lot better than the 1 rasher of bacon slapped into a dry stale bread roll I had thrown at me on BA economy back in December 😂

[@FlyManYann]

Thanks and yeah haha I can imagine - it's all relative 😂

[@user-og3pb3kr2h]

With First Class being phased out what do you suspect they will do with that stunning First Class lounge in Doha? Great video and up to your usual great concise and non-shouty style.

[@FlyManYann]

Qatar's regional flights (within the GCC) in business class are marketed as first class so you'd get access to this lounge. To give an example, I recently flew from Doha to Bahrain in "first class" on an A320. The seat is a recliner in 2-2 config but as it's marketed as first class I got access to Al Safwa. I also believe QR Platinum members get access if they are flying on a cash business class flight. Thanks for watching again - glad you liked it!

[@LEONOROLE]

Heey Amazing. I’m there, at 2F 😅😅

[@FlyManYann]

Hope you're doing well man! Was great to meet you 🙌 I spotted myself in the background of your video ahaha

[@mvaldman2001]

Well, some good news: the A380 is, for the foreseeable future, staying. Additionally, the new GCEO has put in the order to revamp and redesign the First class experience. So far, all changes made have been very good and welcoming by the staff, and the presence of QR products in the luxury market will be increasing… Qatar Airways will be surprising it’s customers with many interesting changes ahead!

[@ukdavepianoman]

Great video. I'd love to viist the Al Safwa Lounge - looks spectacular. Personally I'm not bothered about privacy - my experiences in business/First is that people aren't interested at looking at each other but I could understand celebrities etc. not liking it. Most disappointing is the food - some of it didn't look First class at all.

[@FlyManYann]

Al Safwa was definitely a highlight, it's unlike any other lounge I've been to. At the time I made this video, Qatar has announced they were retiring First Class, but the new CEO has recently said they were going to make an entirely new First Class product so I'm keen to see what it looks like!

[@jbentley75]

Great review - thank you! Agree about the openness of the cabin - I always prefer options to make the seat/suite more private. Interesting they say the design is based on family use - I'd like to know what proportion of their Frist customers are family groups over individual travelers . The ground product is IMHO the best currently on offer, even an improvement on Emirates' and their mega lounges in Dubai and Singapore's Private Room at Changi. I also agree about Qatar's First offering being slightly out of place given the standard of their business (well the Q-Suites version anyway) and it would need more to justify the not insignificant uplift in price. Butlers, personal chefs, retrofitting showers would all help but I very much doubt that will be done now they've announced it will be discontinued.

[@FlyManYann]

Thanks for watching! I don't have any numbers on the proportion of family travellers but on this flight at least it was: a family of 4 in row 1, a couple and 2 solo travellers. Couldn't agree more with regards to the ground experience, I would also place it above Emirates although I've yet to try Singapore F. I can't see any major improvements being made between now and the A380 retirement but I'd still pick F over Qsuite if available (although it's only available on 3 or 4 routes).

[@ReeM-wz7bs]

I wonder if they will introduce on board showers to compete with Emirates and Ethiad if they get rid of first?

[@FlyManYann]

So the new Qatar Airways CEO has just announced that he is reversing the decision of the previous CEO and will be keeping first class and introducing a new first class seat!! Qatar are still retiring their A380s so I doubt they will introduce a shower, I don't see how that would work on a 777.

[@kanthichas4386]

Hi handsome !!!! Welcome to Thailand ❤️❤️

[@FlyManYann]

Thank you!! I love Thailand - I spent a month in Chiang Mai after filming this video, can't wait to go back.

[@kanthichas4386]

You are so cute handsome and smart guy 🥰🥰

[@kanthichas4386]

@@FlyManYann where are you from ? I just became your fan, I really like every your KZbin, and you do great job 👍👍

[@PeerKristijan]

If you're visiting Malaysia, let me know and I can show you around.

[@FlyManYann]

Appreciate it! I visited Malaysia about a year ago - went to KUL, PEN and LGK. Had a great time, will definitely visit again.

[@os2691]

Was that a first class double-yolker they served for breakfast?

[@FlyManYann]

Ohh I was wondering for ages what you were talking about but I just went back and looked closer at the egg and I think you're right!! 2 for the price of 1, that's true first class service haha!

[@johntibbles1251]

Just flown LHR-DOH on 380 Q suite business class- exceptional and frankly aside from being ostentatious no reason to even consider F class . Like mobile phones they are so good now what can you add and that s the problem F class has

[@FlyManYann]

The business class on the A380 isn't Qsuite but their previous seat! I've made a couple videos on this particular product and I still think it's great although not as private as Qsuite. But exactly as you say, business is so good now it doesn't leave much room to differentiate.

[@TheThirdoftheFifth]

Qatar needs to look into updating their onboard first class product as their offerings can't even compete with their own business class. Given that first class seems to be venturing into "apartment class" or "suites class" it would be interesting to see what they can come up with to compete with Singapore Airlines, Emirates, JAL or Etihad (especially Etihad apartments my goodness). In truth something as basic as introducing a door would be a step up from what they currently have; competitive? no but, better? yes.

[@FlyManYann]

Qatar are planning on retiring their A380s and their First Class offering by 2030 so I wouldn't expect to see any updates to this product. Their focus will be on Qsuite - will be interesting to see what Qsuite 2 on the 777X ends up looking like! But yeah I completely agree with you, the F suites on SQ and EY are miles ahead.

[@devneetgoswami7963]

Try New Air India Indian Breakfasts. served hot and tasty

[@FlyManYann]

I want to fly on the new Air India A350 - it's high on my list! Hopefully they start flying them long-haul soon!

[@speedendurance]

i am shocked how there is a lack of privacy... so wide open. Is it really designed for large groups & families?

[@FlyManYann]

I can't remember where I heard that now but I seem to recall that it was designed this way for Qatari families travelling together. In fact, there was actually a family in the first row on this flight and the setup seemed to work really well for them. But yeah I agree with you, for the solo traveller it's less ideal.

[@taewonhwang5416]

That first class second menu is exactly the same with business class

[@FlyManYann]

Yep exactly... The business class catering is already great but would be nice if there was something a little extra special in first!

[@ReeM-wz7bs]

So if they are getting rid of 1st class, what will happen to the Al Safwa lounge?

[@FlyManYann]

Qatar Airways market their regional business class flights (within the GCC) as first class so I assume the lounge will remain for those customers. Also, I believe QR Platinum members travelling in business get access to Al Safwa too. And I assume most people in Al Safwa already fall into those categories since there are so few A380 flights.

[@FlyManYann]

The new Qatar Airways CEO has just announced he is reversing the decision of the previous CEO and will actually be retaining first class and introducing a new first class seat! Let's see what they come up with!

[@leoarcilla6351]

Why do you always travel to Bangkok? Is it because it’s easier to find seats booked in points?

[@FlyManYann]

I love Thailand so have visited a few times recently, making a video along the way hits 2 birds with 1 stone! This was actually my first trip to Bangkok booked on points, my previous ones have been cash. And from what I remember when booking it, the first class availability wasn't great but luckily there was a date that worked perfectly for me.

[@leoarcilla6351]

@@FlyManYann I’m glad you’re able to create your contents. They are always enjoyable to watch

[@veganduo27]

do you get to keep pyjamas

[@idanceforpennies281]

Nearly all of the premium features in FC are also available in BC. No point.

[@FlyManYann]

There's not so much to differentiate it, I agree. I'm curious to see what the new QR First Class will look like on the 777X - hopefully something special.

[@ivanliu9737]

Sofas causing flight miss🤣🤣🤣

[@FlyManYann]

Not letting that one happen again 😅😅

[@CROWOREGON]

Glad you dressed nice for it 😔