As shared by Netta in Suitesmile Chat Telegram group yesterday, Qatar Airways have released First Class award availability for flights to/from some cities from September 2022. And, you can even find availability for two seats per flight!
Qatar Airways First Class Experience
I had the chance to fly Qatar Airways First Class a few weeks ago and truly enjoyed the experience.
There is nothing overly fancy about the design of the seat and unlike Qatar’s Qsuite Business Class, you will not find a sliding door for more privacy. However, for the amount of miles required, access to the exclusive Al Safwa lounge in Doha, onboard bar on the upper deck of an Airbus A380 and the dining experience, I recommend trying it out at least once in your life.
I’ll be sharing reviews and more photos soon but here’s a quick look of how the seat and lounge look like.
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Where does Qatar Airways fly their Airbus A380s?
At the moment, Qatar Airways is flying their Airbus A380s to/from the following cities:
- Paris (1x daily)
- London (3x daily)
- Bangkok (2x daily)
- Sydney (1x daily)
Qatar Airways First Class award availability
I found award availability to/from Bangkok, Paris and Sydney from late September 2022 onwards. And for flights to/from Bangkok, I am seeing TWO First Class award seats available on most dates!
How to book Qatar Airways First Class?
One of the cheapest ways (in terms of miles and cash) to fly Qatar Airways First Class is with their own Frequent Flyer Program, Privilege Club.
In Singapore, only miles/points from Citibank and Standard Chartered credit cards can be transferred to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. And to be honest, only Citibank has good credit cards with high earn rates.
Qatar Airways First Class can also be booked with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles but be aware of the higher taxes/fees (S$800+ for Asia to Europe).
Get 40% BONUS miles till 30 June 2022
Qatar Airways is running a great promotion for credit card miles/points transferred to their program till 30 June 2022. With this promotion, members will receive 40% bonus miles (Avios) when they convert at least 20,001 Avios from credit cards.
Remember that you will only receive the 40% bonus if your miles arrive in your Qatar Airways account by 30 June 2022.
In my experience, Citi miles/points arrive in my Qatar account within 2-3 days. However, I recommend initiating the transfer today or tomorrow to be extra safe.
Related: Great Deal: Get up to 40% bonus Avios when you convert credit card miles/points
How many miles are required to fly Qatar Airways First Class?
To check the amount of Avios required for an award redemption on Qatar Airways Privilege Club, use this online calculator.
Additional note: Qatar Airways does not pass on fuel surcharges for award bookings on its own flights but the airline has recently started charging an additional “booking fee” per segment. This means that you will be paying around S$150 per segment, depending on class and route.
| City (to/from) | Avios required | Avios required (with 40% bonus) | Asia Miles required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doha – Paris | 64,500 | 46,072 | 87,000 |
| Doha – Bangkok | 75,000 | 53,572 | 87,000 |
| Doha – Sydney | 105,000 | 75,000 | 135,000 |
| Bangkok – Paris (via Doha) | 112,500 | 80,357 | 110,000 |
| Sydney – Paris (via Doha) | 135,000 | 96,428 | 135,000 |
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How to find Qatar Airways award space
The easiest way to find Qatar Airways award availability is on American Airlines’ website, aa.com (registration required). This is because, you will be able to set filters like “non-stop flights only” and “first class only” and have a lovely calendar view of award availability.
Use aa.com just as a reference and always cross-check on your Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) of choice.
Pro tip: Search one segment at a time to/from Doha and search non-stop flights only, so that you only see Qatar Airways availability.
Get 1,000 Avios instantly
Sign up for a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account through this link by 30 September 2022 to receive 1,000 Avios instantly. Get 4,000 more Avios after taking your first flight by 31 March 2023.
Bottom line
It is really difficult to find award availability in a Premium cabin these days. Having the opportunity to fly First Class from Asia to Europe for just 80k miles (after 40% bonus) in the near future is just fantastic.
If you are planning to book these awards with a 40% transfer bonus, remember to initiate the transfer today or tomorrow to be extra safe.
Thanks for this article! Any idea how long would it usually take for miles transfer from Citibank to QPC?
Hey Jas, in my experience, it takes 2 days. But you’ll never know, good to have some allowance for delays. 🙂