Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class Doha to Paris

Flight number	QR 39
Airplane type	Airbus A380
Seat number	1K
Cost	85,025 miles + US$175 (including flight from Singapore to Doha)
Date of flight	June 2022

How I booked this ticket

This one-way First Class ticket was booked with 85,025 Qatar Airways Avios + US$175 cash in taxes/fees.

It was a mixed-cabin redemption starting off in Economy Class from Singapore and ending in First Class for the second leg from Doha to Paris. I settled for Economy Class for the first leg as I could not find Business Class award availability from Singapore and was really keen on trying out Qatar Airways First Class for the first time.

As I had transferred miles/points from my Singapore card with a 40% bonus, I’ve effectively used just 60,732 miles nett for this booking.

The First Class segment typically costs around US$5,800.

How to fly Qatar Airways A380 First Class

Qatar Airways A380 First Class seat can be found in all 10 of the airline’s Airbus A380 aircrafts. At the time of writing, Qatar Airways is flying its Airbus A380s to the following destinations only:

• London
• Paris
• Bangkok
• Sydney

How to find Qatar Airways award space

The easiest way to find Qatar Airways award availability is on American Airlines’ website, aa.com. This is because, you will be able to set filters like “non-stop flights only” and “business 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.

Pre-flight

Shortly after boarding, I was offered a refreshing hot towel and a beverage of choice. The cabin crew shortly returned to offer some dates and arabic coffee.

The cabin crew team was proactive in making sure that I never ran out of drinks, even before take-off!

Qatar Airways A380 First Class seat

Qatar Airways first flew its Airbus A380 back in 2014 and that was the birth of this First Class seat.

For a seat designed almost a decade ago, you shouldn’t expect fancy doors or wireless fast chargers. What you will get instead is space and a comfortable bed to go along Qatar Airways’ brilliant dining and airport lounge experience.

There are a total of 8 seats in the First Class cabin, located right at the front of the upper deck.

Amenity kit

Qatar Airways First Class passengers receive Diptyque amenity kits containing beauty products like lip balms, body lotions and face cream as well as eye masks, ear plugs and socks.

Dining

Like in Qatar Airways Business Class, First Class passengers can dine-on-demand.

As expected, food quality and presentation was simply outstanding.

I chose the Glazed lobster and king crab leg as my appetizer but unfortunately, it wasn’t available during my flight (even though it was on the in-flight menu). But caviar wasn’t a bad substitute!

Food and drinks menu

Onboard lounge and bar

Yes, there is a lounge onboard Qatar Airways A380 aircrafts; near the rear of the upper deck. Business and First Class passengers have access to this lounge and can get drinks and light snacks from the bar.

Service

Consistent with my experience in Qatar Airways Business Class, service was brilliant throughout the flight. Flight attendants were prompt in asking if I need top-ups on my drinks and also in preparing and serving my meals one course at a time.

Side note: I flew Economy Class before this segment and was greeted by name throughout the flight as a Qatar Airways Gold member. How’s that for great service?!

Restroom

Onboard WiFi

First Class passengers get a voucher code that can be used for unlimited WiFi throughout the flight. The WiFi speed was really bad though, only good enough for texting.

Airport lounge access

Flying Qatar Airways First Class gets you access to the giant Al Safwa First Lounge in Doha.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my First Class experience (vs other airlines):

Seat	9/10
Bed Mode	10/10
Dining	10/10
Privacy	9/10
Service	10/10
Cleanliness	10/10

Bottom line

Qatar Airways First Class is often overshadowed by its Qsuite Business Class because the latter is simply spectacular and almost as good as First Class.

If you are paying in cash, there isn’t much value in paying twice the amount for Qatar’s First Class (instead of Business Class). But if you are redeeming miles (Avios), it is definitely worth the small difference in miles required for Qatar Airways First Class, especially if you have never experienced it!