My Flight: Qatar Airways Dreamliner B787 Business Class – Doha to London

All business class passengers check in at the Premium Terminal in Doha. This terminal is an oasis of tranquility and beautifully designed. When you arrive, a hotel-style bell boy takes your luggage and escorts you to the check-in desks where you get to sit down.We had landed from Male at around 10pm, and headed out to Doha for dinner, so when we came back at around 1am, we had no luggage with us. We were flying business class (there is no first class on the B787), but I had asked Qatar Airways if we could use the First Class lounge as an exception, as we had to ‘overnight’ at the airport (it would make no sense to sleep at a hotel for 3 hours).

Well, there was no one except us. No fast track as the whole terminal is fast track and a breeze.From security, you head up the escalators towards the lounge area. At the reception area, you are personally welcomed and directed towards the correct lounge – the First or Business Class. They are very similar in style, but differ in size (business class is larger) – one of the main differences is the spa and wellness offering, which I was really keen to try.Outside the lounges, and available for all premium passengers are a business centre, prayer rooms, smoking rooms (also available inside each lounge), a family room, medical facilities and a games room (pictured further down). Plenty to do while you wait for your flight! There is also a small duty free area on the main floor, close to the departure gates.

All I could possibly want for a short connectionI had been to this lounge before and was truly impressed – and this time around I wasn’t disappointed either. We were able to use one of the bedrooms available for connecting passengers, and did manage to get 3 hours sleep, before having a shower, breakfast and make our way back to London.We slept well (but were a bit cold as we were unable to control the air con) and breakfast was outstanding. When we woke up at 5am the lounge was busy and smelled delicious. I have to say that the food selection would rival any 5-star hotel in the world. There were also made-to-order options, which we didn’t try as we were keen to spend the rest of the time at the business class terminal, where we found everything to be quite similar. There was a lot of staff and everyone was very keen to help and see if we (and everybody else) needed anything.Great food selection at both loungesDue to the early time of the day, we abstained from any alcohol but I did see a considerable selection and the magic cocktail making table – I was gutted not to try one of the made to order cocktails, but I shall leave something for next time. We made our way towards the boading gates where mini shuttles or cars escort passengers to the plane.Getting ready to boardWe were delighted to be surprised (again) by a private transfer – and I have to say, it was fantastic. We got to board the plane before everybody else, which was actually handy (and I could take some photos without looking a little bit silly).

There is nothing like a new plane. Loved the cabin interiors of the Dreamliner– Welcome