Qatar Airways X Cathay Pacific Business Class Boeing 777-300ER | Doha to Male

[Click above for the video review.]

Airline: Qatar Airways (Cathay Pacific Airframe)
Flight Number: QR674
Route: DOH-MLE
Class: Business Class
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Registration: A7-BOA (Leased from Cathay Pacific previously B-KPM)
Delivered: December 2009
Flight Duration: 4 Hours 5 Minutes
Distance: 2,055 Miles

Overall Impression:

We have not flown Cathay Pacific (CX) since the beginning of the pandemic, so we were ecstatic to find out that Qatar Airways has leased a few of Cathay’s Boeing 777-300ER airframes. We have been a fan of CX’s reverse herringbone business class seats since we first experienced it back in 2012, so it felt very nostalgic to be on board one of Cathay’s 777s after not being on one for a few years now. The seat and arrangement of the cabin remains the same as before with just a few minor upholstery changes. Although the hard product is Cathay, the service, amenities, and catering are all Qatar. So it’s having the best of both products at the same time.

What I liked:

The seats – Although these seats are over a decade old and a “downgrade” from the usual QSuite product, I still found the seat very spacious and comfortable for both lounging and sleeping.

The service – The crew that we interacted with were very charming, and eager to please. They offered us a pre-departure beverage before takeoff. They were also quick to respond to our requests and plated our meals beautifully.

The Al Mourjan Lounge – We arrived at the Al Mourjan Lounge around 6AM and it was jam-packed with people. Good thing the lounge is huge. Regardless, we were still able to find a comfortable seat and a table to enjoy a nice breakfast before our flight. Both a buffet and made-to-order a la carte dishes are available upon request.

It was OK:

The Onboard amenities – A protective kit including mask, latex gloves, hand sanitizer, in addition to a mini amenity kit were offered to all business class passengers. The lavatories were clean, but missing were the usual toiletries and amenities like toothbrushes and razors.

What I didn’t like:

The catering – I usually marvel at Qatar’s catering, but for some reason the food selection on this flight was very limited compared to our previous flights on QR. This must be a cost-cutting move. The beef kofta dish I ordered was edible, but certainly not the best breakfast dish I’ve had in-flight.

No Personal Air Nozzles – Sadly this plane is not equipped with personal air nozzles to keep you cool during the flight. Not the end of the world, but just so you know…

Bottom Line:

Both Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways are regarded as two of the best airlines in the world, so it was a nice treat to get a little bit of each carrier’s business class products. The seats, though not exactly new anymore are still plenty comfortable and spacious for the 4-hour flight across the Indian Ocean. The service and amenities were equally as good as the hard product, which makes this a great flight in my book.

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