To the point
Qatar Airways' famous Qsuite is one of the best business classes in the world! Here are our tips for booking it with points.
What makes the Qatar Airways Qsuite different from others? Qatar Airways is one of the first airlines to offer closed door seating in business class. Previously, this style of seat was associated with first class at Etihad Airways, Emirates or Singapore Airlines.
Qsuite: What is the best program to book?
The short answer will be the one for which you have the easiest time accumulating points.
There are several ways to book an award ticket on Qatar Airways:
In Canada, the easiest way to access the Qsuite is with Avios points as there are many credit cards that offer them.
To be able to book, you must have an account with the chosen program.
The availability calendar with Qatar Airways and the interfaces of American Airlines and British Airways are the ones I prefer for availability searches.
Some require fewer points, but the amount of taxes and fees will be higher. Therefore, it would be a mistake to stop only at the number of points required.
Qsuite: program comparison
For example, here are the points required for a one-way trip from Montreal to Doha (YUL-DOH), in business class, according to each program:
| Program | Number of points | Taxes and fees (CAD) |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | 85,000 | $85 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 75 000 | 526 $ |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 70 000 | $ 69 |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 80 000 | $ 69 |
| British Airways Avios | 70 000 | 159 $ |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 70,000 | 165 $ |
Looking at Europe, here are the fares for a one-way ticket Munich-Doha (MUC-DOH) in business class
| Program | Number of points | Taxes and fees (CAD) |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | 65,000 | 114 $ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 30 000 | $444 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 42 500 | 98 $ |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 42 000 | 79 $ |
| British Airways Avios | 38 750 | 426 $ |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 43,000 | $99 |
However, if you take a look at the reverse trip from Doha to Munich (DOH-MUC), again in business class, the total cost of taxes and fees is much lower. This is due to the specific taxes at the airport of departure.
| Program | Number of points | Taxes and fees (CAD) |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | 65,000 | 45 $ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 30 000 | $183 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 42 500 | 28 $ |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 42 000 | $29 |
| British Airways Avios | 38 750 | $175 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 43,000 | $29 |
Qsuite: What you need to know
Of course, there are also advantages to choosing one program over another depending on the route.
With Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, you can get maximum value from the points with a complex itinerary. Somewhat similar to the old Aeroplan program, it is possible to build Mini Round-The-World made up of four segments.
American Airlines AAdvantage offers the best deal for a booking between North America and the Middle East. In addition, the ability to save a flight for up to 5 days can be interesting, especially if you are waiting for missing points (by purchase or transfer).
For Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and American Airlines, the taxes and fees are very low. Also, the points price for a round trip is the most advantageous with Japan Airlines.
With British Airways, the sweetspot will be with short-haul flights.
How do you earn these points?
In Canada, the best way is to turn to points transfers. American Express Membership Rewards points and RBC Avion Rewards points are among the simplest to earn and easy to transfer.
First, the American Express Cobalt® Card will allow you to earn 5x points on your grocery and restaurant spending. You can then transfer these Membership Rewards points to Asia Miles and Avios.
Second, HSBC Rewards Points from the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® Rewards Program and the RBC Rewards Program also allow us to earn these Avios points.
For Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and American Airlines AAdvantage, the only way to get them is to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points. Going through this route is not usually recommended, as your points will lose value with this double conversion.
That said, Marriott Bonvoy points still stack easily with Marriott Bonvoy cards and the American Express Cobalt® Card. Since taxes and fees are very low with JAL and AA, a point transfer could be advantageous. However, there are a few calculations that need to be made depending on the award ticket you are looking for.
Finally, U.S. credit cards from Citi Bank and Barclays offer generous sign-up bonuses for earning AAdvantage points.
You should also watch out for transfer promotions that will allow you to get up to 30% of bonus points!
Qsuite: which credit card vs which kind of point?
Here is a short summary and examples of cards that allow you to earn points for travel on Qatar Airways Qsuite:
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | American Airlines AAdvantage / Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | British Airways Avios |
|
RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card (AA only) |
American Express Membership Rewards |
Qsuite: choosing the right Qatar Airways flight
Qatar Airways’ Qsuite class is only available on certain routes and on certain aircraft in the fleet. Qsuites are found on most Boeing 777s and Airbus 350s; all Airbus 350-1000s are equipped with Qsuites. Discover our Qsuite reviews on board the A350 and the B777-300ER.
The ExpertFlyer tool allows you to see the plans for each flight and, most importantly, the award availability and cabin plans. Therefore, it is an excellent way to check if the chosen flight is in Qsuite or not.
Qatar Airways' different business classes
Qatar Airways occasionally changes aircraft, both in advance and at check-in (e.g. in the event of a breakage). Unfortunately, we can’t anticipate these kinds of unforeseen events.
This kind of switch is very disappointing, but we must remember that the airlines have the primary mandate to get us to our destination in the class we booked.
However, depending on the goodwill of customer service, you could request a new destination, time or date with the Qsuite.
Qatar Airways’ regular business class has a 1-2-1 configuration. While it’s not the iconic Qsuite, it’s still very comfortable.
As for the Qsuites, they are not aligned on the plan. Also, if you are travelling as a couple or alone, the odd row seats are preferable. On the one hand, couples will benefit from more closeness and on the other hand, solo travellers will have more privacy at the window. However, these seats are rear-facing.
The former Qatar Airways business class is to be avoided, as the configuration is 2-2-2. You will have to climb over your neighbour if you are sitting at the window.
Here are the different configurations:
Qsuite: the routes
From the Doha hub (DOH), here is the list of routes where Qatar Airways Qsuite can be found.
However, this is not a guarantee. For example, Qatar Airways uses a Boeing 777 on the YUL-DOH route, but only 33 of their 57 Boeing 777s are equipped with Qsuites.
| North America | |
| Boston (BOS) | QR 743 and 744 |
| Chicago (ORD) | QR 725 and 726 |
| Dallas (DFW) | QR 729 and 730 |
| Houston (IAH) | QR 713 and 714 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | QR 739 and 740 |
| Miami (MIA) | QR 777 and 778 |
| Montreal (YUL) | QR 763 and 764 |
| New York (JFK) | QR 701, 702, 703 and 704 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | QR 727 and 728 |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | QR 707 and 708 |
| Europe | |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | QR 273 and 274 |
| Berlin (TXL) | QR 77, 78, 81 and 82 |
| Copenhague (CPH) | RQ 161 and 162 |
| Frankfurt (FRA) | QR 67, 68, 69 and 70 |
| London Heathrow (LHR) | RQ 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15 and 16 |
| Malaga (AGP) | RQ 155 and 156 |
| Milan (MXP) | QR 117, 118, 123, 124, 127 and 128 |
| Munich (MUC) | RQ 57, 58, 59 and 60 |
| Paris (CDG) | RQ 37 and 38 |
| Stockholm (ARN) | QR 167, 168, 169, 170, 171 and 172 |
| Zurich (ZRH) | RQ 95 and 96 |
| Asia & Middle East | |
| Bangkok (BKK) | QR 830 and 831 |
| Beirut (BEY) | QR 420 and 421 |
| Bengaluru (BLR) | QR 572 and 573 |
| Colombo (CMB) | QR 668 and 669 |
| Hong Kong (HKG) | QR 815, 816, 817 and 818 |
| Kuala Lumpur (KUL) | QR 844 and 845 |
| Kuwait (KWI) | QR 1075 and 1076 |
| Maldives (MLE) | QR 672, 673, 674 and 675 |
| Mumbai (BOM) | QR 556 and 557 |
| Beijing (PEK) | QR 895 and 896 |
| Phuket (HKT) | QR 840, 841, 842 and 843 |
| Shanghai (PVG) | QR 870 and 871 |
| Singapore (SIN) | QR 942, 943, 944, 945, 946 and 947 |
| Tokyo (HND) | QR 812 and 813 |
| Tokyo (NRT) | QR 806 and 807 |
| Africa | |
| Cape Town (CPT) | QR 1369 and 1370 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) | QR 1363 and 1364 |
| Oceania | |
| Adelaide (ADL) | QR 914 and 915 |
| Auckland (AKL) | QR 920 and 921 |
| Canberra (CBR) | QR 906 and 907 |
| Sydney (SYD) | QR 906 and 907 |
| South America | |
| Buenos Aires (EZE) | QR 773 and 774 |
| Sao Paulo (GRU) | QR 773 and 774 |
Which aircraft are equipped with a Qsuite?
In addition to the routes, each aircraft is identified with a FIN number. Here are the aircrafts that are equipped with Qsuite:
- Airbus A350-1000 : A7-ANA,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S
- Airbus A350-900 : A7-ALY,Z and AME,F,G,H,I,J,K,L
- Boeing 777-300ER v3 : A7-BAC,E,F,G,I,M,O and BED,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,U,V,T,W,X
- Boeing 777-300ER v4: A7-BAT,U,V,W,X,Y,Z and BEA,B,C
- Boeing 777-200LR v2 : A7-BBA,B,C,D,E,G,I
Bottom line
Currently, All Nippon Airways offers a similar product with The Room seats, which is much more easily attainable with Aeroplan points.
However, I still prefer Qsuites, as it is possible to lower the division between seats. Travelling in groups of two or four, the experience is superb!
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
