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 sets Qatar Airways’ Qsuite apart from the rest? Qatar Airways was one of the first airlines to offer seats with closed doors in business class. Previously, this style of seat was associated with first class at Etihad Airways, Emirates or Singapore Airlines.
Qsuite - What's 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, as many credit cards 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.
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 Executive Club | 70 000 | $159 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 70,000 | $165 |
Turning to Europe, here are the fares for a one-way Munich-Doha (MUC-DOH) flight 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 | $103 |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 48 000 | $79 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 43 000 | $198 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 43,000 | $198 |
However, if we look at the reverse trip Doha-Munich (DOH-MUC), still in business class, the total cost in taxes and fees is much lower. This is due to specific taxes at the departure airport.
| Program | Number of points | Taxes and fees (CAD) |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | 65,000 | $69 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 30 000 | $183 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 42 500 | $52 |
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 48 000 | $29 |
| British Airways Executive Club | 43 000 | $147 |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 43,000 | $147 |
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. Similar to the old Aeroplan program, you can build mini round-the-world trip in four segments.
American Airlines AAdvantage offers the best deal for a booking between North America and the Middle East. In addition, the ability to put an option on a flight for up to 5 days can be interesting, especially if you are waiting for missing points (by purchase or transfer).
With Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and American Airlines, taxes and fees are very low. Also, the points price for a round trip is the most advantageous with Japan Airlines.
With British Airways Executive Club, the sweetspot will be on short-haul flights.
How to collect 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 easiest to earn and transfer.
First, the American Express Cobalt® Card will earn you 5x points on your grocery and restaurant spending. You can then transfer these Membership Rewards points to Asia Miles and British Airways Executive Club (Avios).
HSBC Rewards points and the RBC Avion program are also a way to accumulate these Avios.
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 are still easily accumulated 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 keep an eye out for transfer or points purchase promotions that will allow you to collect bonus points!
Qsuite - Which credit card for which type of points?
Here’s a quick summary and examples of the cards you can use to accumulate points for Qatar Airways Qsuite travel.
| Program and airline | Transfer partners | Card examples |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | ||
| American Airlines AAdvantage | ||
| British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Aiways Privilege Club (Avios) | ||
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | ||
| Japan Airlines Mileage Bank |
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 can be found on most Boeing 777s and Airbus 350s; all Airbus 350-1000s are equipped with Qsuites.
Discover our Qsuite reports on board the A350 and the B777-300ER:
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 greater proximity, and on the other, solo travelers 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 - Connections and destinations
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. It is important to check the cabin plan for the aircraft operating on the flight in question and for the desired date.
| North America | |
| Atlanta (ATL) | QR 755 and 756 |
| Boston (BOS) | QR 743 and 744 |
| Chicago (ORD) | QR 723, 724, 725 and 726 |
| Dallas (DFW) | QR 729, 730, 731 and 732 |
| Houston (IAH) | QR 713 and 714 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | QR 739, 740, 741 and 742 |
| 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 |
| Seattle (SEA) | QR 719 and 720 |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | QR 707, 708, 709 and 710 |
| Europe | |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | QR 273 and 274 |
| Berlin (BER) | QR 81 and 82 |
| Frankfurt (FRA) | QR 67, 68, 69 and 70 |
| London Heathrow (LHR) | QR 1, 2, 7, 8, 15 and 16 |
| Manchester (MAN) | QR 21, 22, 27 and 28 |
| Madrid (MAD) | QR 117 and 118 |
| Milan (MXP) | QR 117, 118, 123 and 124 |
| Munich (MUC) | QR 57, 58, 59 and 60 |
| Oslo (OSL) | QR 175 and 176 |
| Paris (CDG) | QR 39 and 40 |
| Zurich (ZRH) | QR 93, 94, 95 and 96 (check aircraft) |
| Asia & Middle East | |
| Bangkok (BKK) | Various flights, irregular |
| Bangalore (BLR) | QR 572 and 573 |
| Beirut (BEY) | Various flights, irregular |
| Colombo (CMB) | QR 668 and 669 |
| Denpasar (DPS) | QR 960, 961, 962 and 963 |
| Dubai (DXB) | Various flights, irregular |
| Hong Kong (HKG) | QR 815, 816, 817 and 818 |
| Jakarta (CGK) | Various flights, irregular |
| Karachi (KHI) | Various flights, irregular |
| Kuwait (KWI) | Various flights, irregular |
| Lahore (LHE) | QR 620 and 621 |
| Manila (MNL) | Various flights, irregular |
| Mumbai (BOM) | QR 556 and 557 |
| Beijing Daxing (PKX) | QR 892 and 893 |
| Riyadh (RUH) | Various flights, irregular |
| Seoul (ICN) | QR 858 and 859 |
| Shanghai (PVG) | QR 870 and 871 |
| Singapore (SIN) | QR 942, 943, 944, 945, 947 (irregular) and 948 |
| Tehran (IKA) | QR490 and 491 and various irregular flights |
| Tokyo (NRT) | QR 806 and 807 |
| Africa | |
| Cairo (CAI) | Various flights, irregular |
| Cape Town (CPT) | QR 1369 and 1370, irregular |
| Johannesburg (JNB) | QR 1363, 1364, 1365, 1366, 1377 and 1378 |
| Oceania | |
| Adelaide (ADL) | QR 914 and 915 |
| Auckland (AKL) | QR 920 and 921 |
| Melbourne (MEL) | QR 904, 905, 988 and 989 |
| South America | |
| Buenos Aires (EZE) | QR 773 and 774 |
| Sao Paulo (GRU) | QR 773, 774, 779, 780, 785 and 786 |
Which aircraft have 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 easier to reach 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!
What is the name of the new version of Qatar Airways' business class?
This is the Qsuite cabin, on board certain Qatar Airways A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
What is the Qatar Airways Qsuite?
Qatar Airways’ Qsuite features an innovative design. Its modular cabin allows flexible seating arrangements, suitable for individual travelers, couples or groups, with sliding doors offering greater privacy. Fully reclining seats transform into beds, contributing to a comfortable flying experience. Passengers have access to top-notch entertainment and gourmet meals prepared by renowned chefs and accompanied by a selection of fine wines. In-flight Wi-Fi connectivity adds to the overall travel experience.
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
