10 reviews and 11 photos of QATAR AIRWAYS "Before the turn of the century, many people seeking to visit India had to go through European airlines like Lufthansa, KLM, British Air etc to get to India from the US. Within the last 15 plus years, many new airlines that are based in the Gulf/Middle East have arisen allowing for cheaper and more efficient flights.
Qatar Airways was the second of such airlines I have flown on. (I flew on Gulf Air in the mid 2000's. Emirates and Etihad are also well known) My flight path went from Tampa to Miami, then to Doha,Qatar and ending in Bangalore, India. I flew with my mom in Economy class (coach). The second and third of my flight segments were 15.5 hours and 4.5 hours!
The initial segments were handled by American Airlines then Qatar.
All the Qatar planes had a large passenger capacity- Each row had between 9-10 passengers in a row! Unfortunately, there are no light/AC controls per person since the roof is quite out of reach. The planes often dim the lights for long stretches of the flight. The seats were just ok. IMO, they are not comfortable enough considering the long flight times. While I had enough leg room, the seat cushion wasnt great.
Each seat has a 8-9 inch LCD touchscreen monitor in the back of each seat. These are equipped with many movies, TV shows, and simple games to keep you occupied. There are headphones with two prongs in each seat "pouch" that plug into these lcd monitors. They have many recent mainstream Hollywood movies, some Arabic ones, and some Indian ones which is nice. I watched "The Lost city", "Uncharted" and "Death on the Nile" which I believe are all less than six months old. This is a big plus since you cant read due to the low light conditions.
Since these flights are greater than 2.5k miles, you are served 1-2 meals and 1-2 snacks. The meals are western or Indian and are above average compared to the ones on US flights. To be honest, I haven't had full meals on a US airline in more than 20 years. Each meal was usually an entree, a side dish, a dessert, a small water bottle, and your custom drink. You are allowed some alcoholic drinks like wine, whiskey/vodka, without surcharge. Another nice plus.
I have to also praise the flight attendants. Most are very nice and efficient. Some other customers had concerns and they addressed them quickly. Many are Filipina or Middle Eastern or neighboring countries.
NOTE: YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK THE WHOLE FLIGHT REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS! You can only take it off when eating food/drink or in the bathroom. They are sticklers about this and will not tolerate subordination lol. this includes the boarding/disembarking process.
You are allowed 1 carry on, personal item (purse), and 1 50 lb / 23 kg checked bag.
From what others have told me, many of these Middle Eastern airlines have very similar experiences. Go with what is cheaper for you.
The only other negative is that the flight number they put is different from the American Airlines staff print out. We were looking for our flight in Miami and bewildered that it wasnt what was printed. Look on the QA boarding pass to be sure. The E23 gate is for Qatar in Miami.
I recommend it overall."
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