Qatar Airways A330-300 business class DOHA-COLOMBO

BACKGROUND Qatar Airways has eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft in its fleet, which are often used for the carrier’s medium-haul services such as this Doha-Colombo flight.

The aircraft is configured in two classes: 30 lie-flat seats in business class and 275 seats in economy. Note that there is also an older A330-300 aircraft, configured with 12 first class seats, 24 business class seats (but only angled flat) and 223 economy seats.

We were flying from London to Colombo, with a 2.5-hour stopover at Hamad International Airport in Doha (DOH). Flight QR660 departs at 0225 and lands at 0945 at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), with a stated flight duration of 4 hours 50 minutes (ours was shorter at 4 hours 25 minutes).

CHECK-IN

As we were transiting through Doha, we did not have to pass through security or customs; our baggage was sent directly through to Colombo. We had been given a boarding ticket and luggage receipt in London. Passengers require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for Sri Lanka. You should apply a few days before travel and approval normally takes about 24 hours.

Hamad International Airport is an integrated facility, meaning that passengers can arrive, transfer and depart in the same terminal building. While our transit was only 2.5 hours, the airport offers various tours for those with transit times of eight hours or more. These include discovering attractions such as the Corniche promenade and the Museum of Islamic Art, or the chance to play a six-hole Championship Course golf game at the Education City Golf Club. Passengers with a transit of four hours or more can also

Some gates are quite a distance from the lounge, so don’t wait until “last call”

take part in on-site tours – from discovering the airport’s art installations to games of squash and a simulated golf game.

THE LOUNGE

We landed in the South terminal so had access to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge, which is open to first and business class passengers flying with Qatar or Oneworld airlines. Note that business class Lite passengers do not have complimentary access.

It was hard to find the lounge at the vast airport – hence our initial attempt to access the Platinum, Gold and Silver lounges. Eventually we found the access point, which is via escalators on the ground floor of the Duty Free Plaza. It’s a badly designed entry point as you have to show your boarding pass at the foot of the escalator; queues (or rather a mass of people) crowd this very narrow area.

The escalator passes by a mezzanine area to reach the lounge on the third floor, and we were ushered to the desk to have our passes checked once again. The lounge is expansive and has various dining spaces with both buffets and à la carte menus accessed via a QR code. There are also showers, private dining areas, meeting rooms, a business centre and games room. For visuals, watch Business Traveller’s video tour on our YouTube channel.

BOARDING

We left the lounge at around 0145 and headed for Gate C34. Be aware that some gates are quite a distance from the lounge, so don’t wait until “last call” to make your way over.

Economy passengers were already boarding when we arrived, so we presumed that business class had gone ahead already. The staff at the desk told us to take our seats, but the whole process was quite confusing and chaotic.

Once last call was signalled at 0157, we were allowed to board and joined economy customers in the waiting area, but were then ushered onto a business classbranded bus. The economy passengers were barred from boarding our bus (which had just five passengers) and diverted to the more packed vehicle, which felt a little unfair.

It was a fairly long drive to the aircraft, and we passed areas of construction works on the way – Phase B of the airport’s expansion started early last year and aims to increase the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million passengers annually.

We arrived on board to welcoming staff offering passengers a glass of water, Champagne, orange juice or the airline’s signature lime and mint juice. Menus were provided and orders taken shortly before take-off. A refreshing Diptyque towel was offered to passengers, but there was no amenity kit – I had saved my socks and eye mask from the previous leg. The flight took off 40 minutes late, at 0305; the pilot

announced that this was due to delayed passengers.

THE SEAT The business class cabin had 30 fully flat Collins Aerospace Diamond seats, all with privacy dividers and arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration across five rows. Neighbouring seats AB and JK were angled towards the window, while centre seats EF were angled inwards.

In terms of its design, the cabin was smart and sleek, and seats had been well looked after. They did, however, felt quite cramped – particularly if you’re by the window as you’re more closed in and have to climb over your neighbour (there’s no direct aisle access). The benefit with the window seat, however, was that mine (3A) had three windows, offering ample views of the sky and mountains during the journey – and palm trees in Sri Lanka as we flew over the country to come in to land.

There was very little storage space, apart from a small shelf behind me (which housed the headphones and water). I had to put my small backpack in the overhead compartment as it wouldn’t fit anywhere else. There was also a very small side table between passengers, but it can get a little confusing figuring out whose glass is whose.

There were several seat control options, which are easy to use and understand – including pre-set options for bed mode and upright take-off and landing position. The seat extended into a fully flat bed but the footwell felt very narrow – even for a 5ft-5 individual – and I also found it difficult to manoeuvre when lying down. The purple blanket provided was extremely soft, snug and generous in size, but took up a lot of room in the footwell when not needed.

Other features included a reading light, coat hook, a USB-A outlet in the armrest next to the IFE remote and universal power sockets between seats. There was also a high-quality 15.4-inch IFE monitor, but the Oryx One system didn’t have many new film releases and the noise-cancelling headphones weren’t great – I could hear canned laughter from the TV in the seat behind me.

THE FLIGHT Since this was a middle-ofthe-night flight, I wanted to maximise my chances of getting some sleep – aware that the journey would continue with a five-hour car transfer on land. As soon as the seatbelt signs were turned off, I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. Washrooms were located at the front of the aircraft and were clean throughout the trip, with Diptyque face mist, hand lotion and soap.

The flight safety video was an interesting watch, incorporating various destinations on Qatar’s network – from London to Cape Town and Kuala Lumpur. In London, for instance, air hostesses were flanked by Beefeaters at the Tower of London.

FOOD AND DRINK While I didn’t eat on this flight, the menu was similar to the London-Doha leg. Qatar Airways offers a dine-on-demand service, allowing you to eat whenever you feel like it during the journey.

The meal started with a warm three-inone bread roll with different toppings, served with olive oil and butter, and the à la carte menu had three options for starter, main course and dessert. Locally inspired dishes included a starter of Arabic meze with pitta, hummus, baba ghanoush and tabbouleh, while mains included both chicken and fish curries or a vegetarian pasta.

The drinks menu began with a foreword celebrating Qatar Airways’ Silver Award for Overall Cellar in the Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky Awards 2021 (it won Silver again in 2023), and there were various Champagnes and wines from the United States, New Zealand, France and Portugal – plus spirits, beers and a range of cocktails.

There’s a dine-on-demand service, allowing you to eat whenever you feel like it

ARRIVAL

Coffee was served before landing, along with two posh chocolates. We landed at 1000 local time; disembarkation was quick, with no queues for immigration.

VERDICT Qatar’s A330 offers a smart business class cabin with excellent service, but lags behind other carriers when it comes to storage space and lie-flat comfort. I think it would be comfortable for a daytime journey, however, and the F&B offering was impressive. Hannah Brandler