Flight Check
Alice Dunn flies Auckland to Doha on Qatar Airways QR921
Fijian rugby player Josua Tuisova — who is known as the Toulon Tank or the Bus — won an Olympic gold medal with the country’s Sevens team at Rio. The 110kg behemoth can just about fit into a seat on a Twin Otter plane. “He had to crouch low to enter the narrow fuselage, but with great handling skills got into his seat while dexterously holding his daughter,” reports Andrew Stone.
The plane: A 9-year-old Boeing 777-200LR.
My seat: I had an Economy Class seat in the exit row, so I had plenty of leg room and easy accessibility. Not having to awkwardly climb over my neighbour and their dinner when I needed to stretch my legs or use the toilet was very much appreciated — particularly on a 16-hour flight. Each passenger in Economy was provided with a kit containing socks, earplugs, an eye mask, miniature toothpaste, toothbrush and lip balm.
The airport experience: There were long queues for the check-in desks at Auckland Airport, which were painfully slow. Once we had made it through I was dreading the security lines but in comparison they were quick and painless.
Flight time: We were early. The flight was scheduled to leave Auckland at 2.25pm, we left at 2.17pm and arrived in Doha at 10.15pm, 41 minutes ahead of schedule.
How full: Jam-packed. The overhead lockers were being used to capacity and many people missed out on their first meal options.
Food and drink: We were offered dinner, brunch, and a snack box between meals — and I have a suspicion there was another snack box that I slept through. Dinner options were chicken ragu and beef stew. I chose the chicken — which had a generous serving of meat, but the sauce was too gelatinous for me to finish it. Both dinner and brunch came with a Whittaker’s milk chocolate bar to have with the tea or coffee that followed, which was a nice touch. The snack boxes were surplus to my requirements but they seemed a great addition — most people around me finished theirs.
Entertainment: There was a good selection of entertainment options but I was disappointed there were not as many recent movie or TV releases compared to other airlines. The touch-screen monitor was also not as responsive as we have all become accustomed to, which made navigating the options a frustrating experience. I settled for the new Tomb Raider and Asterix movies, then went back to my Kindle.
Verdict: Although this is a very long flight, after previous experiences travelling to the Middle East with a tiring stopover in Australia, flying direct from Auckland is a game-changer for me.