Welcome to my trip report on Qatar Airways!
My ride: A7-BHX (Photo: N94509 - Airliners.net)
Before I start off with this trip report, I would like to take a moment to remember the innocent people that lost their lives in the recent events in the Middle East. My thoughts goes out to the victims, families and everyone affected during this difficult period. Hope the war ends soon!
Introduction
For my return flights with Qatar Airways, I opted not to upgrade on both sectors as it cost quite a fair bit of money for the return flight. Why didn't I opted for business class on both ways (SIN-DOH-FRA and FRA-DOH-SIN)? It is because I wanted to save some money and direct the extra cash to do more regional/domestic flights within South America. The airline offered price upgrade but they were too expensive for my liking so that's why I decided to stick to flying economy class on the return flights. It was a waste because I couldn't get to try out the newer business class product on the airline's Boeing 787-9 .So for this cabin product, I have a link to one of the bloggers out there for you to check out how is it like.
For the return flight, I had a list of choices and I picked the 787-9 and A350-900 (aircraft was changed to A350-1000 later on) for the flight back to Singapore mainly for the ideal flight time, flying off at Frankfurt around 1500 hours and reaching back in Singapore about 24 hours later. It was a tiring flight and of course flying direct would be more ideal but this is what I enjoy, flying especially with different aircraft types. For the DOH-SIN flight, I received a notification from Flighty about the aircraft change and I struck gold as the aircraft was upsized from the A350-900 to A350-1000, I was delighted. I flew on the A350 many times but mainly on the -900 series. Prior to this flight, I only flew twice on the -1000 with Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific.
So without further ado, let's begin this trip report!
Airline's mobile app (Check-in)
After almost a month away from home, it was time to head back.
I had no issues checking in on the airline's mobile app.
I picked the last row of the first cabin (main reason is for me to recline my seat without affecting others), hoping that the middle seat remain vacant. Did I get my wish? Do read on to find out.
Well, at that point of time, I was tempted to upgrade but the price of S$2,599 for the 7 hours flight = around $428 per hour was not worth it.
About Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Main Airport is the busiest airport in Germany, opened in 1936. This airport is home to Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa Cityline, Discover Airlines and AeroLogic. This airport currently is running 2 terminals with a 3rd terminal set to start operation on the 22nd April 2026. This newest terminal is currently undergoing some last minute touch up and undergoing a lot of tests to ensure that the airport can run smoothly on its first few months of operation.
For more information about this new terminal, you can check out One Mile At A Time's version over here.
For this trip report, I will be covering terminal 2.
Map of Frankfurt Airport (Photo: Frankfurt-airport.com)
On the day of departure
Once again, I stayed at Ibis hotel Frankfurt airport, you can check out the hotel review over here.
One last look at the hotel.
I paid Euro $6 for the hotel shuttle to the airport. What doesn't make sense is that the ride from the airport to the hotel is complimentary but why do we need to pay for the ride to the airport? Only the hotel management and staff knows.
The hotel shuttle bus picked up a few passengers along the way before dropping all of us at the terminal 1.
Welcome to Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1!
Since Qatar Airways operates out of Terminal 2, I had to take the bus shuttle to that terminal.
The shuttle bus alighted us just outside the departure hall of Terminal 2.
These are some of the airlines operating out of terminal 2.
Welcome to Terminal 2!
I prefer this terminal as there is more natural light and spacious in the departure hall.
This terminal primarily serves the airlines from the Oneworld and SkyTeam alliance. There are some other airlines not from these alliance also operates out of this terminal such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, LATAM, Saudia and a few others.
The information board featuring some interesting airlines (in my opinion).
Nice artwork, probably from a kid. Quite inspiring if you ask me.
As I arrived too early, the check-in desks were not opened so I went to check around departure hall.
The signboards are clear and I was able to navigate my way to the check-in desks.
Flight information for Pier D and E.
This is where Qatar Airways check-in counters supposed to be.
On the upper level, there are restaurants which I went to.
I certainly prefer this terminal over terminal 1.
The interior of the upper level.
Checking my flight, it was departing on schedule from gate E2.
I will head back to the check-in counter later.
There are shops nearby and if you take the escalator up, you can take the train shuttle over to terminal 1.
MAN A23 Lion City's G vs Boeing 747-8!
This is the level above the departure hall and of course you can find a Macdonald's here.
There are a few restaurants over here.
The kids will like it here as there is a cool looking playground.
Quite a pleasant area to hang out.
I can spot some Condor aircraft in this unique livery. I have plans to fly with this airline in the near future.
Here we are, back at the check-in desk.
If only early check-in is available for this airline at this airport.
I started queueing up and fortunately I was one of the first few in the queue.
I did a check on what aircraft was flying me to Doha, it was one of Qatar's newest Boeing 787-9.
After 15 minutes of waiting at the queue, I received my boarding passes from the airline agent.
Since there was nothing else to do, I made my way to the airside via immigration and security checkpoint.
At the airside area, the concourse is connected to both pier E and pier D.
Security check
That is the Emirates lounge.
I checked out both pier D and E and they are similar in terms of facilities.
Hungry? You can check out some of the restaurants over here.
There are seating benches located outside the gate area but personally I prefer to hang around near the gate.
This is Japan Airlines' Sakura Lounge
The other gates that the arrow is point below are the bus gates meaning you will be transported to the aircraft by the airport bus.
You can also connect to other piers by following the signboard.
This is the pier E side.
My flight gate is at the end of this pier.
There are seating area which allows plane spotting activity but unfortunately we were facing directly against the sun.
There are charging ports but the ones I went to were not working!
At this point, only Gate E2 was in used.
Condor Airbus A320ceo
Discover Airbus A330-300
Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8
Air Dolomiti ERJ-190 E1
Air Montenegro ERJ-195LR (E1)
A long queue was formed as it was time to board. Gate E3 was our assigned gate.
After a month away from home, I was looking forward to the comfort of my bed.
Almost there!
Another look of the aircraft. (Don't mind the mirrors)
Welcome on board A7-BHX!
My ride: A7-BHX
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Configuration: C30 Y281
Engines: 2 X GEnx-1B74/75
Delivered in September 2025
1252th Boeing 787 built
Built in Charleston (CHS)
Age: Less than 1 years old (March 2026)
(Sorry for the poor quality)
Flight Route: FRA-DOH
Miles: 2.853
Average Flight Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Airline Flying On This Route: Qatar Airways
My Seat: 27A (Photo: Aerolopa.com)
Date of departure: 27th December 2025
Airline: Qatar Airways
Flight: QR68
Flight: FRA-DOH
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Registration: A7-BHX
Departure Terminal: 2
Gate: E2
Load: 100% in Y Class
Flight Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 5 hours 23 minutes
Schedule Departure: 1500
Boarding: 1415
Push Back: 1458
Take Off: 1518
Schedule Arrival: 2300
Actual Arrival: 2241
Departure Runway: 18
Departure Weather: Clear
Arrival Runway: 16R
Arrival Weather: Clear
My flight Experience
With the messy boarding process over, I was glad to be on board the aircraft. Unfortunately, the middle seat didn't remain vacant as I was hoping and the cabin was quite hot with many of us fanning ourselves with safety cards or papers. Fortunately, I had the portable fan with me and I used it until after take off.
Comparing the economy class between this aircraft and the Boeing 747-8, this is cramp and slightly uncomfortable. Fortunately I didn't have to fly on this aircraft from FRA to EZE (13-14 hours) but for the business class product, it looks more comfortable to me than the 787-8.
After take off, it took a while before the cabin became cooler but even with the aircon blowing towards me, I didn't feel cold at all, but it was certainly better compared when we were on the ground. For the ride, there was some light turbulence, nothing bad and that happened during the flight over Eastern Europe, once we passed by that, it was smooth for the rest of the flight. The cabin service on this flight was ok and so is the inflight meal, there is nothing spectacular to mention about this flight. Although the flight time was not long, 5 hours and 30 minutes, I was relieved when we touched down at Doha Airport. I like the Boeing 787 series but not when you are flying on economy class with seat mates.
I was certainly looking forward to the next flight, flying on the Airbus A350-1000, coming up next.
Business Class (Adient Ascent Suite)
Only the Boeing 787-9 has this cabin product. (March 2026 update)
- 1-2-1 seating configuration
- 30 seats in this cabin
- Seat width of 21 inches
- Privacy door
- Lie-flat bed with a total length of 77 inches
- 18 inches of HD Touchscreen Display with Bluetooth Pairing
- Universal AC, USB-A and -C Type Sockets are available
- Charging Pad is available at every seat
(Photos: Qatar Airways)
From my first impression, these seats do look really good and what matters to me is the sliding door which provides privacy during cruising.
I recommend you to check out Dan's version of his experience on this cabin product on his website (Danroundtheworld.com) over here.
Economy Class
(Focus of this trip report)
There are 281 economy class seats configured in a 3-3-3 configuration with 2 cabin dedicated to this class.
These seats are the Recaro CL3710 model with comes with an adjustable headrest and a personal device holder.
- Seat width of 17.1 inches
- Seat can recline up to 6 inches
- Moveable armrests
- Adjustable headrest
- 13 inches of HD Touchscreen Screen Display
- Universal Power Socket is available
- USB A and USB-C sockets are available
There are 2 colours to these seats. One is black.
The other is the red.
I have sat in these seats many times and personally I find them to be comfortable.
The electronic windows was in dimmed mode as we boarded the aircraft. Fortunately, I was able to adjust it as I found out that it was not locked.
The standard legroom space of 31 inches.
Each seat comes with a pillow, headphone and a blanket.
It is always nice to be able to one of the first to board the aircraft. You may wonder why? Well for me, I prefer to have space near my seat to place my belonging at the overheard compartment and secondly, to take my time to settle at my seat without being rushed.
The only time I sat at the seat in the middle was on my British Airways BA15 flight from LHR-SIN and for someone who loves to view outside, it feels so strange not be able to view but for this aircraft, at least it has the exterior camera view and you are able to enjoy some view during the daytime flight.
What I like about these seats is there is no IFE box located at the legroom area.
Photos of the cabin photographed after the flight.
For a flight duration like this, it is still preferable to fly on than the narrow-body aircraft.
The window were covered up by condensation.
Overall this is a good cabin product.
The bulkhead row
More photos of the seat
This is the type of window seats I like.
(The seat is aligned perfectly to the window)
This was my seat, 27A.
The foldable tray table
The tray table being fully extended.
I enjoyed some movie during the flight.
The mood lighting certainly enhance the onboard comfort.
This is certainly one of my favourite colour combo.
This is my seat, 27A, the last row of the first cabin.
The seat is able to recline for those wondering about it.
View from my seat.
One of the window shades is in a fully dimmed mode.
Some of the earplugs are connected to the system .
Last few photos of the cabin
Including the first row of the economy class middle seats.
What's provided for each passenger?
Headset
Blanket
Disposal Bag
Safety Card
Inflight menu
(Available on the mobile app)
Sometimes the meal options on here may be different from the ones you received inflight. ( I experienced this recently)
Even for economy class, we were offered a good selection of alcoholic beverages and if you request for them during the meal service, you probably have to wait for a while before receiving your beverage because they need time to prepare.
I went with my favourite gingle ale drink which comes with a snack (crunchy corn).
I opted for the Chicken with onion gravy which comes with herb potato mash and seasonal steamed vegetables. (Different from the meal selection)
Along with the main course comes with a bottle of water, candy cane, salad and pudding.
Inflight Entertainment System
This is a top notch entertainment system.
Just like the Airbus A350, it comes with the camera view.
The camera view (camera mounted at the landing gear)
Our flight route
The airport ground tug
Inflight Entertainment movies
A good selection of movies, more than adequate for this 5 and half hours flight.
I watched a couple of movies on this flight.
We touched down smoothly ahead of schedule.
The taxi to our gate took a short while.
Soon we reached our assigned gate.
For me, I would transfer to another flight (Airbus A350-1000) to Singapore and for this aircraft, it would rest for few hours before departing for Manchester as flight QR25.
Inflight WiFi
This aircraft uses the Immarsat Global Xpress Ka-band satallite wifi system and wifi is chargable.
Except for the Privilege Club members. For the price of US$10 to use for the entire duration of the flight, I thought that's a good price.
I didn't use the wifi on board this flight as I decided to enjoy the movies.
However, how can I say no to not using the wifi? As a member of this airline's frequent program, I decided to register to use it.
The lavatory was kept in a tip-top condition.
I am glad most airlines these days used this standard lavatory door. I remember the first time I flew on the Boeing 787-8, the lavatory door of ANA was quite difficult to operate, I had a hard time figuring out how to open the lavatory!
Window view photos
Beautiful morning at Frankfurt.
I got to witness a beautiful Boeing 747-8 of Lufthansa taking off.
We pushed back in a pretty hot cabin.
Although we started our taxi, the cabin was still quite stuffy.
We used a different runway for take off.
This is runway 18 and it was my first time taking off from this runway.
Off we go!
V1......rotate......
We lifted off in smooth condition with just a few bumps occuring during the climb.
At this point, the cabin temperature was improving.
We made a turn to get our heading towards the middle east.
Goodbye Germany! Thanks for the memories.
Time flies when you are having fun! Although I flew back on economy class with this airline, the top notch economy class product makes up for it.
We were at our assigned flight level.
Passing through the other European cities.
The sun was making its usual disappearance.
We were greeted with some beautiful snowy mountains on route.
One last look at the sky before it turns completely dark.
During this time, we started our descent into Doha.
The strobe light was reflected on the wing tip.
We touched down with reverse thrust deployed.
Here we are, landed at Doha Airport with 13 minutes to spare.
My flight summary
Welcome to Doha Airport!
As there is no lounge access on this trip, I decided to walk around a bit to check out the terminal.
This is the older part of the terminal where security is done at the gate.
You have to plan your time at the transit area as walking from one end to the other may take a while.
Checking the board, there are so many flights departing around the same time, now the question is which flight would get to depart first. Only the Airport Traffic Controller knows.
There are shops to check out while on the move.
This is the main concourse.
At midnight, the terminal was buzzing with passengers mainly due to flight connection.
Hope you enjoy this flight review! Part 2 coming up next.
My ratings
Airline Website/Mobile App: 3/5
Check-in Experience (FRA): 3/5
Inflight Service: 4/5
Seat Comfort: 4/5
Inflight Entertainment: 5/5
Cabin Ambiance: 5/5
Cabin Condition: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
InFlight Meal/Beverage: 3/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall Rating: 41/50
Percentage: 82%
Conclusion
After my previous 2 flights with this airline, it was back to reality for me, flying on economy class. However, it is nice to be able to try out the airline's Boeing 787-9 economy class as I can compare with the Airbus A350 and the difference in width is obvious with the Airbus aircraft slightly wider in diameter for the fuselage. Furthermore the A350 has Starlink network available which is complimentary wifi for all but this aircraft along with the 787-8 may have online WiFi but one has to pay for it. However the airline has plans to install starlink on the existing 787 fleet and the upcoming aircraft in the recent Boeing order.
For this flight, the flight was alright but the seat comfort was not there after the 5th hour as my body started aching. Unfortunately, I had to sit besides a fairly big size passenger so he took up a bit of armrest space. That's part and parcel of travelling! For the inflight food and service, it was normal, nothing much to shout about. On the bright side, I managed to catch a couple of movies and enjoy the exterior view of the take off and landing. I like to try the business class on this aircraft though in the near future certainly.
For the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 comparison, I will take the Airbus A350 economy class anytime, but for the business class, I don't mind either as both Qsuites and Adient Ascent products are impressive in their own ways. I can't comment which is better or my preference but once I have tried out the Adient Ascent product, I will let you readers know.
In my last part of my Qatar Airways trip report, I will give you my overview opinion on both economy and business class experience and whether do they deserve being one of the top airlines in the world.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this trip report!
Have a good one!
Charles Ryan
For my recent trip reports with Qatar Airways.
Part 1: (SIN-DOH) A350-900 J Class, click here
Part 2: (DOH-GRA) B787-9 J Class, click here
Coming up next: Part 4 of Qatar Airways trip report and my final 2025 trip report (Qatar A350-1000, DOH-SIN)
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