Flying Qatar Airways To Europe (Part 2: DOH-LHR)

 Welcome to my part 2 of my 2025 Qatar Airways Experience!

My ride: A7-API (Photo: Darren Koch) 

Introduction 

For the flight Doha to London, I had a few choices including arrival at London Gatwick. In fact, flying to London Gatwick has been in my mind for quite a while and I wanted to do it on this trip, however I noticed the airline has deployed the A380 on the London Heathrow row and I had the option to choose this flight. The flight to London Gatwick was operated by the smaller Boeing 787-8 and since I have flown many times on this aircraft type, I thought I should fly the airline's A380 first since the future of it depends heavily on the arrival of the Boeing 777-9. So the decision was not a difficult one and with that is done, Qatar would be my 5th airline to fly on this massive giant Airbus aircraft. The other airlines I flew on this aircraft model are Asiana, Emirates, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. 

Without further ado, let's begin this trip report! 

Airline's website and mobile app

Qatar's website and mobile interface may be simple and plain but it is not difficult to navtigate. Just like any other airline's app, if you are a member of the airline's frequent flyer program, your details are locked in for you when you do the booking and you are assured of getting your points once your flight is completed. Ever since I switched over to Qatar's Avios program, I have been satisfied with it. The airline's app will notify me when the points are credited into my account and not many airline's app do that. I will be focusing on building my oneworld status with this airline and hopefully can gain at least silver tier by next year. 

This is the upper deck seats but unfortunately I wasn't able to select any of the seats in this cabin unless I pay an amount for it even during the check-in process. I guess for the high tier membership travellers, these seats are available without a fee and that is one of the perks of being a loyal traveller with the airline and it's partners. 

A few vacant seats (lower deck only) were available during my check-in at Changi Airport. 

About Qatar Hamad International Airport 

Hamad International Airport is Qatar Airways' home base and is an international airport based in Doha. This airport replaced Doha International Airport as its primary airport and is now one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. This airport was opened in 2014 and has 2 runways 16L/34R and 16R/34L. Originally known as New Doha International airport, it was supposed to open in 2008, however due to construction delay, the airport was only opened 6 years later and the airlines including Qatar Airways shifted to this airport near the end of May 2014. This airport was renamed after the previous Emir of Qatar, Hamd bin Khalifa Al Thani. 

This Terminal 1 has 5 Concourses: A to E and the Concourse D and E were opened recently in March 2025 and there is rumours about a 6th Concourse to be built and I won't be surprised if this happens. 

Map layout of Hamad International Airport and Doha International Airport (Photo: Dohahamadairport.com)

During my time at Doha Airport 

This is the Orchard Garden 

Doesn't it look similar to Changi Airport's Rain Vortex at Jewel? 

This is the Rain Vortex (Changi Airport) 

Both are beautiful in their own ways. 

The signboard for direction to the concourse A, B and C. 

The interior of the airport looks modern.

Skytrains are available for passengers. 

There is a quite a bit of walking to do but at least there are travellators.

I don't really understand the decoration to be honest. 

There are limited seats at the gate area and it took a while for me to find one as it was crowded everywhere at that point of time. 

Oh yes, complimentary airport wifi is available.

As I didn't have lounge access, I went around the concourse to check out the airport. 

There are plenty of shops and restaurants to check out. 

This is a lamp bear, a 23-foot tall yellow bear sculpture designed by Urs Fischer. 

Qatar Duty Free celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025 as it was founded at DIA (Doha international Airport in 2000. 

I was walking towards my gate. 

This gate A5 is capable of hosting the A380 aircraft and was also the assigned gate for my flight to London Heathrow.

The ground staff were waiting for clearance to proceed with the boarding procedure for our flight. 

This is the view of the terminal leading to the end of the pier. 

This A380 (A7-APC) was heading to Paris. 

Checking flightradar24, this aircraft was assigned to take us to LHR. 

The staff instructed us to form a queue and this happened as the departure time was approaching.

Another look of Qatar's Airbus A380. Currently the airline is operating a fleet of 8 A380 (A7-APC to A7-APJ). For A7-APA and A7-APB, they have been stored and there are no plans to return them to service. 

This is the holding room. 

Once boarding announcement were made, we boarded according to group.

It's nice to be board an A380 once again! 

Hello A7-API! 

Just a few more steps to go. 

My ride: A7-API (Photo: Jan Seler) 

Airbus A380-861

Engines: 4 X GP7270

Configuration: F8 C48 Y461 

Delivered to airline in December 2017

Age: 8+ Years Old 

Built in Toulouse (TLS)

235th Airbus A380 

Flight route: DOH-LHR 

Miles: 3,261

My seat: 53K (Photo: Aerolopa.com) 

Date of departure: 3rd July 2025 

Airline: Qatar Airways 

Flight: QR3 

Route: DOH-LHR 

Aircraft: Airbus A380 

Registration: A7-API

Gate: A5 

Load: 100% in Y Class

Flight Time: 6 hours 25 minutes 

Actual Flight Time: 6 hours 26 minutes

Schedule Departure: 0800 

Boarding: 0721

Push Back: 0801 

Take Off: 0816 

Schedule Arrival: 1310 

Actual Arrival: 1243 

Departure Runway: 34L 

Departure Weather: Windy 

Arrival Runway: 27R 

Arrival Weather: Partially Cloudy 

My flight experience 

There are 2 floor levels for boarding the A380. For the business and first class passengers, they would board the aircraft on the upper level while the rest of us board the aircraft on the lower level. Boarding was according to zone and it was done in an organised manner. Once on bard, it took a while before I got my seat. 

Once seated, I did a look at the seats and it was the same as the A350. I wish the airline would have a menu for the economy class pasengers, perhaps a digital one on the website so that we have a better knowledge on our meal selection. Anyway, once we were on our way with an on time departure, our flight to London was about 6 and a half hours. The quiet take off is simply amazing on this A380 and I am looking forward to compare this to the Boeing 747-8 which I would be flying on in November. 

After a smooth take off, I settle down can catch a movie. Meal service started not long after and it was delicious. I chose the beef option and gingle ale for my beverage. For the inflight service, it was a bit slow and the service was not as good as the previous flight. However, I have to give them credit for being able to manage a probably full load of passengers, its not an easy thing to do. 

For the rest of the flight, there were bumps here and there but nothing is bad. Seat belt sign was turned on for short periods but the cabin crew were not told to sit down at any point. Just before arrival, we were given a snack and a choice of beverage so for a 6 hours flight like this on economy class, you get a full meal and snack service. 

We landed smoothly at London Heathrow Airport on runway 27R and it took a while before we reach our terminal 4. Landing at runway 27L would have been a lot faster to get to our terminal but at that point of time, 27L was used for take off and 27R for landing.  

First class (Photos: Qatar Airways)

Seat map of the First Class (Aerolopa.com) 

These first class seats are located on the front of the upper deck with only 8 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. 

- 23 inches seat width 

- 26 inches HD Touchscreen Display 

- Univeral AC and USB-A Sockets 

- 78 inches lie-flat bed 

- Adjustable privacy screen (for the middle seats) 

- Water bottle storage near the armrest area 

- Small wardrobe is available 

For the trip report of this first class cabin, you can check out Travel Update's version over here.

On board Lounge (Photo: Qatar Airways)

This lounge is only accessible for First and Business Class passengers. 

The map of the lounge area  (Photo: Aerolopa.com)

It is located between the economy class and the business class cabins on the upper deck. 

Business Class (Photos: Qatar Airways)

Seat map of the business class cabin (Photo: Aerolopa.com) 

These are 48 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and are located behind the first class  and in front of the economy class on the upper deck. 

- 51 inches of legroom space 

- 22 inches of seat width 

- seat can be converted into a lie flat bed 

- 17 inches of HD Touchscreen Display 

- Universal AC and USB-A sockets are available 

- Window seats have low-level side lockers 

- Shoe drawer 

- storage compartments 

For Qatar Airways business class trip report on this aircraft, you can check out The Luxury Traveller's version over here.

Economy Class (This Trip report) 

Seat map of the economy class cabin (Upper Deck) 

Lower Deck (Photos: Aerolopa.com)

Front cabin 

Middle Cabin

Rear cabin

There are 405 Economy Class seats featuring the Recaro CL3710 seat model. There are 405 of such seats on the lower deck (3-4-3 configuration) and 56 seats located on the rear of the upper deck (2-4-2 configuration). 

- 31 inches of legroom space

- 18 inches of seat width 

- 7 inches of seat recline 

- 10.6 inches of HD Touchscreen Display

- Universal AC and USB-A Sockets 

Inflight Wifi is available on this aircraft. 

Economy Class cabin photos 

Welcome on board! 

This is the front staircase leading to the upper deck (First Class cabin).

There is a crew seat only in used during take off, landing and in bad turbulence which all the crew are instructed to be seated.

The front section of the economy class

The economy class seats by the window. 

This is my window seat and as expected, each passenger receives a pillow, blanket and a headset. 

This is the coffee/tea maker at the crew's workspace. 

This is the crew's workspace. 

The middle seats 

Different set of colours on this set of economy class seats.

The adjustable headrest 

The cabin view with the mood lighting during the flight

This seat is quite comfortable. 

One last look at the cabin before disembarking.

More photos of the seat 

This is my seat, 53K. 

Legroom space is adequate (31 inches). 

Coat hanger is available on the top right corner of each seat. 

Universal charging port is available within one's eyesight range. 

Bi-foldable tray table

You can fold the tray into half to minimise space. 

I had a good view of the engines. 

Due to the full load on board the A380 Economy Class cabin, I have limited photos of this cabin, so here are more photos of the cabin from Qatar Airways. 

What is provided for each passenger in this class cabin? 

Headset - the quality was not bad.

Pillow and blanket

Disposal Bag 

Safety Card 

Refreshing towel 

Inflight meal - the beef option 

A cup of cook and biscoff biscuit was distributed after the main meal. 

A cup of orange juice 

A snack box was distributed before arrival

This is the non vegetarian option

Inflight Entertainment 

The homescreen page 

My favourite feature of the IFE system - exterior camera 

A bird's-eye view of my aircraft 

Safety video has begun 

Kevin Hart in action! 

I was able to monitor the aircraft's movement without the window.

Soon we were on the runway. 

We lifted off effortlessly into the skies. 

At this point, we were preparing for arrival into London Heathrow. 

Almost there! 

On final approach onto runway 27R. 

We touched down smoothly. 

A quick taxi out of the runway so that the traffic behind us can land as soon as our aircraft is cleared. 

We had to taxi across the taxiway between terminal 3 and 5. 

We stopped just short of the active runway 27L to allow the traffic to clear before we were given permission to cross. 

Here we are, parked at our assigned gate. For me, it was straight to the hotel and for this aircraft, it was to fly back to Doha after a couple of hours of rest. 

Inflight Wifi 

I thought the wifi charge is reasonable for a full flight (6 and a half hours flight).

Unfortunately I couldn't view the inflight menu for the meals on this flight.

Lavatory 

It is a decent size lavatory.

I was glad the mirror lights are not working otherwise it would be too bright for my liking.

The lavatory was in clean condition at that time.

Window view (Take off to Landing) 

Malaysia Airlines A330-300 (9M-MTB) getting ready for departure. 

We started our taxi to runway 34L.

Finnair A330-300 

The GP7200 engines are as quiet as the Roll Royce 900. 

Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER

This aircraft was ahead of us in departure.

Soon it was our turn. 

Off we go and it was a very quiet take-off. 

Soon, we were in the air. 

Flying in good weather on this amazing aircraft is really memorable.

At this point, we have started our descent  and following the traffic path into London Heathrow.

We had a good view of the city. 

We were on final approach with the spoilers deployed and flaps retracted. 

Flying into London in good weather  

It was a smooth and quiet ride into London Heathrow.  

We touched down onto runway 27R. 

We taxied across terminal 3. 

We had to hold short at the intersection of runway 27L, wait for clearance before crossing the runway. 

This would be my next airline to London next year in February, stay tuned for the trip report. 

After a short wait, we were on our way to our assigned gate at terminal 4. 

This is our parking lot at terminal 4.

My flight summary 

The flight route from DOH-LHR

Welcome to Terminal 4 of London Heathrow! 

The walk to the main concourse took about 10 minutes.

This is the arrival hall (landside). Immigration was a smooth affair thanks to the automated machines. 

After arrival, I made my way to my hotel at Premium Inn at the same terminal. I would stay for a couple of nights before making my way to central London to meet up with my family. 

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed my flying adventure with Qatar Airways! More to come with Qatar Airways, stay tuned. 

My ratings 

Airline Website/Mobile App: 4/5

Airport Experience (DOH): 3.5/5

Inflight Service: 3/5

Seat Comfort: 4/5

Inflight Entertainment: 4/5

Cabin Ambiance: 5/5

Seat Condition: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

InFlight Meal/Beverage: 5/5

Punctuality: 5/5

Overall Rating: 43.5/50

Percentage: 87%

Conclusion 

Qatar Airways offers a high quality economy class product on both the A350 and A380 aircraft. While the cabin product impresses me, cabin service was different for me on both flights. The first flight was great but not so on this flight. However, I enjoyed the meal service on both flights, the inflight entertainment and the comfortable seats and these are the highlights of the flight and also probably why this airline is so highly rated. So if you have a chance to fly on the airline's A380 fleet, do so if you can because the airline has placed an order for almost 200 over new Boeing aircraft and with this sort of number, we could possibly see the entire Airbus wide-body fleet being replaced by the new aircraft. Although the CEO has not ruled out ordering more A350 aircraft in the near future, I can't see how the airline will be able to manage a fleet of more than 200 aircraft at DOH airport even with the airport expansion. Let's see what happens once the airline starts taking delivery of the aircraft from the latest Boeing order. 

As for Qatar Hamad International Airport, I find The Orchard to be quite attractive and I enjoyed the walk along the bridge which makes it quite a pleasant part of the terminal to hang out. Having a meal near the Orchard certainly makes it more enjoyable, taking in the atmosphere and this is why some of my friends have given me a lot of positive remarks on this beautiful garden. For the other parts of the terminal, I find it to be quite alright, nothing spectacular to me to be honest. So between the Changi Airport and Doha? My vote goes to Changi Airport, for the top airport in the world. In my next Qatar Airways trip report, I will be checking out the lounge at this airport, so stay tuned for that. 

For my return flight to Singapore, I would be flying with British Airways Boeing 787-9 with my mum so I will do a comparison between this airline and British Airways so stay tuned for that. 

For the Qatar Airways (Part 1: SIN-DOH) trip report, click here

For the British Airways (Boeing 787-9 LHR-SIN) trip report, click here

Have a good one! 

Charles 

(If you are happy with my work, feel free to contribute by donating any amount over here. Greatly appreciated!)