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Qatar Airways Review

Family Friendly Airline Review

Dubai-Manchester via Doha review by Sally Bruce

Who? One adult and one 13 month old who just worked out how to walk!

Destination: Our flight with Qatar Airways QR1007 to Qatar then QR023 from Qatar to Manchester left Dubai at midday.

Usually, I prefer to fly at night with my son as for us this makes the flying process much easier as he sleeps like he would at home, however on this occasion we had to be in blighty early Friday morning so that was not an option.

For information on baggage allowances and general information about flying with a baby on Qatar Airways see here.

Pre-flight at the airport.

We arrived at Dubai Airport for check in not incredibly early but also with enough time to spare.  I always travel with my son’s buggy and car seat as I find this to be much easier not only for car rental at our destination but also for getting to the gate.

Qatar Airways allow you 10kgs for an infant plus a car seat, buggy and port-a-cot as infant luggage, and you can take your buggy right through to the gate with you where they will bag it and put it on board. This is my preference as it not only makes my life easier for navigating the airport but keeps my son in familiar surroundings while enduring the chaos that is the airport.

We requested via email to have a bassinet and although Qatar Airways could not confirm due to a very last minute booking we were given one at check in. For the weight and height restrictions for the Qatar bassinet see here.

It’s also good to note that when flying Qatar airways you are able to book a transfer service for when you transit through Doha, you may feel you won’t need this, however Hamad International Airport (Doha Airport) is a very large airport and can get extremely busy, this transfer service when travelling with small children especially can be a sanity saviour.

This service is free for Qatar Platinum and Gold members otherwise it can be booked for QR325 US$89 via Al Maha services.

Qatar Short-haul flight review  -Onboard flight 1 to Dubai to Doha 

Qatar Airways crew are exceptionally friendly towards children, welcoming my son with a huge smile and a personal welcome.  They also offered to assist with my bag which was a huge help and even better when you don’t have to ask.

The flight to Doha is such a short flight (45mins) there’s no need for the bassinet but the crew do come to make sure we know how to use the infant seatbelt and give me extra wet wipes in case I need. Many smiles, high fives, and cuddles were had with the crew – even though they were very busy doing a quick meal service and they were always sure to let me know to ask for anything if I needed it.

Transfer Doha Hamad International Airport.

One of the huge benefits of travelling on Qatar Airways with children is the new Doha Airport. It has to be one of the best airports for children I’ve been through (and we’ve been through a decent amount of airports)

There are:

• Free baby buggies;
• Many children’s play areas scattered in different locations throughout the airport;
• Child sleeping pods equipped with sofas, beanbags and TV’s playing cartoons;
• Family rooms;
• Apple computers;
• A children’s themed store with giant realistic dinosaur; and
• Llet’s not forget the main attraction the beyond extremely large teddy bear sitting in the middle of the airport which is a perfect backdrop for a picture.

There are also plenty of food outlets, baby change facilities, moving walkways and now a train to take you to the new concourse.

There are plenty of ways for the little ones to stretch their legs, run off some energy, keep entertained while also the buggies are a great help for all parents transiting.

Qatar Long haul flight review Doha-Manchester (Dreamliner)

Qatar Airways Seats

We are welcomed on board with a high five from the crew which is always a great start when flying. Personally, I don’t like the Dreamliners but when flying with a baby in the bassinet seat I find it the best as you get more leg room plus the layout of TV screens and lighting, are far better making the flight better for bub as well. The seats recline, have a moveable headrest, and come with a pillow and blanket. On selected long-haul flights, each seat also comes with an amenity kit full of comfort essentials that include an Institut Karité Paris lip balm, a Miradent dental kit, eye mask, socks and ear plugs.

The Qatar Airways seat comes with a laptop power outlet, USB plug and personal telephone. The OnAir mobile service enables you to send and receive SMS messages and data during your flight. Wi-Fi is available on-board the A380, A350, B787, A319 and selected A330, A320 and A321 aircraft.

Qatar Airways Child Amenities

We were given the infant toy which is Mr Potato Head accompanied with a super cool bright Mr Potato Head flap book. Older children are given activity packs depending on their ages plus a Monopoly, Connect 4 and Twister.

In addition, Qatar Airways offers a dedicated Young Travellers channel, filled with the latest movies, TV programmes and interactive games to keep your kids entertained throughout the flight. Child meals come in a  unch box and must pre ordered. 

During the flight my son was running up and down the aisles and ‘helping’ the crew in the galley where they were more than happy to laugh, joke and play with him and even at one point offering to play with him while I sat and caught my breath for 10 minutes.

During the meal service it was no problem at all for my meal to be kept hot until my son had finally decided to nap and throughout the entire flight the cabin crew could not offer to help me enough, whether it be from cuddles, watching him while I nipped to the bathroom, getting my bags from the overhead lockers, giving me my meal at a more convenient time and playing with my son while I had a quick break.

Inflight Entertainment on Qatar Airways

There are dedicated kids TV channels, movie channels, games filled with everything you could imagine which will give your little ones plenty to be entertained with throughout the journey.

You can tell that all the crew love having children on board and as a mum, this plays a huge role when I choose my airline because it takes the stress out of flying not only for me but also for my son.

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