pep
Medlem
Rejste i forgaars fra Danang til Kigali paa tre forskellige billetter, heraf de to sidste awards med QRPC. Alt ialt gik det strygende, men QR-First er generelt lidt skuffende (for høje forventninger?) og staff er super-prefessioneller men virker ikke helt åbne, varme, personlige og er særdeles humørforladte. Bedste oplevelser var nok loungen i Danang og mine tilkæmpede tre sæder i streg hos Rwandair. Bedste mad var også Rwandair, der aldrig glemmer mine seafoodmeals. Noget man end ikke kan bestille/få hos QR, men derimod hos andre Afrikanske selskaber som SA, KQ, ET. Og, vistnok, også EK...? Værst var at skulle tilbage til lufthavnen i KGL og hente min bagage efter to dages venten. Men den var der...
QR markets their 1st class as a “relish the myriad of exclusive offerings,..” Is that it? Myriads? They are still to come. Business class is similar (better?) and provides better value for the money. The added value of travelling First is non-existent. A single spoon of Pearl caviar doesn’t make it. The original can was displayed upon request: who can taste the difference? Sparkling wines in First are expensive, branded “Rare” and “Alexandra” (both ex. 2006), but Business has also 2 fine champagnes, which are cheaper and good. What remains from First Class superiority to Business Class? Nothing that can justify a 2-3 higher price. I would say the 1st is like a Business Premium and one should pay maximum 40% extra for the tranquility/space if that is a criterion. The inferior of cabin is dull, conservative, with brownish un-inspirational colors from a past Millenium. Access to Bar is fine but not only a 1st Class privilege.
Tried to preselect food for weeks before flying but it does not work from most departing cities. Could not even access a menu in advance. Lounges (see separate reviews), food, space, and service is better than in business class . Welcome champagnes on board; given kit and a quality pyjamas. Champagnes served are truly expensive in contrast to the meagre, cheap, industrial sub-quality beers they could offer. Leffe was the least poor. On QR, I have never been able to get an IPA or porter beer - even after some 100 flights with them. Singapore and even Emirates are miles ahead. Food not much better than business class, a spoon of Pearl caviar and a deshelled, dry lobster hand does not make the justification nor significant difference. Nothing really special or innovative of any kind. Had hoped for some outstanding food, but it was close to ordinary. IFE fine big screen. Too much propagandistic announcements on monitors.
Ground and Luggage: QR has ground handling problems. They refused to relabel my bags to final destination. Staff disregarded QR’s partnership with Rwandair, resulting me to lose my luggage transfer to final destination. Neither QR in Doha nor in BKK were willing to fix it. However, Rwandair fixed it eventually and opted to board me but leaving my bags 2 days behind in Doha before next flight to Kigali. Had to accept. Partnerships with Rwandair has problems of non-aligned systems, separate bookings, BPs not issued reversely, luggage transfer failures, no full lounge access reciprocality.
BOOKING
Very hard to come around vacant award seats in F, so I had to plan an entire journey around a leg found (BKK-DOH) to accommodate it. Award booking with QR took weeks to book, coordinate, manage, and process. Exacerbated by the fact that my QR booking had to fit into another QR-award booking with a partner airline (Rwandair). Partner airline award- bookings function terribly and depend on QRPCs junior team to finalise it. The traveler has no say in this. This may take many days or weeks. The traveler has no say in this. This may take many days or weeks, and need of holding several alternative bookings alive until a match from parallel bookings is found. Their cryptic online systems are neither syncronised, transparent, nor fast, but merely reminiscences of the nineties with a lot of generic formalities which hides the messages, if they are even there. Their responses are encoded and their postured Solomonic solutions arrives days later and is often misunderstood by junior staff who replies to these enquiries/requests or leave it to other novices to reply. Phone bookings do not work as none appear competent or have authority to do things, Fear of mistakes appears the driving force of staff? However, tons of errors and fumbling around with miles is the usual picture, which causes a top-down mess with no proper dialogue. One has to be on their backs (pursuing) for any detail as Murphys’ Law apparently applies, 70% of cases things go astray…. QR awards are overly expensive and difficult to book. Their “Flexi Fares” means double price as normal. An economy award on the same leg would have cost me 7 times less miles and half the amount in taxes.
Partner-awards are almost impossible to book from QRPC, and even if so, it takes days and weeks to get confirmations, and when it might arrive its often too late as positionings and prices has changed in the meantime. The online merged award booking system is a mess and misleads. The online replies from QRPC staffs are random, unprofessional and mostly misunderstood or provide generic or superfluous info, meanwhile asking for unnecessary information. A shame on the airline. Not to mention the problems of combining airmiles in the, seemingly unhappy, enforced marriage with BAEC...
LOUNGES
The QR premium lounge in BKK and its 1st class lounge in Doha are good, particularly the one in Bangkok. The best is that QR provides access to both even if previous and coming flight are in lower cabin classes.
Vietnam Airlines 8/10 Economy
Danang-Bangkok 9 March 2023 on a narrowbody A321 aircraft. On time. Good deal; less than 100 USD. SKYTEAM privileges were granted in full despite the ticket was shamelessly cheap. Thus, VN overrules competitors on this route, even my favourite well-pampering local airline Bangkok Airways which in this case lose out to VN on price, lounge, and luggage allowance. The LCC carriers are a no go on this route as they end up expensive and/or unreliable. Worse is that they don’t provide any luggage transfer in Bangkok, forcing pax to go landside and check it in again. Vietnam Airlines have almost never any delay nor cancellation on this route. Check in could not transfer my luggage to final destination, though at least to next destination (Doha with QR). Da Nang International (T2) is dominated by SE-Asian tourists and a lot number of small airlines. Larger aircrafts cant enter the airport as it is in the middle of the city. The Airport is completely renovated and a pleasure. Check-In fast and easy I was treated with a lot of respect due to SKYTEAM status, despite I was travelling on cheapest ticket possible. I could get my 23x2 kg checked it without any questions and I also had two hand-luggages. The Lotus Lounge, that Skyteam-airlines use, is extremely nice and well maintained; it is a huge, unexpected gem find in a small airport. The Lounge has very good food offerings; cold delicatesses, and at least 7 hot meals in buffet. Drink options are a bit below average and only cheaper, local products (2 cheap wines and 4 beer brands, all alike) are offered. Background music appreciated. The décor is of high standard; even smoking and business rooms exist. The lounge appears underutilised, I found only 5-10 other visitors during the 3 hours I spent there. The flight itself was stable and regular. Crew were courteous; food modest only a sandwich tray and drinks were offered. Without requesting it, I was given a seat in the first row after business class – that granted me wide leg space. Luggage transferred correctly as promised and tagged. Good value for money, reliable, and recommended.Qatar Airways 8/10 First
My First First on QR’s flagship A380. On time and a relief to travel. The perks of flying First with QR is the lounges and onboard tranquility. The rest is nothing special. The hype must be prestige? The product does not fully justify its exorbitant costs. Even by miles I would refrain to use them on 1st unless I had to forego them. Their excellent business class makes 1st class almost superfluous. The product is conservative, amazing space, and care level as the pax desires.QR markets their 1st class as a “relish the myriad of exclusive offerings,..” Is that it? Myriads? They are still to come. Business class is similar (better?) and provides better value for the money. The added value of travelling First is non-existent. A single spoon of Pearl caviar doesn’t make it. The original can was displayed upon request: who can taste the difference? Sparkling wines in First are expensive, branded “Rare” and “Alexandra” (both ex. 2006), but Business has also 2 fine champagnes, which are cheaper and good. What remains from First Class superiority to Business Class? Nothing that can justify a 2-3 higher price. I would say the 1st is like a Business Premium and one should pay maximum 40% extra for the tranquility/space if that is a criterion. The inferior of cabin is dull, conservative, with brownish un-inspirational colors from a past Millenium. Access to Bar is fine but not only a 1st Class privilege.
Tried to preselect food for weeks before flying but it does not work from most departing cities. Could not even access a menu in advance. Lounges (see separate reviews), food, space, and service is better than in business class . Welcome champagnes on board; given kit and a quality pyjamas. Champagnes served are truly expensive in contrast to the meagre, cheap, industrial sub-quality beers they could offer. Leffe was the least poor. On QR, I have never been able to get an IPA or porter beer - even after some 100 flights with them. Singapore and even Emirates are miles ahead. Food not much better than business class, a spoon of Pearl caviar and a deshelled, dry lobster hand does not make the justification nor significant difference. Nothing really special or innovative of any kind. Had hoped for some outstanding food, but it was close to ordinary. IFE fine big screen. Too much propagandistic announcements on monitors.
Ground and Luggage: QR has ground handling problems. They refused to relabel my bags to final destination. Staff disregarded QR’s partnership with Rwandair, resulting me to lose my luggage transfer to final destination. Neither QR in Doha nor in BKK were willing to fix it. However, Rwandair fixed it eventually and opted to board me but leaving my bags 2 days behind in Doha before next flight to Kigali. Had to accept. Partnerships with Rwandair has problems of non-aligned systems, separate bookings, BPs not issued reversely, luggage transfer failures, no full lounge access reciprocality.
BOOKING
Very hard to come around vacant award seats in F, so I had to plan an entire journey around a leg found (BKK-DOH) to accommodate it. Award booking with QR took weeks to book, coordinate, manage, and process. Exacerbated by the fact that my QR booking had to fit into another QR-award booking with a partner airline (Rwandair). Partner airline award- bookings function terribly and depend on QRPCs junior team to finalise it. The traveler has no say in this. This may take many days or weeks. The traveler has no say in this. This may take many days or weeks, and need of holding several alternative bookings alive until a match from parallel bookings is found. Their cryptic online systems are neither syncronised, transparent, nor fast, but merely reminiscences of the nineties with a lot of generic formalities which hides the messages, if they are even there. Their responses are encoded and their postured Solomonic solutions arrives days later and is often misunderstood by junior staff who replies to these enquiries/requests or leave it to other novices to reply. Phone bookings do not work as none appear competent or have authority to do things, Fear of mistakes appears the driving force of staff? However, tons of errors and fumbling around with miles is the usual picture, which causes a top-down mess with no proper dialogue. One has to be on their backs (pursuing) for any detail as Murphys’ Law apparently applies, 70% of cases things go astray…. QR awards are overly expensive and difficult to book. Their “Flexi Fares” means double price as normal. An economy award on the same leg would have cost me 7 times less miles and half the amount in taxes.
Partner-awards are almost impossible to book from QRPC, and even if so, it takes days and weeks to get confirmations, and when it might arrive its often too late as positionings and prices has changed in the meantime. The online merged award booking system is a mess and misleads. The online replies from QRPC staffs are random, unprofessional and mostly misunderstood or provide generic or superfluous info, meanwhile asking for unnecessary information. A shame on the airline. Not to mention the problems of combining airmiles in the, seemingly unhappy, enforced marriage with BAEC...
LOUNGES
The QR premium lounge in BKK and its 1st class lounge in Doha are good, particularly the one in Bangkok. The best is that QR provides access to both even if previous and coming flight are in lower cabin classes.
