Qatar Airways locks in Adelaide Boeing 777 switch

Qatar Airways is refining its Adelaide connections from this month, with the City of Churches primed for an aircraft change from October 29, when the current Airbus A350 is replaced by a Boeing 777. 

(That’s the same day Singapore Airlines switches out its own A350 from Adelaide, though it’ll be replaced by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.)

While indeed a step back to an older aircraft, the 777 still features those superlative Qsuites onboard – and more of them: 42 versus 36. Given the overnight flights both to and from Doha, they’re sure to be put to good use too.

Direct aisle access and sliding doors are staples of Qsuite business class.

The schedule from October 29 is as follows:

• QR915 sees wheels up from Adelaide at 11pm, touching down into Doha at a bleary-eyed 4am the following morning.
• On the return, QR914 takes off at 10:40pm, arriving around 13 hours later at 5:05pm the following day.

Qsuites are the airline’s signature offering, with the lie-flat sanctuary behind sliding privacy doors so popular it’s set to replace first class altogether.

Instead, the Virgin Australia partner’s forthcoming Boeing 777X fleet will be crowned by a new Qsuite, which CEO Akbar Al Baker has described to Executive Traveller as “a huge enhancement of the current Qsuite.”

Qsuite includes the ability to 'Dine on Demand'.

“People now are all booking on QR because of the Qsuite,” Al Baker added, saying “it’s a brand that is now really known to everybody.”

Lounge-worthy flyers in business class flyers and those holding Qatar Airways Privilege Club Silver and above are welcomed at the Virgin Australia lounge ahead of their flight from Adelaide, with the domestic and international terminal in one building.

From Doha, business class travellers have their pick of two Al Mourjan business lounges – the original ‘Al Mourjan South’ lounge and newer Garden, which opened earlier this year alongside an exclusive Louis Vuitton Lounge.

The fresh Al Mourjan Garden lounge overlooks the Orchard atrium.

Velocity Gold and Platinum frequent flyers in economy have access to the airlines Gold and Platinum lounges respectively, of which there are both North and South outposts.

Qatar Airways recently announced the rollout of high-speed Starlink WiFi onboard, which would be a significant supercharge from current speeds 10Mbps to rates above 100Mbps, though has remained coy as to when the service will be active.