On February 20, Airbus will deliver their first A350-1000 jet to Qatar Airways. The news was broken by CEO His Excellency Akbar Al Baker. Qatar has ordered 37 of these crafts and is the first airline to receive them.
The Airbus A350-1000 is reportedly the largest of the Airbus A350 crafts and will feature the new seat configuration of the airline’s Qsuite business class. In fact, it was the installation of these suites that delayed the delivery of the jets which were originally due in December 2017.
The A350-1000’s 46 Qsuite seats will face each other with 22 of them facing forward and the rest facing the rear. Qsuites mark the first time that an airline has introduced seats that convert into double beds. With comfortable beds like these, you may be tempted to sleep a little longer. All you need to do is use the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside of your suite and request their Express Breakfast whenever you are ready.
These plush seats incorporate materials like hand-stitched Italian leather and satin rose gold finishing for a luxurious experience. Meanwhile adjustable panels and monitors allow for as much or as little privacy as each traveler wants. Qatar’s aim here is to create a customizable travel environment for maximum comfort.
For colleagues who need to work together on the flight, a “quad” suite option allows them to see and interact with each other easily. While dining in-flight can be usually awkward and clumsy especially when you are in a group, Qsuites allow groups to dine in comfort and even introduces a new Business Class menu that allows passengers to try sharing dishes during the flight. Apart from dining, the group can also work together by sharing screens. For couples the QSuites can be divided into a double suite, lower the privacy diver and the suite converts into a double bed, a feature that was earlier available only in first class.
Qatar has also updated their in-flight entertainment system Oryx One. It now features an improved user interface and offers as many as 3000 entertainment options.
Qatar Airways intends to use the twin engine A350-1000 jet for long haul flights for a while before adding ultra-long haul routes to the schedule. This is only to avoid and detect in time any potential technical issues. No exact routes have been revealed yet.
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