Having read the reviews here about Qatar airlines, I must say that I am surprised. I consider myself a frequent flyer, both in my business with the benefit of travelling in business class, and leisure traveling in economy class when going to vacations. I have tried many of the major airlines, such as KLM, British Airways, Qantas, Aeroflot and more. They are not even close to level of service of Qatar Airlines....
Is it a 5-star airline...? Well it still is a airline which means that all the risks connected to flying are still there in terms of delays, queuing, loss of baggage, technical problems with the aircraft and so on.
Bearing this in mind, I still must say that the level of service is higher than comparable airlines. The quality of the food, the attentive air hostesses, inflight entertainment, cleanliness - all of them are of higher standard than other airlines. Leg space in economy is one important issue for me, being 193 cms. And the Qatar economy section really gives you important extra inches which for me is of great importance....
Doha airport is efficient, BUT given the level of standard and service on board, there is a margin for improvement at the airport. Still it is an efficient airport if you compare to many of the european major hubs, such as the nightmares De Gaulle and Heathrow.
I wouldn´t hesitate to book with Qatar, and I always check if Qatar have any suitable travel options before I check with any other airlines. I have already booked this summer´s tickets for my vacation and I chose Qatar airlines without hesitation!
There are always room for different opinions, but if you have never tried Qatar airlines - don´t let the bad reviews here intimidate you! The reviews on skytrax are closer to my experience of Qatar airlines. Read them too and then you decide what to think.
Regards
Mattias