Qatar vs Emirates Economy

[t8769]

I've found Emirates to be excellent, but note Qatar airlines are offering some amazingly cheap deals for Economy, Europe to BKK.

 

 

Seat Guru says Qatar is only 1" shorter seat space than Emirates, but Google Travel says 4".

How have people found these airlines, worth paying a little extra for Emirates?


Thanks

 

[animalmagic]

I'm 6' 2" and 130 kilos and flown on both Airlines long haul from Bangkok; Emirates to UK through Dubai (8+8hrs), and Qatar to Washington and Dallas through Doha (8+16hrs).  Modern planes, modern seats and good IFE.  Overall I would say I'd prefer any flight using the new Airbus to flights using the modern Boeing equivalents.

Found both airlines to be comfortable enough for me, and way better than BA or other Euro airlines.  Had to stand for half of a 12 hour flight to UK on BA due to a broken seat; BA offered me a 20 stg voucher in compensation.  American Airlines was way better than BA across the pond.

Hope this helps.

[Wiggy]

I have traveled with both lately. Here's my penny's worth:

 

Emirates good things:

- A380 upstairs forward cabin is quiet and spacious, especially seat 51G (but not always available for selection on cheaper tickets)

- food, which I found to be some of the best on economy

- frequency (easy to choose the right time to fly)

- good cabin crew

 

Emirates bad things:

- Dubai airport is extremely busy and crowded (don't leave a short connection time as sometimes you need to change terminals)

- avoid the Boeing 777, as it's much more claustrophobic

 

Qatar good things:

- Doha airport is much more user friendly and quieter

- food is also good

- space on the A380

 

Qatar bad things:

- avoid the Boeing 787 as legroom is much less than other aircraft in their fleet

- poorer customer service on the ground

 

Both have good IFE.

 

Edited August 10, 2018 by Wiggy

[jamie2009]

In the last few years Emirates have made several changes, when booking your flight you could choose your seat, now you have to pay or wait till you check in.

You used to be able to choose a different meal online,  I always chose the Fish Meal, that’s gone now. They have cut down the number of items as well, I asked the Stewardess why, she said the stall complained the trays were too big ?

Wine, they now serve from standard wine bottles, no individual small ones.

i can never understand why after coming off a flight you have to go through security at Dubai, last time twice as I had too change terminals, you are airside ?

I always book Newcastle too Bangkok, on the odd occasion I have had too book Bangkok to Newcastle, the fare is £200 plus more expensive.

i have queried this with Emirates several times, they couldn’t answer me,. The taxes and the flight incurred costs are the same, it’s the fare that costs more.

The flights to Gatwick are a similar price both ways but it’s a long trek south for me plus add the cost of rail fares and it’s not worth it.

Edited August 10, 2018 by jamie2009

[tryasimight]

I'll have to ask the wife as she flies Emirates economy. I send her photos from business class. 

 

5555555

[Wiggy]

27 minutes ago, jamie2009 said:

In the last few years Emirates have made several changes, when booking your flight you could choose your seat, now you have to pay or wait till you check in.

You used to be able to choose a different meal online,  I always chose the Fish Meal, that’s gone now. They have cut down the number of items as well, I asked the Stewardess why, she said the stall complained the trays were too big ?

Wine, they now serve from standard wine bottles, no individual small ones.

i can never understand why after coming off a flight you have to go through security at Dubai, last time twice as I had too change terminals, you are airside ?

I always book Newcastle too Bangkok, on the odd occasion I have had too book Bangkok to Newcastle, the fare is £200 plus more expensive.

i have queried this with Emirates several times, they couldn’t answer me,. The taxes and the flight incurred costs are the same, it’s the fare that costs more.

The flights to Gatwick are a similar price both ways but it’s a long trek south for me plus add the cost of rail fares and it’s not worth it.

These are good points. I forgot to mention security in Dubai, which is a pain in the backside and is totally unnecessary, as jamie2009 rightly says. in Doha with Qatar you deplane straight into the departure lounge. In May, (on Emirates) I was served wine from an individual bottle, so that could be a recent change. Seat selection is still available on Emirates, but is only complimentary on Economy Flex, Flex Plus or Business class. If Economy Saver you will have to pay for it. 

[Wiggy]

3 minutes ago, tryasimight said:

I'll have to ask the wife as she flies Emirates economy. I send her photos from business class. 

 

5555555

Indeed, Emirates business class is very good, especially with the 1-2-1 seating and the bar. 

[Dustdevil]

2 hours ago, Wiggy said:

I have traveled with both lately. Here's my penny's worth:

 

Emirates good things:

- A380 upstairs forward cabin is quiet and spacious, especially seat 51G (but not always available for selection on cheaper tickets)

- food, which I found to be some of the best on economy

- frequency (easy to choose the right time to fly)

- good cabin crew

 

Emirates bad things:

- Dubai airport is extremely busy and crowded (don't leave a short connection time as sometimes you need to change terminals)

- avoid the Boeing 777, as it's much more claustrophobic

 

Qatar good things:

- Doha airport is much more user friendly and quieter

- food is also good

- space on the A380

 

Qatar bad things:

- avoid the Boeing 787 as legroom is much less than other aircraft in their fleet

- poorer customer service on the ground

 

Both have good IFE.

 

I never watch in-flight entertainment, especially not on hijab airlines. I hate censorship. BYODevices.

[1337markus]

56 minutes ago, jamie2009 said:

In the last few years Emirates have made several changes, when booking your flight you could choose your seat, now you have to pay or wait till you check in.

You used to be able to choose a different meal online,  I always chose the Fish Meal, that’s gone now. They have cut down the number of items as well, I asked the Stewardess why, she said the stall complained the trays were too big ?

Wine, they now serve from standard wine bottles, no individual small ones.

i can never understand why after coming off a flight you have to go through security at Dubai, last time twice as I had too change terminals, you are airside ?

I always book Newcastle too Bangkok, on the odd occasion I have had too book Bangkok to Newcastle, the fare is £200 plus more expensive.

i have queried this with Emirates several times, they couldn’t answer me,. The taxes and the flight incurred costs are the same, it’s the fare that costs more.

The flights to Gatwick are a similar price both ways but it’s a long trek south for me plus add the cost of rail fares and it’s not worth it.

Some miss truths here. I fly Emirates every month to Russia or Africa. Wine is served in small bottles , I prefer red and they normally have a French and Australian one to choose from. Meals well you can still select a special meal when checking in on line. Standard meals in economy are a choice of two types of dishes. If you want better I suggest you upgrade to business class. Every airport you arrive at and transfer you go through security again, Chiangi, Bangkok , Moscow why should Dubai be any different. Maybe you should go back and fly with BA then you will have reasons to complain!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jamie2009]

2 minutes ago, 1337markus said:

Some miss truths here. I fly Emirates every month to Russia or Africa. Wine is served in small bottles , I prefer red and they normally have a French and Australian one to choose from. Meals well you can still select a special meal when checking in on line. Standard meals in economy are a choice of two types of dishes. If you want better I suggest you upgrade to business class. Every airport you arrive at and transfer you go through security again, Chiangi, Bangkok , Moscow why should Dubai be any different. Maybe you should go back and fly with BA then you will have reasons to complain!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wine is not served in individual bottles on the flights from the UK, yes there are Meal choices but these are dietary meals. Before there were other choices over and above the Dietary Meal selection.

i have no complaints about Emirates food, probably the best airline food I have eaten.

I have travelled Business Class with Emirates, the food Menu is the same, the only difference is it’s served on a plate rather than a tin foil tray.

Airport Security, when I arrive in the UK I never have to go through airport security when going for a connecting flight.

Having the opportunity to travel and work abroad globally the only place I ever had to go through security was in Kazakhstan where your baggage was checked for drugs.

i am not complaining, just making comments !!!!!!! Hi 

[kannot]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm I spent   about 6  years using Emirates  and slowly their  service tailed off to CRAP, their economy ram them in 3-4-3 as  well, dont know about Qatars.

I only used Business  Class and at £2k a go for the money I told them their service was crap after numerous incidents of "crapness".

Even tried First once and the TV didnt work!!!

Told them Id  go elsewhere and did.

Last 2-3  years used Sri Lankan, older planes but  better service and Turkish, all to the UK

12 years ago I used emirates economy about 2-3  times before deciding "sardines" wasnt for me. The A380 holds a lot of "sardines"

They also changed their  member card system making it  much harder to earn  miles and much harder to spend  them, still got 50k in miles unused for 3  years

Edited August 10, 2018 by kannot

[Wiggy]

10 minutes ago, kannot said:

Hmmmmmmmmmmm I spent   about 6  years using Emirates  and slowly their  service tailed off to CRAP, their economy ram them in 3-4-3 as  well, dont know about Qatars.

I only used Business  Class and at £2k a go for the money I told them their service was crap after numerous incidents of "crapness".

Even tried First once and the TV didnt work!!!

Told them Id  go elsewhere and did.

Last 2-3  years used Sri Lankan, older planes but  better service and Turkish, all to the UK

12 years ago I used emirates economy about 2-3  times before deciding "sardines" wasnt for me. The A380 holds a lot of "sardines"

They also changed their  member card system making it  much harder to earn  miles and much harder to spend  them, still got 50k in miles unused for 3  years

3-4-3 on a B777 is crap, but the A380 is wider (as is the A350) so no big deal for me with 3-4-3. I recall when the B777 first came out most airlines were 3-3-3, but many have gone to 3-4-3 which is bad news, but upstairs on the Emirates A380 it's 2-4-2 so a bit more amenable (but this is only on their 2-class aircraft). I agree though that Emirates' service has deteriorated somewhat from their early days. I went with EVA Air most recently to London and they were good as they still have 3-3-3 on that route. Always good to look at https://www.seatguru.com to see what you're getting.

[Jonnapat]

Choose your aircraft carefully, not specifically the airline.

There is simply no comparison when comparing Emirates A380 to it's B777.

More room, quieter and altogether a much better experience.

Exactly the same comments apply to Qatar.

If you're able, try the A350, a super aircraft..

[Wiggy]

3 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

Choose your aircraft carefully, not specifically the airline.

There is simply no comparison when comparing Emirates A380 to it's B777.

More room, quieter and altogether a much better experience.

Exactly the same comments apply to Qatar.

If you're able, try the A350, a super aircraft..

Completely agree.

[ujayujay]

1 hour ago, Dustdevil said:

I never watch in-flight entertainment, especially not on hijab airlines. I hate censorship. BYODevices.

Maybe you're naiv.: Most in- flight entertainment Movies are censored, independed of the Airline Company.

[blazes]

2 hours ago, tryasimight said:

I'll have to ask the wife as she flies Emirates economy. I send her photos from business class. 

 

5555555

If this is true and not a joke, it doesn't reflect too well on your sense of humour (to put it as kindly as possible).

[t8769]

Thanks for the info - most interesting.

I recently flew Air China via Taipei, which was very good and no fee to book seats, I was shocked to find Qantas, Emirates and others now charge for this. It was a bit crampt but the service was excellent and Taipei airport very nice.

 

I see that that Eva air only charges a little to change return date, while others can charge a fortune, half the ticket fee. I often change dates, so this is worth remembering.

The only way I'm flying BA again is under sedation, I cancelled a recent ThaiAir flight when I found out it was partly via BA.

 

Agree, the 777 is not so comfortable as the A380.

I am amazed at the cheapness of air tickets, what else can you get for the same price as 10 years ago, I don't know whether they are being under-written by Arab governments but I can't imagine they make a penny on Economy tickets.

 

 

Ps - I thought it was a rather funny joke - lighten up man.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2018 by t8769

[tryasimight]

4 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Indeed, Emirates business class is very good, especially with the 1-2-1 seating and the bar. 

Yes it's very nice standing at the  bar 40,000 feet in the air enjoying a cold beer. 

[bubba45]

I’m in the process of trying to book a flight back to the U.S. and strikes me that fares have jumped, across the board. Also, been flying Qatar back and forth (business) for a few years now and their service is dropping off, also. 

I’m convinced these airlines try to rope people in for a while then cut back, perhaps hoping you’ve built up some kind of loyalty or commitment to them with miles and such. But I learned long ago, all their ‘awards’, miles, and incentives is little more than a scam. 

Sorry, hope I’m not thread hijacking.... ?

[Lokie]

Stopped flying Emirates years ago after crap service from Aus to UK. The way pax are treated in the melee that is Dubai security areas (and seemingly more than any other airport I visit?)  past several years flown with Etihad Manchester UK to either Phuket or BKK, normally a mix of A320sMan - Abu-Dhabi and 777s Abu-dhabi to LOS. Recently they have now decided to charge for seat res in Ecom also but still prefer their service and transiting through abu-dhabi is much better than dubai IMO. 

 

Looking at replies I seem to be someone who prefers 777s (3-4-3) but then am comparing to A320s (2-4-2) do half my flights in Ecom and roughly half in Business (normally return legs to UK) Since Oil took a slumb few years back all the ME airlines started tightening their belts and guest programs...

 

 

[Monkeyrobot]

6 hours ago, tryasimight said:

I'll have to ask the wife as she flies Emirates economy. I send her photos from business class. 

 

5555555

How do you get away with this? 

[tryasimight]

Just now, Monkeyrobot said:

How do you get away with this? 

I pay for her.  My company pays for me.  I asked cabin staff if she could move into business class on one flight as there were many empty seats. She went away and came back with answer yes she can move.  But it will cost an extra 1999 USD.  She stayed in economy!! 

[cookieqw]

7 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Indeed, Emirates business class is very good, especially with the 1-2-1 seating and the bar. 

same same qatar

[cookieqw]

6 hours ago, Jonnapat said:

Choose your aircraft carefully, not specifically the airline.

There is simply no comparison when comparing Emirates A380 to it's B777.

More room, quieter and altogether a much better experience.

Exactly the same comments apply to Qatar.

If you're able, try the A350, a super aircraft..

couldn't agree more, and ill try to fly the 350 next trip

[cookieqw]

7 hours ago, tryasimight said:

I'll have to ask the wife as she flies Emirates economy. I send her photos from business class. 

 

5555555

awesome

[cookieqw]

3 hours ago, tryasimight said:

Yes it's very nice standing at the  bar 40,000 feet in the air enjoying a cold beer. 

you pay all that money for a seat and then stand up ||||    555

[tryasimight]

2 minutes ago, cookieqw said:

you pay all that money for a seat and then stand up ||||    555

Only for the first ten beers then sit on the lounge seats.

[cookieqw]

1 minute ago, tryasimight said:

Only for the first ten beers then sit on the lounge seats.

ah      i think i've seen the soles of your flip flops.   555 

[schlog]

37 minutes ago, cookieqw said:

same same qatar

QR QSuites beats Emirates C class by far.

[cookieqw]

1 minute ago, schlog said:

QR QSuites beats Emirates C class by far.

only ever got as high as business but i live in hope of a lottery win