Emirates v Qatar

[Emeraldisle]

I have been looking at return flights to Thailand in October. Checked all the usual airlines for price , flight times, layovers etc. Finally came up with a choice between Emirates and Qatar.  Only €10 difference.  Has anybody any recommendstions?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thank you.

[mauroest]

-most Qatar best planes are on the ground for painting with new color for November football game. Many complain about last minute cancellation

-sometimes Emirates uses Flydubai in code share. It is a low cost company

[metisdead]

Moved to the Thailand Travel Forum.

[scubascuba3]

Both good, but I'd go with Emirates as used them many times

[Dan O]

Either are very good. Go with the best match to the travel schedule you want to keep

[Emeraldisle]

Thank you very much for your advice

[Chongalulu]

Daughter just booked end of October to come from Manchester and Emirates came up cheaper and better timings than Qatar. Last time I flew with Emirates and she came in June with Qatar. Comparing notes clearly Emirates is better and usually more expensive so I’d go for Emirates on price parity. They had the A380 too which is much nicer !

[StevieAus]

Have flown Business class Thailand - UK several times and as recent as June always excellent service and reliability. 

As long as you can avoid Manchester Airport life should be good. 

[ivor bigun]

Emirates ,used them for years ,great service ,been bumped to business a few times .. 

[Coxy]

Have used them both many times but feel Qatar are letting their service onboard slide a bit

[mjnaus]

If flying business class, Qatar is the better option, by far (QSuites, dine-on-demand, no 2-2-2 seating, better food, etc). If economy, the differences are minimal. If taking airports into consideration (for the layover), Qatar is the better one imo, especially if you can access the Al Mourjan lounge.

 

The only circumstances I'd ever consider Emirates again would be if I were able to get a good deal on a first class seat. Everything else, I'd take Qatar.

[Aussieroaming]

Business class I prefer Qatar. First class, Emirates.

[mjakob007]

If Biz class, Qatar is better value for money these days.

EK business class has dropped the ball badly in the past few years.

 

Both of them have A380 flying between BKk & middle east. EK has 3 flights between BKK & ME is the only upside on EK.

 

IF economy, I would rate both of them at par, with EK offering multiple flights, comes flexibility & pricing

[roo860]

2 hours ago, StevieAus said:

Have flown Business class Thailand - UK several times and as recent as June always excellent service and reliability. 

As long as you can avoid Manchester Airport life should be good. 

What's the problem with Manchester Airport?

[Walker88]

Flown both on long haul Biz Class trips. Both are good.

 

One recent problem is that one books a Qatar flight specifically because it's a Q Suite, only to find a 'late plane change' when arriving at the airport. Non Q Suite Qatar Biz Class is not particularly special, while the Q Suites are the best Biz Class option in the sky.

 

As for stops, the Doha airport is massive, and the Biz Lounge might be the largest in the world. Generally it's easy to catch a shower, and the food is pretty good. There's a sleep room is one has a long layover, but invariably there's at least one guy whose snore is louder than a Saturn 5 rocket.

 

Qatar also has two paint issues that lead to plane changes and no Q Suite. They had a problem with the paint on their Airbus 350s, and some planes are being repainted for the World Cup. The A380s are nice, but usually they are not Q Suite-fitted. Generally Q Suites are on Beoing 777s and Airbus 350s.

[SheungWan]

Flew Qatar this week BKK-LHR business. The first flight delayed an hour because of some paperwork we were told, but arrived to pick up second leg on time. BKK business lounge good. Doha business lounge very busy. Transit security also at 6am. I would say that the food offerings and lounge comparable with Emirates at BKK. A380 both legs. Next flight booking also Qatar but only 777.

[Postmaster]

Bloomin eck you guys with big money.  What's wrong with cattle class.  How much food and booze do you need for a flight.  You are all in the same plane and come down together if there is a catastrophe !

[proton]

After flying Qatar in April/May never, ever again with them. 3 time changes, one cancelled flight, 2 plane changes- before departing. Cancelled a paid for seat reservation which they agreed to refund, then changed their minds, stuck on the boarding bridge at Dohar for 35 minutes waiting for them to let everyone on and the food in Biz class was worse than economy. Very frustrating and disappointing. I would go as far as to say the worst food ever on any airline, disgusting.

Edited September 10, 2022 by proton

[Pattaya Spotter]

I can recommend EK First Class between Thailand and Europe...at least on the A380 the suites are sweet and the bathroom/spa is the bomb. The entire floor First Class Lounge in Dubai is killer too.

[Emeraldisle]

Thanks for all the advice and comments.  All things considered I have decided on and booked Emirates.  Never had a problem with them in the past.

[roo860]

3 hours ago, Postmaster said:

Bloomin eck you guys with big money.  What's wrong with cattle class.  How much food and booze do you need for a flight.  You are all in the same plane and come down together if there is a catastrophe !

They just like to brag about it.

[sometimewoodworker]

9 hours ago, nchuckle said:

Daughter just booked end of October to come from Manchester and Emirates came up cheaper and better timings than Qatar. Last time I flew with Emirates and she came in June with Qatar. Comparing notes clearly Emirates is better and usually more expensive so I’d go for Emirates on price parity. They had the A380 too which is much nicer !

Qatar is flying the A380 on many of the BKK DOH flights & its business class is unbeatable 

[it is what it is]

 

both are good choices, personally i find qatar generally has newer planes, i prefer their food and entertainment system

[StevieAus]

15 hours ago, roo860 said:

What's the problem with Manchester Airport?

To give a couple of examples of what I experienced in June,

On arrival no wheel chair assistance for arriving passengers

The usual chaos at Immigration and baggage retrieval including long waiting times.

On departure

A fellow traveler requiring wheel chair assistance waited over two hours for wheel chair assistance while staff sat around playing on their phones.

The security staff were their usual rude and officious selves

The aerobridge wouldn’t work resulting in passengers being held on the arriving aircraft for more than one hour.

I observed three different sets of steps being brought before one set worked

Qatar staff advised me that they requested that the aircraft be pushed back to one of the other gates which were and remained vacant but the airport authorities refused.

I have experienced other issues in the past but unfortunately there is no easy alternative if visiting the North.

[roo860]

1 hour ago, StevieAus said:

To give a couple of examples of what I experienced in June,

On arrival no wheel chair assistance for arriving passengers

The usual chaos at Immigration and baggage retrieval including long waiting times.

On departure

A fellow traveler requiring wheel chair assistance waited over two hours for wheel chair assistance while staff sat around playing on their phones.

The security staff were their usual rude and officious selves

The aerobridge wouldn’t work resulting in passengers being held on the arriving aircraft for more than one hour.

I observed three different sets of steps being brought before one set worked

Qatar staff advised me that they requested that the aircraft be pushed back to one of the other gates which were and remained vacant but the airport authorities refused.

I have experienced other issues in the past but unfortunately there is no easy alternative if visiting the North.

That's with Qatar, my check in last week with Emirates was a breeze, plenty of security staff on hand to get people through, was A380 aircraft, pre booked my seats, bulkhead behind me, so no seat kickers, you can book certain seats for free. So, seems like Emirates is the choice, departed 14.30 and arrived BKK around 13.30 next day.

[mjnaus]

15 hours ago, Postmaster said:

Bloomin eck you guys with big money.  What's wrong with cattle class.  How much food and booze do you need for a flight.  You are all in the same plane and come down together if there is a catastrophe !

I don't think there's anything wrong with economy class. Business/first class is simply the more comfortable way to travel. Used to travel in economy class all the time back when money was tighter. However, when I started to be able to afford it, business/first became a no-brainer, especially for those brutal 12+ hour trips.

[Yorkshire Tea]

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

That's with Qatar, my check in last week with Emirates was a breeze, plenty of security staff on hand to get people through, was A380 aircraft, pre booked my seats, bulkhead behind me, so no seat kickers, you can book certain seats for free. So, seems like Emirates is the choice, departed 14.30 and arrived BKK around 13.30 next day.

No problems with Qatar either when I flew back from MAN a few weeks ago.  Looks like Manchester Airport have sorted out their post covid staffing issues.  A friend flew Easy Jet to Europe about the same time, & no problems.

[StevieAus]

9 hours ago, roo860 said:

That's with Qatar, my check in last week with Emirates was a breeze, plenty of security staff on hand to get people through, was A380 aircraft, pre booked my seats, bulkhead behind me, so no seat kickers, you can book certain seats for free. So, seems like Emirates is the choice, departed 14.30 and arrived BKK around 13.30 next day.

Obviously didn't read my post wheel chair services, aero bridge and security not handled by the airline but the airport and their staff. 

[roo860]

1 hour ago, StevieAus said:

Obviously didn't read my post wheel chair services, aero bridge and security not handled by the airline but the airport and their staff. 

I did read your post, if the OP doesn't need a wheel chair then it's irrelevant. 

[mauroest]

'sleeping'' rooms at Doha airport are very unconfortable and noisy

Edited September 19, 2022 by mauroest
updated