Business
Class
Don’t Leave
Without It
H
ow in the world did I end up
in business class? Long story
short—pure luck. With fewer
than thirty days notice,
I found myself prepping for
a trip of a lifetime. Thank goodness
for connections, links and
networking as all things fell into
place effortlessly. I’ve never been so
lucky, but also not one to kick a gift
horse in the mouth. When a friend of
a friend called and asked if I wanted
to go on a trip with her, I graciously
accepted before she could finish
asking. It’s kind of a blur, but all
I remember hearing was: Grand prize
winner, two business class tickets
to Thailand; do you want to go?
Fast-forward to an experience in
travel to which I had never been
privy. I always knew I had been born
for business class travel and Qatar
Airways catered to my ego. Not to
downplay the service received at the
38
check in counter or gate, because
it was exceptional; however I do
believe that life hasn’t been lived to
the fullest until you are exposed to
the world of Qatar Airways Business
Class. True, I have absolutely nothing
to compare it to, but Skytrax, the
global benchmark of airline
excellence, named them World’s Best
Airline and I concur. They also bill
themselves as an unparalleled travel
experience, for very good reason.
The level of service and attention
by the cabin crew was phenomenal. I
lost count of how many times my jaw
dropped during the flight to Phuket.
Bottle service was a nice touch
when we got to our seats. Not being
harassed to store our luggage before
the flight took off was equivalent to
not taking our shoes off, pre-TSA. It
was like traveling pre-9/11, like the
good ole’ days. Refreshing to say the
least. As we took our seats we were
offered a warm moist towel to
freshen up. This, I liked a lot.
Our cabin attendant was so nice,
pleasant and accommodating as
she popped bottles and poured
our champagne, that I hadn’t even
noticed she had been sizing us up.
Next thing I knew she was bringing
us pajamas to wear, and the sizes
were correct. Now that takes some
skill; bring the wrong size to an
overly sensitive passenger and it
could set a negative tone for long
flight. Luckily, we didn’t have that
issue. Our cabin attendant also
delivered Salvatore Ferragamo
amenity clutch bags filled with
perfume, lip balm and hand cream.
Menus and appetizers started rolling
out before we even left the ground,
and with the long haul flight we were
embarking on, food itself became an
event. White glove service, without
the white gloves, is the best way to
describe meal times. The white cloth
overlay that covered our trays,
actual silverware (no sporks), fresh
assortments of warm bread – is this
an airplane I’m on? I was amazed
that at 40,000 feet, our meals were
so sophisticated and prepared with
a top-notch quality and flair. This
was like no airline food I had ever
seen before; rich, boldly pronounced
flavors and picture-perfect plating
made me think a food stylist was
behind that little curtain. Each meal
was more delicious and beautiful
than the last in a nearly endless
smorgasbord of courses. Cheese
trays and treats by Godiva at the
end, yes, another jaw dropping
moment for me.
Lay-flat beds, luxurious bedding and
an inflight entertainment system
including noise canceling high-end
headphones were a definite perk.
This was the perfect combination to
PHOTOS COURTESY OF QATARAIRWAYS.COM
By Lisa Collins-Haynes