Last week I was lucky enough to find myself on board Qatar Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying business class from Lisbon, Portugal to Doha, Qatar. Onboard this short 6.5-hour flight I was incredibly well looked after, to the point where I didn't want the experience to end.

The flight details

• Qatar Airways Flight 342
• Departing Lisbon Airport Terminal 1 - 13:45
• Arriving Doha Hamad International Airport - 23:45

Pre-departure

Qatar Airways has only recently launched flights to Lisbon, beginning back in June 2019. The airline operates a daily service from Portugal's capital to Doha Hamad International Airport. The route is operated by a “state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner”. Onboard are 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy.

Check-in was painless and took less than five minutes. Of course, there isn't going to be much of a queue when there are only 22 business class seats! After check-in, I was invited to use Lisbon's fast track security lane. This security process took no more than a few minutes and I was expedited through to airside. From my accommodation in Lisbon to being airside took less than 35 minutes! The proximity of Lisbon's airport to the city center is very favorable.

The lounge

Qatar Airways uses 'Lounge ANA' in Lisbon. This lounge has no affiliation with ANA the Japanese airline. The lounge itself is spacious and light, has plenty of seating, runway views and refreshments.

Food: 

The food in Lounge ANA is fairly limited. It has a cold buffet of sandwiches and pastries.

Drink

There is a good range of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in the lounge, mostly local, which is nice.

Amenities

The lounge has fast WiFi, napping pods, showers and a small business center.

Overall, Lounge ANA isn't amazing, but it's not bad. It's somewhere in the middle as far as lounges go, but for Lisbon Airport it's by far the best lounge. The limited food options did not really bother me, as I knew Qatar Airways would have great food onboard.

Boarding

A word of warning for anyone traveling with Qatar Airways from Lisbon... Their gate is a good 20-minute walk from the lounge, I didn't realize this, and ended up boarding the flight during its last call.

Upon boarding the flight I was greeted by name and offered a pre-departure drink of whatever I wanted, along with a hot or cold towel. I opted for a champagne and cold towel.

My first impression of the seat was, WOW! It was wide and spacious, had a great view out of the window and looked very sleek and modern. The seat came complete with a bottle of Evian water, an amenity kit (more on this later), a duvet and a pillow.

In terms of in-seat storage, there was a large storage bucket to the side of the seat, a smaller storage unit in the aisle armrest, as well as a table space next to the seat.

My first impression of the crew was equally good. Each individual was very professional and friendly.

Even the 787-8 business class toilet had a wow factor, as it came complete with its very own window! A loo with a view!

The entire cabin was simply stylish, and the attention to detail was impressive.

Take off and lunch

Before take off, the crew came around introducing themselves by name and they explained the seat and dining options. I was told Qatar Airways offers a dine-on-demand service and I could eat and drink whenever I wanted.

The food menu was extensive and catered for all tastes. There was also an impressive drinks list of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Less than 25 minutes after take off, I was served a beverage - a non-alcoholic cocktail with nuts.

After around 40 minutes, an appetizer of a prawn cocktail was served. It was super fresh and tasted great! After this, I opted to eat a starter of smoked trout fillet, with quail egg and asparagus - it was divine.

After the trout, I had asparagus and parmesan soup which was also incredible. The two dishes together were perfect for lunch! The crew during the service were incredibly proactive. Glasses were kept topped up drinks, and dishes were cleared away promptly.

Mid flight

After lunch, I sat back and rested for a few hours. I put the seat into bed mode and slept for a couple of hours. In bed mode, the seat was very comfortable and the blanket was large and soft.

Often on planes, I struggle to sleep due to the cabin being kept too warm. Thankfully, on this flight, there were two air conditioning nozzles right above my seat, which I could control. These kept my seat environment very cool; perfect for sleeping!

After waking up from a couple of hours of sleep, I went to the bathroom and used my amenity kit. It included an eye mask, socks, some lip balm, facial mist and moisturizer. The amenity kit did not include a toothbrush. Instead, these were stocked inside the toilets themselves. I really liked this; it saved the unnecessary wasting of plastic.

Upon returning to my seat, one of the cabin crew had already delivered a glass of sparkling water. It was the proactive touches like these which made the flights so memorable. Hands down, the crew on this particular flight on Qatar Airways were the best I've ever had, even including long haul first class with some other major carriers.

End of the flight

Towards the end of the flight, I was feeling peckish and ordered some dinner from the dine-on-demand menu. I opted for spinach and ricotta filled pasta, it tasted very fresh and was really tasty. I was offered a bakery basket with the meal, but I declined.

Whilst eating dinner, I watched a movie on the inflight entertainment. The screen was large and super responsive. The entertainment options on Oryx One were endless, and there really is something for everyone. The moving inflight map (my favorite entertainment, second only to looking out of the window) was also really good, and again, very responsive.

One thing I loved about the flight experience was the amount of hot or cold towels you could have. After every meal service, I was offered one and prior to landing, I was also offered one.

Before I knew it, we were descending into Doha; the night time views were incredible! We literally flew on the very edge of a thunderstorm, and seeing the lightning from the air was an amazing sight. Luckily, the flight was very smooth despite being so close to a storm.

Upon landing, the plane parked at a bus gate and all 22 business class passengers had a private bus waiting. This meant we arrived at the main terminal within a few minutes.

Overall

Overall, Qatar Airways 787-8 business class was really good. The seat was very comfortable, the crew were incredible and very proactive, and the food was amazing. If I am traveling long haul from Lisbon again and heading east, Qatar Airways would certainly be my airline of choice.

Simple Flying traveled as a guest of Qatar Airways