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Qatar Airways set to unveil new first-class suite prototype

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Qatar Airways set to unveil new first-class suite prototype
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

Last June, Qatar Airways announced plans to eliminate its long-haul first class product, currently available only on Airbus A380 aircraft and ex-Cathay Pacific 777s. The airline's new CEO, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, revealed in March that they would introduce a new first class product for the new planes they plan to order.

Qatar Airways is renowned for its business class offerings but lacks a comparable first class product. The space and ground services provided do not match those of other airlines' first class cabins. "When I’ve flown Qatar’s first class I’ve been escorted from the aircraft on arrival in Doha from plane through immigration formalities," one passenger noted. The design aesthetic of Qatar’s first class al Safwa lounge has also been praised, with some commenting that it "looks like a museum" due to pieces on loan from the Museum of Islamic Art.

Currently, Qatar's short-haul flights are marketed as economy and first class, featuring standard business class seats but with access to first-class lounges. Their Airbus A380 first class offers an open design with two rows of four abreast seating and no doors—features available in their business class on many widebody aircraft.

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The long-term plan includes retiring the Airbus A380. Rather than introducing a top-end first-class product to compete with Gulf rivals like Emirates, Etihad, or European carriers Lufthansa and Air France, Qatar had initially planned to eliminate long-haul first class due to insufficient additional revenue generated by extra perks.

In March, Al Meer stated that the new first-class seat was "70%-80% done." He now reports that he will be shown a prototype of the new seat this Thursday. This seat will be featured only on new aircraft; today, Qatar Airways ordered 20 more Boeing 777-9s and may still order Airbus A350s.

With Qatar Airways unveiling the next generation of its QSuites business class this week—improving on its already world-leading product—expectations are high for the new first-class offering. While it may not feature showers or spaciousness akin to Singapore Airlines and Etihad's Airbus A380s, it is anticipated to rank among the world's top products.

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