I toured Qatar Airways' luxurious Airbus A350 complete with the 'world's best business class' and was impressed by its comfort and attention to detail

Pete SymeJun 28, 2023, 17:17 IST

Qatar Airways' business class, and the author in front of the A350.Pete Syme/Insider

Insider toured Qatar Airways' Airbus A350 at the Paris Air Show.
The huge plane has 46 business class Qsuites, including a unique Quad configuration.

At the Paris Air Show in mid-June, Insider got a tour of Qatar Airways' Airbus A350.

Pete Syme/Insider

Walking up to the plane from the tarmac instead of a usual jet bridge showed just how big the A350 is.

Pete Syme/Insider

This was my first air show, and it was a great experience to go through the whole plane and learn more about all the effort and details put into it.

Pete Syme/Insider

Qatar and Airbus nearly fell out over disagreements about the exterior paint peeling, with the airline trying to sue the manufacturer for $600 million ...

Pete Syme/Insider

.... but that has been put to rest now, after the two companies reached an undisclosed settlement in February.

Pete Syme/Insider

Although slightly shorter than Boeing's upcoming 777-9, the huge size of Airbus' wide-body jet was apparent when climbing the stairs and getting a great view of the Paris Air Show.

Pete Syme/Insider

Although slightly shorter than Boeing's upcoming 777-9, the huge size of Airbus' wide-body jet was apparent when climbing the stairs and getting a great view of the Paris Air Show.

The tour began in Qatar's business class with its signature purple mood lighting.

Pete Syme/Insider

The day before my tour, the World Airline Awards named Qatar Airways' business offering as the world's best business class.

Pete Syme/Insider

Every seat — called a Qsuite — comes with its own closing door, and a neat embossed sign for the number.

Pete Syme/Insider

And while the A350's tail cam isn't the greatest resolution, it was a fascinating view that I had never seen before.

Pete Syme/Insider

And there was plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy a luxurious flight.

Pete Syme/Insider

I was most impressed by the central seats, which can also be turned into a double bed.

Pete Syme/Insider

Some of these seats can be opened up by the crew to create "The Quad" — a configuration unique to Qatar Airways, and ideal for families.

Pete Syme/Insider

In between the sections, I caught sight of the galley where flight attendants prepare meals for passengers.

Pete Syme/Insider

And plenty of storage to keep pre-packaged meals or drinks.

Pete Syme/Insider

Next up we visited the economy class which was laid out in the standard 9-abreast — although some airlines have managed to fit 10 seats in a row on the A350.

Pete Syme/Insider

There's a total of 281 seats in the economy class, the Airbus spokesman said.

Pete Syme/Insider

And all the seats were laid out with an extra cushion and a blanket.

Pete Syme/Insider

Maybe it was just because I needed a rest after walking miles around the air show, but I found the economy seats to be pretty comfortable too.

Pete Syme/Insider

It obviously isn't going to be quite as elegant as a Qsuite, but I found there was still a good amount of leg room as someone who's 5-foot-9.

Pete Syme/Insider

And then there's plenty more leg room in the exit row, where the screens are attached to the seats.

Pete Syme/Insider

There was a much bigger galley and two jump seats in the rear of the plane.

Pete Syme/Insider

And I got to look inside the hidden compartment where flight attendants can sleep on long-haul flights.

Pete Syme/Insider

Then we saw the cockpit area, where this ornate logo showed more of the attention to detail that Qatar put into the plane.

Pete Syme/Insider

And there was this display where the crew can check the status of lights, temperature, doors, and smoke detectors.

Pete Syme/Insider

As the tour was ending, we got a brief moment to glimpse inside the cockpit and say hi to a couple of Qatar Airways pilots.

Pete Syme/Insider

The 10 worst airports for summer travel based on on-time arrival performance and airfare price

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

I toured Qatar Airways' luxurious Airbus A350 complete with the 'world's best business class' and was impressed by its comfort and attention to detail

At the Paris Air Show in mid-June, Insider got a tour of Qatar Airways' Airbus A350.

Walking up to the plane from the tarmac instead of a usual jet bridge showed just how big the A350 is.

This was my first air show, and it was a great experience to go through the whole plane and learn more about all the effort and details put into it.

Qatar and Airbus nearly fell out over disagreements about the exterior paint peeling, with the airline trying to sue the manufacturer for $600 million ...

.... but that has been put to rest now, after the two companies reached an undisclosed settlement in February.

Although slightly shorter than Boeing's upcoming 777-9, the huge size of Airbus' wide-body jet was apparent when climbing the stairs and getting a great view of the Paris Air Show.

The tour began in Qatar's business class with its signature purple mood lighting.

The day before my tour, the World Airline Awards named Qatar Airways' business offering as the world's best business class.

Every seat — called a Qsuite — comes with its own closing door, and a neat embossed sign for the number.

And while the A350's tail cam isn't the greatest resolution, it was a fascinating view that I had never seen before.

And there was plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy a luxurious flight.

I was most impressed by the central seats, which can also be turned into a double bed.

Some of these seats can be opened up by the crew to create "The Quad" — a configuration unique to Qatar Airways, and ideal for families.

In between the sections, I caught sight of the galley where flight attendants prepare meals for passengers.

And plenty of storage to keep pre-packaged meals or drinks.

Next up we visited the economy class which was laid out in the standard 9-abreast — although some airlines have managed to fit 10 seats in a row on the A350.

There's a total of 281 seats in the economy class, the Airbus spokesman said.

And all the seats were laid out with an extra cushion and a blanket.

Maybe it was just because I needed a rest after walking miles around the air show, but I found the economy seats to be pretty comfortable too.

It obviously isn't going to be quite as elegant as a Qsuite, but I found there was still a good amount of leg room as someone who's 5-foot-9.

And then there's plenty more leg room in the exit row, where the screens are attached to the seats.

There was a much bigger galley and two jump seats in the rear of the plane.

And I got to look inside the hidden compartment where flight attendants can sleep on long-haul flights.

Then we saw the cockpit area, where this ornate logo showed more of the attention to detail that Qatar put into the plane.

And there was this display where the crew can check the status of lights, temperature, doors, and smoke detectors.

As the tour was ending, we got a brief moment to glimpse inside the cockpit and say hi to a couple of Qatar Airways pilots.