Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways Check-in Area at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Today's trip brings me to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where I just arrived from Starlux's inaugural long-haul service into LAX from Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). I will be continuing my journey to Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) onboard Qatar Airways' QSuite product onboard its A350-1000 aircraft. At over 8,000 miles, this is one of the longest routes in Qatar Airways' network.

Both Starlux's business class product and Qatar's QSuite are seriously good. Needless to say, I was extremely lucky to be able to fly on two of the very best business class products back to back.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways Business Class Boarding Pass

Qatar Airways uses Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) here at LAX. TBIT serves as the central hub for most international long-haul flights at LAX, hosting airlines from all major global alliances.

I arrived relatively early, and there isn't a queue for business class check-in. I was able to get my boarding pass without any problems.

Silhouettes of Sky - Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) Departure Area

The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at LAX offers a delightful experience for transit and departures. The departure area is spacious, well-lit with loads of shops and restaurants. 

These giant LED screens are implemented quite nicely IMO. They look visually stunning, not too flashy or intrusive, and add a modern touch to the overall ambiance.

Silhouettes of Sky - Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) Boarding Gate

The boarding lines are arranged by cabin class and elite status. The gates here at TBIT use facial recognition as the primary method for boarding verification without the need to scan physical or electronic boarding pass, which has become a growing trend in airports worldwide in recent years.

Silhouettes of Sky - Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) Apron View with Qatar Airways A350-1000 A7-ANR

Today's ride (at the back) is A7-ANR, a 2020-built A350-1000 aircraft. It is purchased and owned by Qatar Airways, and is equipped with Rolls Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.

The aircraft in the front is Emirates' A380 aircraft A6-EUF.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Seat

The Qatar Airways A350-1000 aircraft cabin looks fantastic upon boarding; experiencing the QSuite for the first time is definitely a remarkable treat.

My first impression was overwhelmingly positive - the high privacy walls, the classic Qatar Airways purple accents, and just an overall bright and spacious interior. The seat itself also looks incredibly spacious.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Seat

I assigned myself seat 7K, a rear-facing window seat. Thanks to the staggered layout of QSuite, half of the seats face forward, while the other half face the rear.  

All the true window seats (those closer to the window and farther from the aisle) are rear-facing, which, if you don't mind sitting backwards, are the best seats for solo travelers as they offer the most amount of privacy and the benefit of being next to the windows.

Although this was my first time sitting backward on a flight, I was totally okay with it. It felt a bit unusual during takeoff and landing. But once the aircraft starts cruising, I got used to it immediately and don't feel it anymore.

In fact, the slight upward tilt of the aircraft during cruise made the flat bed feel more natural and comfortable for sleeping when sitting backwards, as your feet won’t end up higher than your head when lying "flat".

There are a few products that have rear-facing seats that I know of: 

• Qatar Airways' QSuite Business Class on A350 and 777
• Etihad's Business Studio and First Class on A380 and 787
• ANA's The Room Business Class on 777
• American Airlines' Concept D Business Class on 777 and 787
• British Airways' Club World Business Class on A380, 777 and 787
• United's Domestic First Class on 777

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class IFE

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Literature

A safety card and a QSuite specific safety instruction card can be found on the seat pocket.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Privacy Wall

One thing that the QSuite does absolutely the best is in privacy. The wall on the QSuite seat is so high and it create a true personal cubicle. When the door is closed, it’s very difficult to see anyone passing by. Even the cabin crew need to lean in closely over the partition to talk to passengers.

While more Business Class products now feature sliding doors, many fall short in delivering genuine improvements in privacy due to their smaller size and lower height. That is not the case with QSuite and I would say it still offers the highest level of privacy in any Business Class product in the market.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Storage Space

On the side, a quite large storage space under the armrest area can be opened up. This space can be elevated to function as a comfortable armrest or lowered to create a smooth extension of the bed surface for added comfort.

Inside, you will find the air sickness bag, a bottle of  water, as well as a pair of headphones.

Silhouettes of Sky - A Silhouette of Sky

Silhouettes of Sky - View of Western USA Landscape

Taking off facing the rear is a bit weird; but once cruising started it all felt normal.

Right after take off, we were treated with some stunning view of the mountain landscape of Western USA (I think this photo is around the area of Joshua Tree National Park).

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Pre-Meal Snack Service

Shortly after take-off, the "main" meal service starts. Qatar Airways uses a dine-on-demand system where you can freely choose when and what to eat throughout the flight, so there isn't a set number of meal services like many other airlines.

Before take-off, the cabin crew checked whether I wanted to eat after take-off, and also took my order. For those who prefer to eat later during the flight, the cabin crew can reserve the dishes of your choice for later.

Before the meal, a pre-meal drinks and warm nuts service was offered.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Meal

As I was not too hungry, I opted to only have a main course for the meal service. Ordered a fish, not bad tasting overall, but clearly some of the vegetables are thawed then re-heated.

Qatar Airways does the dining experience proper though. Despite I only ordered one disk, it came with the full table set up with the butter plate, bread basket, cutleries, glasses and a candle.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Fruit Plate

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Breakfast

Later on during the flight, I ordered a fruit plate and a salmon flatbread. The food quality of these two dish are much better than the main meal - the fruits and salmon are super fresh.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Chocolate

Lastly, some Läderach chocolate before landing.

Overall, fantastic dining experiences with the dine-on-demand service, especially as many airlines are trying to cost cut in the Business Class cabin. Food quality range from good to great; drinks selection is among the best. Also, kudos to the cabin crew on this flight, who are super friendly and hard working.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class Lavatory

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-1000 Inflight Map

Silhouettes of Sky - Arrival Gate at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

As we pulled into the gate at Doha Airport (which admittedly is a rare occasion at Doha), the sky at the back changed into a even more elegant mix of purple and blue.

Just stunning.

Silhouettes of Sky - Transit Area at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

Because we arrived from the United States, we did not have to go through security check again at DOH - this is not always the case if arriving from other countries.

Doha is generally pleasant to transit through, but it can get quite chaotic during peak arrival and departure hours.

Silhouettes of Sky - The Orchard at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

One of the main attraction in the airport is definitely The Orchard. Back when this trip happened in 2023, The Orchard has just opened, along with Qatar Airways' new Business Class lounge Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden, which is right next to The Orchard.

The design of The Orchard really resembles Jewel at Singapore Changi Airport, and the similarities has spurred quite a lot of discussions back then.

Silhouettes of Sky - Qatar Airways A350-900 A7-AML at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

After a short stay at the airport, time to board my connecting flight to Singapore. I will be sitting in Economy Class for this flight, and the flight is operated by an A350-900 aircraft with registration of A7-AML.