Intro
Middle Eastern airlines love talking up their hospitality, but Qatar Airways actually proves it with hot towels, proper amenity kits, and crew who seem to care genuinely.
The problem is, their vegan food tastes like they forgot the same attention to detail.
Helsinki to Doha
Flying Helsinki to Bangkok via Doha on two sectors gave me the perfect test of whether their reputation holds up when you’re stuck in economy for 11 hours total.
These touches immediately signalled that Qatar Airways takes economy class seriously.
The 30% load factor on my Helsinki to Doha sector allowed me to spread out across an entire row.
About ten minutes after takeoff, menus appeared with three meal choices plus infused focaccia bread, fresh fruit, salad, and dessert.
Having pre ordered a vegan meal, I was pleased when crew members confirmed my special request before service began.
When my vegan meal arrived, it looked decent enough with multiple components on the tray.
The vegetarian bean croquette with rice and tomato sauce was meant to give Mediterranean flavours, but completely missed the mark.
Qatar Airways offers 19 special meal options, which sounds impressive until you realise the vegan execution needs work.
The vegetarian meals might be safer bets – they have Asian vegetarian and Jain options that could have more flavour than the bland Mediterranean attempt I got.
The croquette was mushy and bland with zero seasoning, while the rice was dry and had barely soaked up any flavour from the tomato sauce.
What saved the meal was everything else.
The salad starter was excellent, with crisp greens, ripe tomatoes, and a tangy dressing that provided the bright flavours the main course lacked.
The infused focaccia bread was way better than expected for economy – herbs and olive oil gave it proper character instead of the usual bland airline rolls.
Route makes a difference with Qatar Airways.
On some flights like Doha to Paris, you get one meal service with three choices.
I’ve seen menus offering wok-fried chicken with hoisin sauce, beef meatballs with herb potato mash, or herb gnocchi with mushroom alfredo cream, plus wild rice salad starter and Mississippi chocolate mud pie.
Then later there’s a movie treats service with crisps, chocolate, and popcorn instead of a second full meal.
Qatar Airways goes beyond most airlines with three meal choices instead of the usual two.
They also use proper metal cutlery in economy – small touches that make a difference when you’re eating with plastic spoons on other carriers.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I ordered the standard Chicken Kabsa after asking the crew for one.
The chicken was tender and had soaked up the spice blend properly – cardamom, cinnamon, black lime, and bay leaves that make kabsa taste different from regular airline rice dishes.
The rice underneath was fragrant and perfectly cooked, with individual grains that had soaked up the chicken’s cooking juices, along with saffron that provided both golden colour and subtle floral notes.
Each forkful delivered different flavour layers, from warming spices to the tangy brightness of dried lime.
The drink service was solid too – 28 options including Bombay Sapphire gin, Dewar’s whiskey, and VEUVE AMBAL sparkling wine.
Personal water bottles instead of shared pours from jugs, which feels more premium and means you’re not waiting for crew to come around.
Four hours into the flight, a second service offered a spinach and lemon dahl wrap that redeemed the earlier vegan disappointment.
The dahl filling was creamy and well spiced, with enough lemon to brighten the earthy lentils, all wrapped in soft flatbread that held everything together nicely.
Doha to Bangkok
The 5.5-hour second sector began with similar service rituals, but breakfast proved more challenging than dinner.
My egg dish arrived looking appetising, but it was delivered with poorly executed basics.
The eggs were overcooked to rubber consistency.
The accompanying elements were equally underwhelming.
However, the later snack service offered a Chinese barbecue pastry, the sauce had a proper umami depth, with sweet and savoury notes balanced well.
Conclusion
Here’s the thing – Qatar Airways gets economy class hospitality right in ways most airlines don’t bother with.
Hot towels before takeoff, decent amenity kits, and crew who actually check back to see if you need anything instead of disappearing after service.
The food hits and misses.
Skip the vegan options unless you’re desperate – that croquette was terrible.
But the Chicken Kabsa was good, with authentic spices and perfectly cooked rice that had real flavour.
Even small touches like the infused focaccia show they’re putting effort into details other airlines ignore.
The Doha to Bangkok breakfast was forgettable with rubbery eggs, but the Chinese barbecue pastry later made up for it with proper umami flavours.
Qatar Airways gives you better service and food than most European carriers, especially on longer routes where the multiple meal services and crew attention make a real difference.
