Qatar Airways First Class For 2 People
I'm absolutely stoked about this one! Qatar rarely releases first class award space for two people. I was so excited to see it, I booked it myself. You'll find the space on Qatar's route between Doha and Perth, Australia.
It's rare that I send an Award Alert that doesn't touch the US or Canada, but Qatar doesn't fly first class to either. It's also one of the most requested flights by STTP Premium members and has been for a while.
Yes, I pay attention to your travel preferences. Make sure you fill out the intake form so I know what you want to fly and where you want to go!
Given that some of you booked Qantas first class when I sent a newsletter a few weeks ago, I figured this would be an awesome way to start the journey home. I actually just booked this for myself. Should go nicely with my Qantas first class flights to Sydney!
Now, let's get into it!
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Important Notes
STTP NYC Meetup
We'll meet at Daintree this Saturday, March 18 at 4pm ET. Please RVSP. If you RSVPed but can't make it, email so I can get an accurate headcount.
Two 90k Business Card Sign-up Bonuses Ending
Two $900/90k-point business card bonuses are expected to end in 5 days. If your'e planning to apply, I have links to cards here. Thanks for your support!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: DOH-PER
Operating airline: Qatar Airways
Class of service: First class
Dates: September 2023 - February 2024
Seats available: 2
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Alaska Mileage Plan: 150,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 100,000 miles
- British Airways Executive Club: 105,000 Avios
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club: 105,000 Avios
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way from DOH: ~$52
- One-way from PER: ~$56
- With Surcharges:
- One-way from DOH: ~$126
- One-way from PER: ~$126
Alaska adds a $12.50 partner award booking fee.
Bank transfer partners:
- Alaska: Marriott
- American: Bilt, Marriott
- British Airways: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
- Qatar Airways: Citi, Marriott
Let me know if you book! I love you hearing about your booking wins!
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Flight Experience
Qatar Airways only has first class on the upper deck of its Airbus A380. The cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 layout with a total of only eight seats. Naturally each seat is lie-flat and has direct aisle access. While the seats don't have doors, it was still quite a private experience with the privacy shield raised.
I flew Qatar first from Paris to Doha last fall and really enjoyed the experience. The food was similar to Qsuites but the champagne was excllent. Plus, there's a bar behind the business class cabin which is a nice place to hang out.
To top it off, the crew on my flight was probably one of the best I've seen in the air. With so few passengers, they really do personalize the experience.
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Available Dates
DOH-PER
May: 2, 7, 9, 10, 14, 21, 22, 25, 26, 30
June: 2, 5, 6, 12, 14, 16-20
July: N/A
August: N/A
September: 4, 6, 10, 11, 15
October: N/A
November: 2, 5, 7, 9-12, 14, 16, 18-20, 22-25, 27, 28, 30
December: 1, 3, 6-8, 10
January: 15, 16, 21, 23, 30, 31
February: 1-5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 22-28
March: 1-12
PER-DOH
May: 11, 13, 16, 21
June: 27
July: N/A
August: N/A
September: 13, 18, 21, 22, 26, 28, 30
October: 1, 4, 6-8, 10-13, 15-25, 27, 28, 31
November: 1, 2, 6, 8-19, 21-30
December: 3, 4, 9, 12
January: 16, 20-31
February: 1-3, 5-16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26-29
March: 1-4, 6-12
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Best Ways To Book
British Airways or Qatar Avios: Great Rate, Easy To Earn
British Airways and Qatar Airways both require 150,000 Avios one-way. Given that it's so easy to earn Avios by transferring Amex, Bilt, Capital One, or Chase points to BA and Citi points to Qatar, I think this has an advantage over American for most people.
Even with the surcharges, the taxes/fees are reasonable.
You can link your BA and Qatar accounts then combine Avios between them
American: Great Rate, No Surcharges, Transfer from Bilt
If you want to keep the cash cost of your ticket to a minimum, 100,000 American miles is a great choice. You can transfer Bilt or Marriott points and put an award ticket on hold for up to 5 days.
You can include connections on American's Oneworld partners within Australia and the Middle East for no additional miles.
Alaska: Only If You Have A Ton Of Miles & Earn A Ton Of Miles
If you have Alaska miles and earn them easily, maybe using 150,000 miles is worth it to you. Personally, I would leave my Alaska miles for something else.
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How To Book
- Go to AA's site
- Select Advanced / Multi-city search (just click this link)
- Select Redeem miles
- Select One way or Round trip
- Enter From & To cities
- Select departure date(s)
- Choose the number of passengers
- Select Class as Business/First
- Click Search
- If you're searching for a nonstop, select Calendar then sort by nonstop.
- Once you know which dates have space, you can run a search from your home airport if you're not booking nonstop
If you're not booking with American miles, you can run a search with the program you're using once you find a date you want to book.
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Final Thoughts
Given Qatar Airways' tendency to release only one seat in first class on flights to London, this is a great opportunity to try Qatar first class with a travel companion. If nothing else, it's a great excuse to visit Australia.
Happy booking!
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