Magic in the Middle East: Qatar Airways Muscat to Doha Flight Review

I was flying Muscat to Doha on Qatar Airways, and although Oman Air had a separate check-in line for first and business travelers at the airport, Qatar Airways did not. Thankfully the line moved relatively quickly and after checking in I was given an invitation to the OneWorld airport lounge.

The lounge was quiet and had few visitors.

One wall held a buffet with assorted snacks and drinks.

After a short rest I went to the gate, but it was only after I got there that the sign changed from on time to delayed. There were lots of people crammed together in the gate areas, and not enough seating for everyone.

Not all of the rows of seats were stationary either so they had been pulled together to create a lounging area for a handful of people. Finally someone appeared at the door to take boarding passes and let people on the buses.

Then on the buses we parked in front of the plane and waited.

Finally the doors opened and people jostled to get onboard first. Somehow I ended up almost at the end of the queue but since I was sitting in seat 2F with minimal luggage it didn’t matter. In fact, unlike on many domestic flights in the US there was plenty of space for the bags in the overhead.

The first class recliners were upholstered in the cheery signature Qatar Airways red, and pillows, blankets and headsets were on the seats.

Once I was settled in I was greeted warmly, given a choice of pre-departure drinks, and chose a refreshing pineapple mint.

Thick, classy menus were distributed and I was surprised seeing as the flight was only an hour and a half. Here’s the menu –

With engines roaring we were soon airborne with smooth air all the way up to our cruising altitude.

I chose the sesame crusted Halloumi cheese as the main, and started off with a small cup of hot Jasmine tea.

There were several seat functions and I got it into a comfortable position just in time for the meal service.

I had opted to skip the appetizer salad and went right to the main, which was delicious. The flight attendants were attentive and professional, offering more bread and refilling drinks.

The pistachio macaron with cream was pretty tasty too, and the flight attendant came back around to offer me some more tea to drink which I accepted.

The service was pleasant, the seat was comfortable and the meal was great.

For such a short flight the cabin crew sure made it all seem effortless, and it almost seemed too soon when we started our descent into Doha.