I slept better in this economy class than in business

The airline: Qatar Airways

• Route Melbourne to Doha, flight QR905 (final destination Venice)
• Frequency Twice daily
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
• Class Economy; seat 30J, middle
• Flight time 13 hours 59 minutes (four minutes ahead of schedule)

Checking in

I’ve checked in online but when I arrive at Melbourne Airport, the bag-drop queue is longer than check-in. It takes about 50 minutes to check my suitcase, not helped by a family whose carry-on bags are overweight and have the ignominious task of repacking their stuff on the floor.

Baggage

Up to 25 kilograms of checked luggage for economy passengers, plus one seven-kilogram cabin bag.

Loyalty scheme

Privilege Club, part of the oneworld Alliance. Virgin Australia Velocity members can earn points and status credits on eligible flights.

The seat

I’ve made the rookie error of checking in late and am relegated to a middle seat (30J). It’s a full flight and I’m bemused to discover the young man and woman either side of me are a couple who have taken a punt on booking the window and aisle in the hope of scoring a free middle seat. Woe to them; I’m in it. Weirdly, they don’t offer to swap.

The economy cabin has a 3-4-3 layout and each passenger gets a large blanket and pillow and an amenity kit with socks, ear plugs, eye mask, a toothbrush and toothpaste. The seats are 17.1 inches (43cm) wide, with a 32-inch (81cm) pitch. It’s roomier than many international flights I’ve had. I’m tall (178cm) and my knees don’t quite touch the seat in front. I manage to sleep surprisingly well, helped by a new Cocoon wrap-around pillow, which is the best travel pillow I’ve used.

Entertainment + tech

Qatar’s Oryx One has 8000 entertainment options, so says Jumanji star Kevin Hart in the inflight safety video. The touch-screen system has a choice of movies, TV shows, audio, games and kids’ options – as well as live sport. But unless you’re a Mission Impossible or John Wick action fan, the selection of good flicks is a little thin. What I do love is the free Starlink-enabled inflight Wi-Fi.

Service

Boarding begins exactly one hour before our 10.45pm take-off, and we duly push away from the gate at 10.37pm, arriving in Qatar four minutes early. The inflight service begins with a packaged “refreshing towel” served with a smile, which sets the tone for an efficient and friendly service.

Food

There are three dinner options – chicken with polenta and veggies, pepper beef, and pumpkin ravioli. I opt for the beef, not certain how it will come because there’s no menu. In gravy, with rice, carrots and a leafy vegetable, it turns out. The meal is flavoursome and accompanied by a warm bread roll (no butter), salad and a custard dessert. Bottled water is provided with a choice of soft and non-alcoholic drinks. There’s proper cutlery, but a lot of single-use plastic on the tray.

The second meal is breakfast of either frittata with sausage and baked beans, noodles with beef, or pancakes with strawberries and vanilla custard. The frittata is reasonable but needs seasoning (no salt and pepper are provided), and the milk sachet is a spill hazard.

Sustainability

Qatar has committed to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and zero waste to landfill from Hamad International Airport by 2030. The airline reuses 100 per cent of wastewater generated, and economy blankets are made from 90 per cent recycled plastic bottles. *

One more thing

On December 1, Virgin Australia flights from Melbourne to Doha began under a “wet lease” arrangement with Qatar Airways (voted Skytrax World’s Best Airline 2025). This adds an extra daily service on the route, increasing the number of return flights a day to three.

The price

From about $2200 return, Melbourne to Venice in economy class. **

The verdict

I score an upgrade to business class QSuite on my return flight, but somehow manage to sleep better on this economy leg. That’s the measure of a great flight.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer flew as a guest of Qatar Airways. See qatarairways.com

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.