Qatar Airways Economy Class QR34 Birmingham to Doha – Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner

This is a video of me flying with Qatar Airways from Birmingham to Doha in Economy Class just before Christmas. Birmingham Airport is only a short train ride from home and can be reached by a driverless train from Birmingham International station. The airport is truly decorated with a festive spirit, with a huge Christmas tree in the departure hall. I went downstairs to check in, and took the opportunity to switch to an exit row seat. For your information, exit row seats cannot be selected when you book your flight or manage your booking. They are assigned on a first come first served basis during check in, so better come early! It only took 10 minutes to clear security, and I entered a shopping area reminiscent of the one in Heathrow Terminal 3. Qatar Airways shares the No. 1 Lounge with other airlines and passengers who pay for entry. I managed to order some food before boarding started. The gates are located along a corridor very close to the shopping area and it should not take long to reach any gate. This flight is served by a Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner, the smallest wide body aircraft in the fleet of Qatar Airways. As a Oneworld Sapphire member, I was one of the first to board the plane. I can tell there are not many premium flyers on this flight! I sat in a middle seat, but since I am in the exit row, it does not matter since there is unlimited legroom and I can move in and out easily anyways. After watching the safety video in both English and Arabic, the plane took off swiftly into the afternoon. I picked the chicken tikka masala as my meal. The curry tasted very nice and came with a red pepper. Here is a warning, if you cannot stand spicy food, do not even try to eat the red pepper as it is really spicy. One good thing about Qatar Airways is that Baileys is served even in Economy Class, but in a plastic cup! The lights in the cabin went off shortly after I finished my meal. I guess some people really needed their sleep. You may be interested to know that this flight flew over Iraq on its way to Doha. I could tell since the plane flew past Basra. I guess with air traffic from Qatar being blocked by many Arabic countries, the airline did not really have a choice. The plane touched down in complete darkness, so I was not sure exactly when the plane landed. Small planes like B787s usually do not park directly at the gates of the Hamad International Airport. I had to take a shuttle bus to reach the terminal, where I had less than 2 hours to get through security and transfer to my flight to Hong Kong.