Qatar Airways
Qatar’s state-owned full-service flag carrier, linking Doha with a broad international network and known for its long-haul service and premium cabins.
About Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways was founded in 1993 and began operations the following year. It is the national airline of Qatar and is owned by the Qatari government. Operating scheduled passenger and cargo services under the QR code, the carrier has developed a global identity built around connecting international markets through its home country rather than relying primarily on domestic traffic.
The airline’s primary hub is Hamad International Airport in Doha, where its timetable supports connections between Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Its network covers 114 destinations across 66 countries and 232 routes. Notable cities include Bangkok, Philadelphia, Barcelona, Beirut, Bucharest, Budapest, Dar Es Salaam, Entebbe and Johannesburg, alongside regional points such as Alexandria and Baku.
Aircraft types associated with Qatar Airways operations include Airbus A319, A320, A321, A330-200, A330-300 and A340-600 models, together with Boeing 767, 777-200LR and 777-300ER aircraft. The airline uses different aircraft according to route length and demand. Passenger service is generally divided between Economy Class and premium cabins, with Business Class central to its long-haul offering and First Class available on selected services.
Qatar Airways joined the Oneworld alliance in 2013, giving eligible passengers access to reciprocal benefits across participating member airlines. Its loyalty programme is Qatar Airways Privilege Club, which uses Avios as its reward currency. Members can earn and redeem Avios with Qatar Airways and eligible partners, while tier status may provide benefits such as priority services, additional baggage allowances and lounge access, subject to fare and membership conditions.
A major strength is the breadth of one-stop connections available through Doha, particularly for journeys linking regions that may have limited nonstop service. Hamad International Airport is designed around transfer traffic, but connection times and walking distances can vary substantially. Travellers should also compare fare conditions carefully because baggage, seat selection, changes and refunds depend on the booked cabin and fare family rather than the route alone.
Good to know
Flying with Qatar Airways — what to expect
Doha Connections
Most connecting itineraries pass through Hamad International Airport. Check the terminal information and transfer time shown on your booking, especially when travelling with children or reduced mobility.
Fare Family Rules
Baggage, seat selection, change and refund conditions vary by cabin and fare family. Review the exact inclusions before purchasing rather than assuming every Economy or Business fare has identical terms.
Carry-On Checks
Cabin-baggage allowances depend on the travel class and itinerary, and enforcement can include both weight and item limits. Confirm the allowance on your ticket before arriving at the airport.
Privilege Club Avios
Privilege Club members earn Avios according to eligible booking conditions and may receive Oneworld benefits based on status. Add your membership number before travel and retain boarding passes until points have posted.
Premium Cabin Variations
Business Class seats and layouts can differ by aircraft, and the Qsuite product is not fitted to every flight. Check the scheduled aircraft and seat map, while remembering that operational substitutions can occur.
Long-Haul Planning
Qatar Airways operates very long sectors, including Doha to Houston. Choose seats, meals and connection times with the full journey length in mind, not just the first flight.
Network overview
Where Qatar Airways flies
Qatar Airways operates 232 routes to 114 destinations across 66 countries, its longest sector reaching Doha to Houston (12,930 km nonstop).
Destinations served
Cities Qatar Airways flies to, most-served first.
Main hubs
Busiest departure bases, by route count.
Fleet
Aircraft types on record for these routes.
Longest nonstop route
Doha → Houston
12,930 km · DOH → IAH
The longest sector in the Qatar Airways network, measured as the great-circle distance between the two airports.
Route data · TravelPayouts route data · updated 2026-07
Route network
Popular routes operated by Qatar Airways
Tracked Qatar Airways routes touch Uganda, Qatar, Bahrain, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina.
KGL - EBBKigali → Entebbe0h 53m340 kmBAH - DOHBahrain → Doha0h 40m145 kmDOH - BAHDoha → Bahrain0h 40m145 kmDPS - SINDenpasar (Bali) → Singapore2h 25m1,671 kmSIN - DPSSingapore → Denpasar (Bali)2h 25m1,671 kmEZE - GRUBuenos Aires → Sao Paulo2h 29m1,722 kmCPT - JNBCape Town → Johannesburg1h 58m1,271 kmJNB - CPTJohannesburg → Cape Town1h 58m1,271 kmGRU - EZESao Paulo → Buenos Aires2h 29m1,722 kmReviews of Qatar Airways
TripAdvisor · 2023–2024- 510
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What travellers flew
Counted from the 50 reviews below — a tally of the flights reviewed, with each chip carrying the average score those reviewers gave. Nothing here reads their prose or summarises what they said.
✓ marks a group averaging 7/10 or better, − one averaging 4/10 or worse, across at least three reviews.
Perfect support from Abhilash. Many thanks to all
Perfect support from Abhilash. Many thanks to all.. Perfect flight, excellent service, all the best, keep it up
Posted February 2024 by Olaf G
Terrible experience, unresponsive complaints process
Our flight originally at 9.30 am, then 9.50 am was put forward by around 2 hours and after two further changes to 8 am, then finalized at 07.45 am. The recommended time for Kathmandu airport arrival is three hours prior to check in. This was quite literally… See more terrible for us, as it required us to try to get across Kathmandu at 4 am, when there are no busses, taxi apps are unhelpful and unreliable. It meant getting up at 3 am, hoping the transport worked out as there are few alternatives if the taxi does not come, and added an exhausting three hours to our journey Indeed we met another elderly lady on the flight who had been visiting her daughter in Kathmandu, working for a large NGO, who had similar terrible issues with Qatar Airways. We had relied on Qatar Airways as I needed to be back for work, onward transport was pre booked and other times and dates would not work for us in terms of making the connection in Doha or our pre booked transport in UK. From then on our week was a nightmare of trying to contact Qatar Airlines to see what we could do. The app kept asking me to update my details then saying error, as did the web. "Chat" was impossible for us to contact for all the week apart from the last day. It simply didn’t come up. We tried by any means by app, by ipad, by iphone, by laptop. E-mails even to named customer or booking representatives were not answered. We were exhorted by the app to add our trip to privilege club section but this never saved. Our details did not update on the app, yet we were constantly asked to update them. We became used to seeing the message from Qatar Airways; "We are facing some technical error”. There was a constant cycle of being taken back to the home page. My son-in- law, who was with us on the family visit, and very web and app able, after several hours and indeed days of trying, through various different maneuvers, managed to access the chat system. As we were going to be totally exhausted I asked about upgrades or upgrade offers to be told I had been sent an upgrade offer but hadn’t responded, the offer had disappeared and none was now available. This was not true. I had not been sent one. My son-in-law, on the other hand, had received repeated push notifications. We went into a travel agent in Kathmandu and asked them to contact the Qatar Airlines office and explain the situation on our behalf. There were no upgrade offers available. The price would have been equivalent to choosing business or even first class on initial booking. I finally managed on the last day of our stay to access chat and explained the situation ( three times to three different chat staff during the same chat as the it kept logging me off). I was told no upgrades were available as there were no seats but to search the web myself. This is not only a cop out and no way to deal with elderly people but also not actually true as there were over ten empty seats to be seen in business class when we finally received an upgrade offer at check in. These empty seats cannot all have reappeared in the 18 hours before take-off. It appears simply a way to make sure the chat operators didn’t enter into any negotiations about free upgrades or concessionary rates. As I was told there were no seats in business class (although in fact clearly there were) and knowing our health was frail and that also I had to be back at work in a responsible position with patients' well-being depending on my decision making, on the following Monday, I asked whether we could at least get lounge pass so we could rest. Not so. I was simply told to look on the web, understand the various links and buy one. How is this even a chat service? I noted in Doha when we struggled to the Oryx lounge it was quite literally empty of travelers and was informed it would cost us $150 dollars to even sit quietly in the lounge and rest. What is it being saved for? Are the snacks simply left out to go bad? How could it not at least be used as a complementary compensatio
See lessPosted December 2023 by hilary k
Nightmare flight and rude ground staff
Worst flight Ive ever experienced. Flight was stuck on the tarmac in Doha for 4.5hrs unable to take off due to repeated technical problems. We were given no information, only two drinks of water, and no food during this time, parents with young children given… See more no assistance. Passengers said we didn’t feel safe flying due to technical issues and eventually they offloaded everyone from the flight. However it was chaos in the airport, we were not told where to go, how to get the next flight, and the male ground staff were incredibly rude to a group of female passengers and made us go through security twice again. Then we eventually arrive in Melbourne 7hrs late and were told that Qatar airlines would not allow anyone to use the smart gates. Hence we then had to endure an enormous queue to get through passport control. I will not use this airline again.
See lessPosted December 2023 by June A, Melbourne
Worst Qatar
The worst Qatar airline service in the world. I booked four tickets, one of them for an infant. When he informed me that there was a special seat for the infant, I was surprised when boarding the plane that there was no seat. When asked about the yacht, one of… See more the employees came. He informed me that he wanted to cancel the special tickets, as I carried the infant for 17 hours. They do not have sufficient experience in the field of passenger service. They do not have any humanity, whether collecting money at any cost or not
See lessPosted December 2023 by Muhannad Matar
Qatar Airways is a big lie
flight was delayed eleven hours and they didn't care or provide any help or service even there business lounge was crowded and passengers have to wait to get in .
Posted November 2023 by SAHAL A
Extra legroom is a bit of a scam
First flights with Qatar. Flew Australia to London and back with a stopover in Doha. Booked and paid for the extra legroom because no premium economy on my flights. On the way out great but the two legs on the way home just normal cramped seats. Others on same… See more flights had the same issue. No upgrades, nothing they could do but give an email to address issues when home which doesn't solve the problem. Most airlines would just upgrade the next leg to even things out. Qatar doesn't do that. It seems to be a thing they do. So be warned if you pay extra it doesn't guarantee you the extra legroom seats. Food good, service ok. Nice new planes. Entertainment system really good. Doha lovely airport but I would choose Emirates in future as they have always provided better service. Not sure how they win airline or the year so many times?
See lessPosted September 2023 by Traveller Mike, York
Traveller reviews originally published on TripAdvisor, shown for reference — service standards may have changed since. Originfacts does not edit or verify individual reviews, and the sample reflects who chose to leave one.
FAQ
Qatar Airways — frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the details travellers usually check first, from codes and locations to the practical basics that help with planning.
8 common questions
- Originfacts compares live fares from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies via its partner Travelpayouts. Originfacts never adds a fee.
- The longest Qatar Airways route is Doha to Houston, covering about 12,930 km nonstop.
- Fares are often lower when booked in advance for off-peak travel dates, but prices vary by route and demand. Comparing nearby dates and avoiding major holidays can reveal better options.
- The busiest departure cities by route count are Doha, Bangkok, Philadelphia, Barcelona and Beirut. Hamad International Airport in Doha is the airline’s principal hub.
- Carry-on limits vary by cabin, fare and itinerary, with both weight and item restrictions potentially applying. Check the baggage allowance displayed on your Qatar Airways booking before travel.
- Qatar Airways is based at Hamad International Airport in Doha. Doha is its busiest departure hub and the main connecting point for the airline’s international network.
- Qatar Airways flies to 114 destinations across 66 countries, operating 232 routes.
- Qatar Airways serves cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Examples include Bangkok, Philadelphia, Barcelona, Beirut, Bucharest, Budapest, Dar Es Salaam, Entebbe and Johannesburg.