Emirates v Qatar airlines - big difference?

Not flown Emirates, but have Qatar, they were very good. Had lots of space on the A330-200 out of Gatwick to Doha. Transfering through Doha for my next flight to Bahrain was straight forward and easy, and probably better and quicker than transiting at Dubai. The economy product of both airlines are about the same.

I feel like I'm, stalking you on this topic! We went with Qatar Air for the (relative) cheapness. They were great and would fly with them again. The only downside was the 2 hour(ish) stopover in Doha which wasn't the most exciting or comfortable place (mainly because after queueing for the loo for about 20 mins in the airport I discovered it was a hole in the ground affair so lesson learned to go on the plane before we stopped on the way back! That's just me though, might not bother others). The service on the flight was really good though which is the main part of the journey.

For a £600 saving I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Thanks for the reply (I thought you would reply ?)

So its not worth the extra money then? The flight with Qatar was stopping in Doha and Emirates was Dubai.

Ohhhh Maldives holiday is getting cheaper!

I've not flown either as we always assumed the stopover time would be such a pain in the arse that when we've gone to the Maldives (3 times) we've gone with Thomson Airlines direct. I

'm therefore very interested in how the stopover goes, how long is it, what do you do as flying charter long haul is just now fun, esp as the last return journey they had the wrong plane with no entertainment at all!

The main advantage of the scheduled flights is that they're usually at much better/ more sociable times, at least that what we found when we were looking at planning our holiday and we got an extra half day on our holiday as those on the charter flights all had to leave really early in the morning whereas we got to lounge about until mid-afternoon. I generally think you get better service on the flight itself from my experience. I quite liked having a couple of hours off the plane to wander about too, even if it wasn't in the most interesting place.

I just wish I was planning to go there again *sigh*.

Thanks for the reply again Tweeks.

Interesting to hear your opinion about the flight. There is a longish stopover in Doha which is a pain as i'm not loving the idea of the whole in the floor but hey ho...wont tell my H about it though!

I'm more bothered about the cost than anything. If I feel like I'm saving a few pounds then all the better.

I've changed where I want us to go now though...Reethi Beach instead of Kuredu. Kuredu seemed a bit of a pain with what was and wasnt covered in the AI option but Reethi seems a bit more straight forward.

Hoping its not too long before we found out if we can or cant go.

The main problem with Doha Airport is that they are currently building a newer one, hence the current one isn`t having much money being spent on it. New one opens late 09, early 10. But shouldn`t detract from the overall experience. If you get a few spare hours go and see Doha, very nice place to wander around in.

I would find out the flight times beforehand.

Qatar may be cheaper but if it's the afternnoon flight (3pm) it will be a long trip , as the only flight down from Doha to Male is at 9am - so you will be in doha for 6hrs .So the best option would be to get a flight leaving arounf 9pmish from the UK to have a shorter stop in Doha, which would probably match the Emirates cost.

The emirates to Male flight leaves at 3.25am from Dubai - so you need to be on the lunchtime flight from UK flight for a 2 hour gap at Dubai.

Both Airlines in economy are pretty much the same, I'd go Emirates out of the 2 , but then I use then quite often - Dubai is also a better terminal to transit in.

My parents live in Doha so have visited frequently - it's certainly not as nice or as well stocked as Dubai but it's fine and I wouldn't pay a lot extra to transit through Dubai. Flightwise I wouldn't say there was anything to choose between Emirates and QA. Last time I was in Qatar my dad paid extra for me to be able to access the Oryx lounge in the airport - it's nothing startling but they do have toilets (the ones in the airport itself are skanky), showers, comfy seats, free wifi, snacks/drinks (no alcohol) and lockers to leave your hand luggage in - I was leaving from Qatar when I did this but it might be worth looking into whether you can pay extra to access this if you're just passing through. I used the al-Maha service and looking at this you can buy access to the lounge for 140QR which is about £27: http://www.dohaairport.com/services_almaha.html?linksr09

We have flown Qatar religiously for 3 years now from Manchester-Doha-Johannesburg and return. The reason for the cheaper fare is all to do with the airport taxes, the fares themselves are generally the same as Emirates, it's the taxes that differ. Qatar airport is small and once you've browsed duty free, there is not much to see or do, but like someone else said, you can book the Oryx Lounge (at your departure airport's ticket desk) for about £25 - 28 which gives you access to the lounge for the duration of your time at the airport. It is available whether you are flying out from there or in transit.

The lounge has a good selection of food (sandwiches, pastries, cakes, traditional snacks, etc, drink (no alcohol after 11pm), free internet, tv's, really comfy chairs which are easy enough to sleep in, toilets, showers (the provide you with towels) and a smoking room which, if you are a smoker, if worth the £25 alone as the one in the airport is skanky to the max. As for airport toilets, they are not the best I've seen, but I can assure you that although there are some hole in the ground ones (as there are in Dubai), there are also conventional toilets as I have used them many times.

The on-flight service is fantastic, the crew are always happy to help, really friendly and the food is always really nice (for airplane food anyway). A word of warning, when flying back through Qatar, do not purchase any duty-free alcohol in the Maldives as the laws do not allow you to enter Doha with alcohol. Rather buy what you want induty free in Doha, it is really really cheap. HTH

Thanks to everyone for your replies. You've all been very informative.

I am liking the idea of the Oryx Lounge - that would make the wait a lot easier to manage.

Clairej - you say this is bookable at the departure airport? So if/when we check in at Manchester we can pay the fee and get in? Only on the link that Marla kindly provided it says to book at Arrivals and they need 24hour notice.

Would be nice to go outside the airport and have a look around like Glider suggested but think my H may just want to settle in the lounge.

Anyway fingers now crossed that we get to go!

I so wish I'd had hitched or similar when we went- would have been a more comfortable first stop if I'd known to look for proper toilets! Good to know about the lounge should we go back in the future.

Hope you get it booked FF.

Yes, if you go to the Qatar ticket desk before you check in they book it for you then and give you a voucher which you present to the staff at the Oryx lounge reception. You can also just pay when you get to the lounge but I prefer knowing that when I get there it's all sorted. If you had a longer stopover it would be good to look around but to be honest there is not much within walking distance (unless you really want McDonalds ?) and traffic is quite hectic so I'd be worried that I wouldn't make it back in time. Good luck, hope it all gets sorted for you!

I've flown with both and there's not much difference IMO, duty free was v cheap in Doha! ?

Who have you found the best deal with for your hotel? I'm currently trying to price up a holiday to Maldives in Jan but I'm struggling to find the hotel I want (Banyan tree).

Agree with others. Doha is not a great airport and would definitely use the lounge service if available. The airport is a little way out of town and to be honest, there was so much construction going on in Doha when I was there a few weeks ago, you couldnt have tempted me out of the airport for all the tea in China. And if you are going to be there any time after the mid/end of May, then you wont be able to wander around as it will be too hot and/or humid.

I am an Emirates traveller and use them a lot. I really like the new terminal which is dedicated to Emirates flights only - the duty free is great and its quite quick to go through immigration, although they still seem to park the planes in Saudi and taxi to the stand for ages. I tend to be a business traveller and the new business lounge is nice, but a bit cavernous.

I prefer my flights with Emirates but perhaps thats because they are my primary airline so I am really used to the Emirates way? I do remember doing the hop from Doha to Abu Dhabi on Qatar once and there was livestock on the plane - in the cabin....but this was an awfully long time ago!! I also really rate the Emirates Holidays which they offer, usually with the hotel pretty much thrown in for peanuts.

Kathryn - have you tried www.asiarooms.com or www.i-escape.com for your hotel? I have used i-escape a couple of times now and they have been fantastic on price and availability.

thanks tilly bean - I've used asiarooms before for a Thailand holiday, saved loads. I'll have a look at i-escape too ?