Phuket to Doha on a Ghost of Virgin Past

How do you symbolise a marriage — even a polyamorous one — between two airlines? Well, you could fly around in one of your new bride’s ex-assets that you picked up before tying the knot, I guess. That’s kind of what’s going on with this flight, and it’s something even this avgeek wasn’t expecting. Am I losing my avgeek game?

Boarding my Qatar 777-300ER flight to Doha this evening, I find myself stepping onto an ex–Virgin Australia plane. I’d been expecting a Cathay Pacific 777, so the old Virgin seats are a pleasant surprise — and, honestly, a bit of an upgrade. We’ll come back to that later, but for now, let’s rewind a couple of hours and start at the beginning.

I sip a complimentary beer in the humid air while waiting the 30 minutes between hotel checkout and my airport ride. The drive to the airport takes about 15 minutes. I laugh quietly to myself as we pass a shop called “Daily Tops.” Where do I sign up for that?

In the terminal, the check-in line is huge. Luckily, my Velocity points scored me a business class ticket for this flight, letting me skip the queue. Sure, my Qantas status would’ve done the same—but it wouldn’t have got me into the pointy end. I don’t think of myself as a light traveller, but the couple in front of me have eight suitcases between them. I don’t even own that many clothes!

The staff kindly link my two bookings, so my bag is tagged all the way to Spain. I’m given a lounge and fast-track voucher and head off to immigration. The lines are huge, and with no sign of where fast track starts, I double back and ask a staff member. Apparently, I needed to see the guy in a suit. Suit guy promptly escorts me through the crew lane. Immigration done—with an assistant—in no time.

I arrive at the tiny, packed lounge and manage to snag the last seat. Honestly, the terminal looks less crowded. I grab a Coke and some corn chips, but spit them out after the first bite—stale and disgusting. This lounge is a fail. I head back to the terminal for some peace and a fresher snack: Pringles.

Let’s skip ahead to boarding the 777. Entry is via door 2, straight into the old Virgin Australia bar. The interior hasn’t changed since its Virgin days. Win. I never got to fly Virgin’s 777s, so I’m excited to finally try the hard product. The seats are also way better than the Cathay 777 layout I was expecting. Double win!

Settled into my seat, I’m excited and super comfortable. It’s a shame the old Virgin Australia went belly up — this was a solid product; they just never quite figured out how to make it profitable. Welcome champagne sipped, pillow fluffed, I’m already feeling a lot more at ease than I did on yesterday’s flight as I take off again, heading further west.

Qatar offers à la carte dining in business class, although on this short 6.5-hour flight, everyone’s served at once at the start. I begin with the mezze plate, despite knowing this fructose-rich starter is going to piss off my innards. The hummus is great, but the pita bread expired shortly after arrival.

Next up was beef, potatoes and veggies — obviously described much more fancily than that on the menu. It tasted alright, but nothing to write home about (says the guy literally writing home about it). I’d ordered the coconut something for dessert, but was given ice cream instead. I couldn’t be bothered asking for a change, so I ate it anyway. Why I always eat things my stomach doesn’t like on planes is one of life’s mysteries. I just can’t say no to trying it.

I’ve only flown Qatar once before, and I remember the food being good, but not melt-in-your-mouth amazing. That memory holds true for this flight too. There also seemed to be a bit of tension among the crew tonight, which somehow managed to affect my palate.

The crew make my bed while I slip into something more comfortable. I’m slightly judging their choice of large PJs, but it’s still nice to relax. Back at my seat, I remake the bed for a cleaner photo before snuggling in for a nap, soundtracked by the Aussie All Star audio mix on the IFE — in other words, I’m bopping along to Kylie. The bed is genuinely comfortable and perfect for a couple of hours’ rest.

A bar on a plane is always a novelty, so I have to give it a go — even if I’m not really in the mood for a drink. The stools are taken by men silently sipping their drinks, so I grab a spot on the couch and sip on a can of Coca-Cola (served with ice and lemon, of course). Alex and Dan from the podcast *On Air with Alex and Dan* often talk about Qatar’s popcorn, so I try some too. Crunchy and weirdly comforting.

With every inflight gimmick ticked off just in time for arrival into Doha, I’m more than ready for a proper sleep — on solid ground this time. I take the airport train and play a kind of hot-or-cold game to find the Sleep ‘n Fly South Node. Eventually I’m tucked inside my pod — like a hard-shell version of a first class suite, minus the frills — and with that, day two comes to a close with a surprisingly decent sleep.Läs mer