This long-haul economy class actually feels luxurious (well, almost)
The airline: Qatar Airways
Route Melbourne (MEL) to Doha (DOH), flight QR989. (Final destination Athens)
Frequency Twice daily from Melbourne (14 flights a week)
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Class Economy; seat 29C
Flight time 14 hours, 16 minutes
Checking in
'Never fly in school holidays,' says the woman at Qatar's check-in counter, as Melbourne Airport heaves and roars on a Sunday afternoon. She's preaching to the converted, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. I've already checked in online and need simply to drop my luggage, but it's a 45-minute wait in a very short queue thanks to several groups ahead of me with incomprehensibly vast amounts of luggage. In contrast, the check-in queue is longer, but motors through at three times the speed.
Baggage
The checked allowance on my two economy classic flights to Athens is 25kg, though on my way home, on a different routing from Sofia (Bulgaria) through Doha to Melbourne, I'm on an 'economy convenience' fare, and gain an extra 5kg to 30kg. My cabin allowance on all flights is a single piece of luggage weighing 7kg.
Loyalty scheme
Joining Qatar's Privilege Club lets you collect Avios points, and at its lowest level, gives you an hour's free Wi-Fi onboard and discounts the cost of seat selection. I blow some of my expiring Avios points – instead of using cash – to pay for a gift at the duty-free shops on my layover in Doha. Members of Virgin Australia's Velocity program can also earn points on Qatar Airways flights.
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