Qatar Airlines

As many of you know, I am no longer the happy jet-setter I once was. For some odd reason, I am really afraid to fly and avoid it as much as possible - a major problem for someone who lives and works overseas! BUT, I am ok under the following conditions...

1. Very short flights

2. Day time flights

3. First or Business class

4. Very short day time flights in First or Business Class.

Hummm, the only way to do this was to fly from Tucson-Chicago (3 hrs), then to Toronto (1 hr) with a 3 day layover. Toronto - JFK (1.5 hrs), JFK - Doha, Qatar (13 hours), then Doha - Dubai (1 hr). I have flown both business and 1st class before, but never at the level of an airline like Qatar, which claims to be the world's only 5-star airline. I don't know what was going on back in coach, but this was the way to do it. When we got on the plane, I felt as if we were sitting in a large living room. There were 6 large recliner seats in pairs. There was cool lighting, mood music, and I counted 1 flight attendant for every 2 people! There was so much room for my feet that I couldn't stretch my legs far enough to reach the seat back in front of me. The menu was ridiculous. You could choose a multi-course meal at a set-time or a la carte when you were hungry. The choices were steak, chicken, fish, salads, vegan, etc for the multi-course, and things like pasta, personal pizzas, grilled hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, and freshly-baked cookies for the a la carte choices! Wait, there was also a wine, beer and liquor/liquer menu! I was so overwhelmed. Ingrid kept telling me to stop talking so much, or they would know this was our 1st time in such posh seating. I think they knew when I started video-taping the cabin, and asked a flight attendant to take our photo! Anyway, if that wasn't a clue, my inability to work my seat, which not only laid flat into a 180 degree bed, BUT also had multiple massage functions, clearly gave me away. The buttons were so sensative that 1 moment I was sitting up straight watching my 13" flat screen tv and the next minute I was reclining fully out of control to a flat position, hitting buttons, getting massaged in places I didn't need or want, and activating the flight attendant assistance button. Ingrid offered no help, acting like she had just met me on the plane. Thanks, Joanne!

So the 13 hours flew by. We slept for 7 or 8 hours. I ate and drank Bordeaux the rest of the time. Did I mention I was given Godiva chocolates every time I went to the bathroom? I could have flown to the moon and not complained. We landed in Doha in a thick dust-storm, with visibility only a few hundred feet. As we deplaned, there was a bus waiting for us to take us to the 1st class terminal. Not a 1st class lounge, but an ENTIRE TERMINAL! There were marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a hot & cold buffet, HOT TUBS in the restrooms, and wait, OPEN BAR. I thought we were in the Middle East?!? See http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news06/2811-QatarAirways.shtml It was at this point that I realized we were moving to a place that would always be full of pleasant surprises.