The Best Ways to Book Qatar's Qsuites With Points & Miles [2023]

Qatar Airways has consistently taken the airline industry by storm. With the CEO making controversial statements and the fame of its Qatar Airways QSuites business class, it’s no secret that Qatar Airways has made a name for itself.

Perhaps the biggest way Qatar Airways has impressed the frequent flyer world recently is the speed with which it has rolled out Qsuites — this flagship business class product is arguably the best business class around.

Award availability is generally solid if you plan in advance, and the number of routes offering it continues to grow.

The most difficulty you’ll have is figuring out which planes have Qsuites and which don’t. Not to worry, however — Upgraded Points has your back!

Table of contents

A Look Inside Qatar Airways Qsuites
How To Fly Qatar Qsuites (Business Class) Using Miles
Great Qsuites Redemptions and Points Required
How To Earn Enough Points for Qsuites
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Makes Qsuites a Great Redemption?
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

A Look Inside Qatar Airways Qsuites
How To Fly Qatar Qsuites (Business Class) Using Miles
Great Qsuites Redemptions and Points Required
How To Earn Enough Points for Qsuites
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Makes Qsuites a Great Redemption?
Final Thoughts

A Look Inside Qatar Airways Qsuites

Arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, you’ll have direct aisle access no matter which seat you pick. You’ll also have access to some of the best inflight dining there is, featuring Arabic and Western cuisine.

You’ll also be graciously anointed with stylish amenity kits, fluffy bedding, comfy pajamas, and posh treatment under the care of Qatar Airways flight attendants!

We’ll get more into this in the later sections.

How To Fly Qatar Qsuites (Business Class) Using Miles

It’s important to note that Qatar Airways operates a few types of long-haul business class products. We want to focus on booking Qsuites, which are the best and newest business class seats.

You’ll need to pay attention to book this correctly. For example, Qatar Airways offers 3 flights from Doha to Paris, 2 of which feature Qsuites (QR 37/38 and QR 41/42).

To find out which flights offer Qsuites, you have to get a hold of the seat map. The best way to do so is with ExpertFlyer, a paid service that costs $9.99 per month or $99 for 12 months.

Here’s what Qsuites looks like with a 1-2-1 configuration:

QSuites Seat Map — Qsuites are configured in a 1-2-1 arrangement. Image Credit: ExpertFlyer

Here’s what the Qatar Airways old business class looks like:

NOT QSuites Seat Map — Qatar Airways old business class in ExpertFlyer with the 2-2-2 configuration. Image Credit: ExpertFlyer

Alternatively, you can try to use the free service of SeatGuru, but we find ExpertFlyer more reliable.

Here are all the current Qsuites route offerings:

Route (From Shortest to Longest)	Frequency
Doha (DOH) – Dubai (DXB)	3 times daily (check regularly for aircraft changes)
Doha (DOH) – Riyadh (RUH)	Daily (QR 1166/1167)
Doha (DOH) – Tehran (IKA)	Twice daily (QR 490/491 and 498/499)
Doha (DOH) – Karachi (KHI)	Daily (QR 610/611)
Doha (DOH) – Beirut (BEY)	Daily (QR 416/417)
Doha (DOH) – Mumbai (BOM)	Daily (QR 556/557)
Doha (DOH) – Cairo (CAI)	Twice daily (QR 1301/1302 and 1303/1304)
Doha (DOH) – Lahore (LHE)	Twice daily (QR 620/621 and 628/629)
Doha (DOH) – Bangalore (BLR)	Daily (QR 572/573)
Doha (DOH) – Colombo (CMB)	Daily (QR 662/663)
Doha (DOH) – Frankfurt (FRA)	3 times daily (QR 67/68, 69/70, and 71/72)
Doha (DOH) – Amsterdam (AMS)	Daily (QR 273/274)
Doha (DOH) – Paris (CDG)	Twice daily (QR 37/38 and 41/42)
Doha (DOH) – London (LHR)	3 times daily (check regularly for aircraft changes)
Doha (DOH) – Singapore (SIN)	Daily (QR 942/943)
Doha (DOH) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN)	Daily (QR 858/859)
Doha (DOH) – Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT)	Daily (QR 806/807)
Doha (DOH) – Montréal (YUL)	Daily (QR 763/764)
Doha (DOH) – Boston (BOS)	Daily (QR 743/744)
Doha (DOH) – New York City (JFK)	Twice daily (QR 703/704 and 701/702)
Doha (DOH) – Philadelphia (PHL)	Daily (QR 727/728)
Doha (DOH) – Washington, D.C. (IAD)	Daily (QR 709/710)
Doha (DOH) – Adelaide (ADL) – Auckland (AKL)	3 times weekly (QR 914/915)
Doha (DOH) – Chicago (ORD)	Twice daily (QR 723/724 and 725/726)
Doha (DOH) – Seattle (SEA)	Daily (QR 719/720)
Doha (DOH) – Melbourne (MEL)	Daily (QR 904/905)
Doha (DOH) – Miami (MIA)	Daily (QR 777/778)
Doha (DOH) – Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)	Twice (QR 729/730 and 731/732)
Doha (DOH) – Houston (IAH)	Daily (QR 713/714)
Doha (DOH) – Los Angeles (LAX)	Daily (QR 739/740)
Doha (DOH) – San Francisco (SFO)	Daily (QR 737/738)
Doha (DOH) – São Paulo (GRU)	Twice daily (QR 773/774 and 779/780)

As you will find out below, there are other fantastic ways to book Qatar Airways Qsuites outside of Qatar Airways Avios. Some of the best ways are through airline partners.

Oneworld partners are eligible to book Qatar Airways flights, so long as Qatar Airways releases award availability to these partners. We’ll talk more about that in the sections below.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

The first method we’ll discuss is none other than Qatar Airways’s own frequent flyer program, Privilege Club.

Qatar Airways transitioned away from its old “Qmiles” currency in March 2022 and started using Avios as its rewards currency. Remember, Avios is the same currency used by Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Vueling.

The biggest advantage that Privilege Club has over British Airways or Iberia Avios is that its itineraries are priced out based on the whole itinerary’s total distance instead of per segment.

We’ll discuss British Airways Avios next, but in general, Privilege Club will have the same prices on nonstop flights and lower prices on connecting flights when compared to British Airways Avios.

And although Qatar Airways is currently only partners with Citi ThankYou Rewards, you can transfer points from British Airways to Qatar at a 1:1 ratio by linking your accounts together.

Hot Tip: Remember, you can’t search for award flights on Qatar Airways’s website unless you already have the Avios in your account. To get around this, search on a different partner’s website first, like British Airways or American Airlines.

To book your Qsuites ticket using Qatar Airways Avios, follow these steps:

Use British Airways’s website to search for Qatar Airways’ award availability.
Write down the flight details that you wish to book.
Transfer your points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
Visit Qatar Airways’s website.
Log into your Privilege Club account by clicking Login in the top-right corner.
Enter your login details and click Log in.
Once you’re logged in, you will be redirected to the homepage.
At the top of the page, hover over the button that says Privilege Club, and on the left-hand side, click Redeem my Avios/Qcredits.
Enter your flight details, check off the box that says Business/First, and click Show flights.
Find the flight you wish to book, and complete the booking 100% online by using your Avios and a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

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British Airways Avios

The next method we’ll talk about is using British Airways Avios, which has attractive transfer partnerships, particularly with Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Also, British Airways Executive Club has implemented special pricing on Qatar Airways flights that make using BA Avios much more attractive.

There are plenty of travelers who are Chase loyalists. Since Qatar Airways is a Oneworld partner, it’s difficult to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points here, as its focus has been on the Star Alliance.

British Airways is an excellent option, so if you’ve got lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points to burn, you’ll find great use in this section.

If you’ve decided to use Avios to book Qsuites, follow this easy process:

Search for availability on British Airways.
Transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways.
Pay with Avios and for any taxes and fees completely online.

Bottom Line: British Airways Avios are great here for Chase Ultimate Rewards loyalists who want to take advantage of new sweet spot redemption rates with Qatar Airways. It’s simpler than the Qatar Airways Privilege Club process, but just keep in mind that you can end up paying more Avios on connecting flights.

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You can also consider the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.

American Airlines AAdvantage Program

American Airlines employs a region-based award chart. We like using this program because it has some pretty cheap sweet spots, especially from the U.S. to the Middle East.

Here’s why we rank American’s AAdvantage loyalty program at the top of our list:

Easy to earn miles through welcome bonuses
Excellent sweet spot on U.S. to Middle East routes
Straightforward booking process
Can hold awards for 5 days
No fuel surcharges on Qatar Airways flights

Although American Airlines only has 2 transfer partners (Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards), the best way to earn American Airlines miles is through Citi and Barclays co-branded credit cards.

Here’s the award chart for Qatar Airways flights to/from the Middle East using AA miles:

AA oneworld partner award chart Middle East — Flying Qatar Qsuites is made possible by American Airlines AAdvantage. Image Credit: American Airlines

Here are the steps to book:

Visit British Airways’ website to search for award availability.
Log into your account using your Member ID and Password.
Click Spend Avios (located when expanding the Executive Club banner on the top of the page).
Click Book a reward flight.
Enter your desired dates for travel, destination and origin cities, and check off the box that chooses Business/Club.
Locate your flight.
Write down the flight numbers, dates, and times.
Call AA at 800-882-8880 and provide them with the information you wrote down.
- If you need to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to American or top off your AA miles balance, request to put your award on hold.
Pay for applicable taxes and fees.
- Be sure to ask for the Qatar Airways record locator! This will allow you to select your seats in advance through Qatar Airways’ website.

Bottom Line: AA’s easy-to-use frequent flyer program allows for 5-day award holds and great sweet spots for flights between America and the Middle East make it a terrific option!

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

If you are looking for the cheapest redemption cost, look no further than Japan Airlines Mileage Bank. It uses a distance-based award chart, so the optimal usage of miles will be at the longer end of a distance range.

In general, Japan Airlines will at all times be the cheapest mileage cost.

The drawback, however, is the lack of transfer partners. The only transfer partner is Marriott Bonvoy, so the best ways to earn Japan Airlines miles might be more limited than, say, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or British Airways Avios.

However, your mileage cost will be lower than Cathay Pacific and British Airways for the most part, so it might be worth it to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to JAL.

Here’s how to use Japan Airlines miles to book your Qsuites flight:

Use British Airways to search for award availability.
Log in using your British Airways Member ID and Password.
Click Spend Avios underneath the Executive Club banner.
Click Book a Reward Flight.
Type in your desired travel dates, Business/Club, number of passengers, and route.
Write down all flight information.
Visit Japan Airlines.
Select your City and Language.
Log in with your JAL Mileage Bank ID and Password.
Select Award Ticket on the red banner next to Flight Status.
Select Book JMB Partner Airlines Award Ticket under the 2 main icons.
Select Qatar Airways from the dropdown menu.
Repeat the same award search to verify award availability.
Reserve your flights and pay for any applicable taxes and fees.

It’s possible to skip the British Airways steps to searching award availability, but British Airways is reliable and easy to use, which acts as a foolproof mechanism.

If you’re sitting on a stockpile of Marriott Bonvoy points, using Japan Airlines to book your Qsuites flights might be worth it.

Just keep in mind that the transfer times can be up to 2 business days for transfers to execute from Marriott Bonvoy to JAL.

Bottom Line: If you want to preserve your precious points/miles, using Japan Airlines miles might be best for you. Keep in mind you can only transfer Marriott Bonvoy points, which may take a while. Look into adding stopovers and open-jaws to truly optimize your trip!

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Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is great if you have a lot of Citi ThankYou Rewards Points or American Express Membership Rewards points.

Asia Miles is a transfer partner with Amex, Bilt, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Importantly, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles employs a distance-based award chart for Oneworld partners, similar to Japan Airlines. Cathay Pacific has 3 award charts, but we’ll focus on the single partner award chart in this guide.

Fuel surcharges will be passed on in this case, with around $600 to $700 each way being the price tag for Qsuites flights between America and the Middle East.

The best use of Asia Miles to book Qsuites is to build it into a complex itinerary.

Here’s an example route starting in Los Angeles that you can fly using Asia Miles:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) on Japan Airlines 777 Sky Suite business class
Osaka (KIX) – Hong Kong (HKG) on Cathay Pacific business class
Hong Kong (HKG) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways Qsuites
Doha (DOH) – Sydney (SYD) on Qatar Airways Qsuites
Sydney (SYD) – Singapore (SIN) on Qantas business class
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Hong Kong (HKG) on Malaysian Airlines business class
Hong Kong (HKG) – Los Angeles (LAX) on American Airlines Flagship Business class

You can fly this 31,335-mile route between 6 countries and 6 airlines with 65 hours of total flight time for only 210,000 Asia Miles.

We’ve always been huge fans of Asia Miles for this specific purpose: complex Oneworld itineraries involving lots of partners and countries.

Compare this to the round-trip business class cost between Los Angeles and Doha, which costs 180,000 Asia Miles! For only 30,000 more Asia Miles, you get to fly double the amount of miles, visit 5 more countries, and try 5 more airlines!

The biggest challenge will definitely be searching for award availability.

Here’s a step-by-step booking guide for your Asia Miles to fly Qsuites:

Visit British Airways and follow the same steps listed in the American Airlines and Japan Airlines sections above to search for availability.
Once you have found award availability for all your flights and written down all the flight information including dates, times, and flight numbers, give Asia Miles a phone call at 866-892-2598.
Provide them with all your flight information.
Confirm your reservation and pay for taxes and fees.

Bottom Line: Cathay Pacific Asia Miles presents an unbelievable value proposition for complex itineraries involving travel on multiple airlines to many countries.

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Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 150,000 points with the Amex Platinum card! (The current public offer is 80,000 points.)

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card! (The current public offer is 60,000 points.)

Great Qsuites Redemptions and Points Required

Now that we’ve talked about some of the best frequent flyer programs for flying Qsuites, let’s talk about what you came here for: the best Qsuites redemptions!

There are more than 30 routes that either currently offer Qsuites.

Here’s a chart of the award redemption costs between Doha and the U.S. for some of their best routes:

Route from U.S. to Doha (DOH)	Qatar Airways one-way (round-trip)	British Airways one-way (round-trip)	AA one-way (round-trip)	JAL one-way (round-trip)	Cathay Pacific one-way (round-trip)
Boston (BOS) New York City (JFK) Philadelphia (PHL) Washington, D.C. (IAD)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	80,000 (100,000)	75,000 (150,000)
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Miami (MIA) Seattle (SEA)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	80,000 (130,000)	75,000 (150,000)
Houston (IAH) Los Angeles (LAX)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	70,000 (140,000)	100,000 (130,000)	90,000 (180,000)

Bottom Line: As you will see above, we can conclude that for flights between the U.S. and Doha, one-way flights using Qatar Airways Avios, BA Avios, and AA miles are the cheapest, and round-trip flights using Japan Airlines miles are the cheapest.

Here are a few great uses of Japan Airlines miles for Qsuites:

New York City (JFK) – Doha (DOH) round-trip for 100,000 Japan Airlines miles
Sydney (SYD) – Doha (DOH) round-trip for 130,000 Japan Airlines miles
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Doha (DOH) round-trip for 100,000 Japan Airlines miles

Here are some fantastic redemptions using Qatar Airways Avios for Qsuites:

Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 Qatar Airways Avios
Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 Qatar Airways Avios
Seattle (SEA) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 Qatar Airways Avios

Here are some awesome redemptions using British Airways Avios for Qsuites:

Atlanta (ATL) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 BA Avios
Miami (MIA) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 BA Avios
San Francisco (SFO) – Doha (DOH) – Malé (MLE) one-way for 105,000 BA Avios
Singapore (SIN) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 50,000 BA Avios

And here are some examples of the best uses of American Airlines miles for Qsuites:

Houston (IAH) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 AA miles
Los Angeles (LAX) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 70,000 AA miles
Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 40,000 AA miles

Here are some interesting ways to use Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for Qsuites:

Berlin (BER) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 30,000 Asia Miles
São Paulo (GRU) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 75,000 Asia Miles

How To Earn Enough Points for Qsuites

If you’ve decided to book a flight on these industry-leading Qsuites, you’ll be pleased to find that there are tons of avenues to earn points for Qsuites.

	Qatar Airways	British Airways	American Airlines	Japan Airlines	Cathay Pacific
American Express		X			X
Bilt Rewards			X		X
Brex Rewards					X
Capital One		X			X
Chase		X
Citi	X				X
Marriott Bonvoy	X	X	X	X	X

Qatar Airways is a 1:1 transfer partner with Citi and a 3:1 partner with Marriott Bonvoy.

British Airways is a 1:1 transfer partner to Amex, Capital One, and Chase, and 3:1 with Marriott Bonvoy. Watch for transfer bonuses with American Express (up to 40%).

American Airlines is transfer partners with Bilt at 1:1 and Marriott Bonvoy at 3:1.

Japan Airlines has 1 sole transfer partner in Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio.

Cathay Pacific is a 1:1 transfer partner to American Express, Bilt, Brex, Capital One, and Citi, and transfers 3:1 with Marriott Bonvoy. Be on the lookout for transfer bonuses with American Express (up to 30%) and Citi (up to 20%).

Furthermore, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to some of the aforementioned partners, you will receive a 5,000-mile bonus, resulting in a total of 25,000 miles.

Hot Tip: For even more ways to earn, check out our in-depth article on the best ways to earn Qatar Airways Avios!

When Should You Search for Award Space?

Qsuites generally have excellent award availability; in fact, Qatar Airways now has an award seat guarantee that there will be at least 2 business class and 2 economy class award seats on every flight.

Here’s a snapshot of the AA calendar view for nonstop Qsuites award availability on the flight from Chicago to Doha:

Qatar Airways Qsuites Chicago to Doha American Airlines search — Image Credit: American Airlines

As long as you can work in some degree of flexibility, you should not have a problem finding Qsuites award availability. Just be sure to check the seat map on SeatGuru or ExpertFlyer before booking your flights!

If you’re looking for the most reliable award search engine and have your dates narrowed down to a small range, use British Airways to search for availability.

To see a calendar of award availability, you can use American Airlines or Qantas — they can be somewhat unreliable when it comes to showing award inventory, but it’s an option nonetheless.

Hot Tip: To see what routes are available, check out our guide to Qatar Airways’ direct routes from the U.S.

What Makes Qsuites a Great Redemption?

If you’re on this page, you probably already know that Qatar Airways’ Qsuites is one of the best business class products in the world (if not the best). You can expect a luxurious inflight and ground experience here.

Let’s get into just how good Qsuites is.

Business Class Double Bed

Qsuite lie flat doublebed — Image Credit: Qatar Airways

The Qsuites double bed is arguably the most comfortable bed in the sky. Each of the seats in the business class cabin is arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access offered everywhere.

Seats are 21.5 inches wide and recline to a fully-flat bed that is 79 inches long! Even better, traveling with your family is made fun by the fact that you can reconfigure your seats to be a mini-cabin like this:

QSuites For 4 — QSuites can turn business class into a bonding experience for up to 4 people! Image Credit: Qatar Airways

Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge - Seating — Enjoy the huge Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in Doha. Image Credit: Greg Stone

Enjoy a gigantic business class lounge complete with stellar dining options, a game room, and multiple floors of space! Signature dishes offered in the buffet are Middle Eastern foods such as baba ganoush and mezze.

Qsuites BRIC’s Amenity Kit and The White Company Pajamas

This amenity kit features luxurious toiletries from BRIC’s, an eye mask, socks, and a fancy hard-shell carrying case, along with comfy pajamas from The White Company!

Priority Check-in and Boarding

You’ll be able to board ahead of everyone else when flying in Qsuites!

Hot Tip: If you are interested in reading more about the QSuites experience, check out our review of Qatar Airline’s Qsuites on a Boeing 777 from Sydney to Doha.

Final Thoughts

With an all-star business class, Qatar Airways has successfully made its way into travelers’ minds as a hugely aspirational product.

Although it might be confusing to figure out which planes feature Qsuites, it’s only going to get better with Qatar Airways ramping up the rollout of these awesome business class products.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Alex Miller

Frequently asked questions

What's the best way to book Qatar Airways Qsuites?

The best way to fly Qatar Airways Qsuites will inevitably depend on the route you fly.

If you’re flying from the U.S., British Airways Avios may be great if you have lots of Amex Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy points.

You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Consider also using AAdvantage miles if you have Bilt Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points or if you’ve already earned a lot of AAdvantage miles — flights from the U.S. to the Middle East will cost 70,000 miles each way.

You can also use Japan Airlines miles for long-haul redemptions, which are fantastic for those with loads of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is great for its transfer partners (Amex, Bilt, Brex, Capital One, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy) and also to plan complex award itineraries that include travel on multiple Oneworld airlines.

What credit cards can help me earn miles to fly Qatar Airways QSuites?

There are so many credit cards that will help you earn the points and miles necessary to fly Qatar Airways Qsuites.

Qatar Airways — Citi and Marriott Bonvoy
British Airways — British Airways Visa card, Amex, Chase, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy
American Airlines — Co-branded Citi and Barclays AA credit cards, Bilt, Marriott Bonvoy
Japan Airlines —Marriott Bonvoy
Cathay Pacific — Amex, Bilt, Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Marriott Bonvoy

What do I get when I fly Qatar Airways Qsuites?

On Qsuites flights, you’ll have access to some of the best business class lounges in the world, including the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in Doha.

You’ll sample exquisite beverages and culinary arts in the sky with Arabic and Western choices.

You’ll also be endowed with amazing business class amenities such as hard-shell amenity kits, comfortable pajamas, and fantastic bedding.

Direct aisle access and lie-flat beds are a given in this case.

Lastly, you can expect priority security and boarding.

Do all Qatar Airways flights have QSuites?

Not all Qatar Airways flights have Qsuites. In the U.S., you’ll find Qsuites most of the time, but for example, the route between Atlanta and Doha doesn’t feature Qsuites consistently.

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About Stephen Au

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Stephen has been privileged to enjoy many premium cabin products and 5-star hotels. As one of the foremost experts in credit cards, over the past 4 years, he has amassed a portfolio of over 70 credit cards, both personal and business. Stephen has personally tested, first-hand, almost every major rewards credit card on the market today, spanning banks such as American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, City National Bank, U.S. Bank, and more.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

115 comments

Ethan November 28, 2018

Hi Stephen, thanks again for another great write up. Currently we have interest in only two routes flying the QSuites: Maldives to JFK & JFK to Tokyo. But doesn’t seem like that’s part of the routes you’ve mentioned above. I thought Qatar flies the Qsuites from the Maldives to JFK via DOH? Maybe I’m wrong. Also for the JFK to Tokyo, does this mean I have to break my redemption onto 2 (JFK to DOH & then DOH to NRT)? Thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au November 29, 2018
  
  Hey Ethan,
  
  Thanks for the feedback! Yes, they fly 3 times daily to MLE. The flight with QSuites is QR 674, so you will want to make sure you can fly on that plane. QR 676 is an A320 with a 2-2 configuration (no good!). The last flight, QR 672, as of now, is a reverse-herringbone business class in a 1-2-1 configuration (not QSuites, but not bad either).
  
  About your JFK-DOH-NRT itinerary, you’ll need to break your redemption into 2 if you’re booking through AA, for example. AA doesn’t let you transfer to Asia via the Atlantic Ocean. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles doesn’t matter because it’s distance-based anyway. Hope this helps!
  
  Reply
  - croctravel April 8, 2019
    
    We were looking at this flight (DOH-MLE) for June 1…it looks from ExpertFlyer like 672 has been converted to the QSuites by then…can you confirm?
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Au April 17, 2019
      
      Hey Croc,
      
      We are not able to predict Qatar Airways’ operational changes. If you see the correct seat layout, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy QSuites.
      
      However there’s still a chance it may be swapped. You should be fine, though.
      
      Reply
Ethan November 29, 2018

Thank you Stephen, that’s very helpful! Just to confirm, the QR 674, I can redeem that as one booking from MLE to JFK (with a connection in DOH) right?

Reply
- Stephen Au December 2, 2018
  
  Hey Ethan, yes you should be able to!
  
  Reply
Christina November 30, 2018

Hi! I have never gotten a straight answer on this and when I call to book it always seems to be more mile than I expected 🙂 . How many American miles should it take to fly from the east coast (DC) to Asia 2 on Qatar? I thought it was 75k/80k for the whole way but the agents always tell me it is that many just to get to Doha alone. Thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au December 2, 2018
  
  Hi Christina, you may not travel to Asia 2 via the Middle East. Your travel must be transpacific only as per AA’s routing rules.
  
  https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/oneworld-and-other-airline-partner-award-chart.jsp
  
  Look at Asia Region 2, and you will see “Asia Region 2^”, and the footnote says “^Transpacific only”.
  
  Reply
Leo January 30, 2019

Hi there, thanks for this informative post I will definitely remain a long time reader.

I’m a noob who has found himself with 1.5Mil Amex points so I am trying to wrap my head around this whole industry.

Im confused as to why you used British airways first as opposed to going directly to Asia Miles website to find availability?

Reply
- Stephen Au February 1, 2019
  
  Hi Leo!
  
  Thanks for reading, and congratulations on accruing all those AmEx points. British Airways has the best IT and is very user-friendly when it comes to searching for Oneworld flights. As a result, you just search on British Airways to confirm the award seats are indeed available. After that, you’ll call AA or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or whatever airline to book your flights!
  
  Reply
Nicesharky February 16, 2019

QR740 from LAX to DOH appears to be Qsuites for much of 2019 but then switches back to old product configuration after 10/26/19. Do you think that is accurate? or is their system just misrepresenting the configuration? I see the same on ExpertFlyer.

Reply
- Stephen Au February 17, 2019
  
  Hi Nicesharky,
  
  There is a possibility that the QSuites will be reverted to the old business class after that date. However, we don’t currently have any guidance or information regarding this.
  
  Reply
  - NiceSharky March 3, 2019
    
    I kept my booking and noticed yesterday that the seat configuration changed to Qsuites for the LAX-DOH segments. I logged on and was able to confirm our Qsuites seat assignments! Can’t wait to try these!
    
    Reply
Pamella March 2, 2019

Hi, I’m trying to book Sydney to Rome using AA points but there is no availability on Qatar.
I have tried through British Airways and American Airlines phone number and website.
I definitely want to travel Qatar as we have done so previously; why can’t I book using my AA points

Thank you!
Pamella

Reply
- James Larounis March 3, 2019
  
  Hi Pamella! Award inventory does depend on your dates of travel, and routing – and we know from experience that Qatar availability can sometimes be hit or miss, especially on such a long segment such as the one you’re referencing from Sydney. If you would, can you let me know the dates you are searching and I can take a look for you to see what might (or might not) be available? I’d be glad to help. Thanks for reading. 🙂
  
  Reply
Jamie March 9, 2019

Hi I am new to award redemption and I have read many articles about how to do it and I still find it overwhelming. Do u provide fee based service to assist in when to buy awadd points and subsequently assist in flight booking?
I would like to do Qatar business class form Sydney to Europe and maybe return via Japan Airlines business..

Reply
- Katie Seemann March 11, 2019
  
  Hi Jamie,
  Sorry, but we don’t have any fee based services. It can definitely be overwhelming at first, but keep reading and it will start to come together. If you have any specific questions we are happy to try to answer them for you.
  
  Reply
Jacqueline March 10, 2019

I was booked on QR815 march 25 it was originally a QSuite config and now it’s changed to the old business. I wanted to cry 😢

Reply
- Katie Seemann March 11, 2019
  
  Hi Jacqueline,
  Oh no! That’s awful. That’s got to be frustrating. I hope you can enjoy the flight anyways.
  
  Reply
  - Jacqueline March 11, 2019
    
    Well guess what, I’ve looked up all other QR815 within the Month and MY FLIGHT was the only one that was swapped out from a Qsuite config. I should go buy a lottery ticket.
    
    Reply
    - Katie Seemann March 11, 2019
      
      Oh Wow! Those are crazy odds!
      
      Reply
- Amanda April 30, 2019
  
  I’m trying to book Qsuites from JFK or PHL (flexible) to DOH to MLE
  I can’t seem to find availability in September for either, but if I see that maybe there is open seats on expert flyer – could I use call AA using that information? Or does availability open up closer to that time?
  
  Reply
  - Stephen Au May 2, 2019
    
    Hey Amanda,
    
    Try to search using British Airways and call AA once you’ve found availability. Thanks for reading!
    
    Reply
Issac jones March 12, 2019

Are there any QSuites routes from Canada to Doha?

Reply
- Stephen Au March 19, 2019
  
  Hey Isaac,
  
  At the moment, QSuites is only sometimes offered on flights between Montreal (YUL) and Doha (DOH). Please check ExpertFlyer for a 1-2-1 configuration as shown in this post. Additionally, remember that the aircraft is subject to change, especially since this isn’t a regular offering.
  
  Reply
Shaun L Tobin March 20, 2019

When using AA or Amex miles and flying from LAX through Doha, where are we able to fly on to, and what is the total mileage cost? I know that is vague but can we fly to CAI? IST? TLV? DAR? Great job with this blog. Extremely meticulous and well thought out.

Reply
- Stephen Au March 20, 2019
  
  Hey Shaun,
  
  If you’re talking about maintaining the same award price and flying through Doha, you’ll have to go through an award region that is at least as expensive as your transit region. Since Doha is in the Middle East, you can fly to a different city in the Middle East or Africa. You can’t end up in Europe, for example, since Europe is a cheaper region.
  
  Reply
Praneeth Kottapalli March 23, 2019

Great article Stephen. Thanks for all the valuable info.
Between me and my wife we have accumulated about 600k AA points (accrual from credit card spend/bonuses and purchased miles when they were offering steep bonuses). We have started planning our next vacations to take benefit of Q suites and have currently booked RT tickets on Qatar to JNB.

The question I have is, am having great difficulty in finding any award availability in Nov from DFW to Hyderabad (HYD) on Qatar or even DFW to Qatar. Is it generally the case?

Does Qatar release more award seats on AA in the future ? How does that work ?

Reply
- Stephen Au March 25, 2019
  
  Hey Praneeth,
  
  Thanks for reading. Award availability on Qatar is best from Chicago, Los Angeles, or Houston. You can try to search there or just continue to look for availability. Qatar QSuites is generally pretty attainable with award availability, but you just have to be a bit creative.
  
  They may release more seats closer to departure (within 1 week of departure). Thanks for your support.
  
  Reply
Kate Groenhagen April 2, 2019

Great article! Thank you for the information. My husband and I are trying to fly the QSuites RT from Chicago to CPT (or anywhere honestly) in February 2020 but we want the middle section. I called AA to book with MileSAAver points, but all of the middle section seats were booked or blocked off. Do you know if I book a window seat through American if I can call and change my seat with Qatar to the middle section? Do they typically block them or do we think they are actually booked up 10 months in advance? Thanks for your help!

Reply
- Stephen Au April 2, 2019
  
  Hey Kate,
  
  Yes, Qatar Airways typically blocks off most of the middle seats. They open up these seats closer to departure. Since almost all of the middle seats are blocked, there’s a high probability that you will be able to get a pair of seats when you check in at the airport.
  
  Reply
- Ricardo May 1, 2019
  
  I had the same issue with blocked seats……
  Couldn’t picked middle seats on AA or Qatar Air website….
  Solution- I googled Qatar Air USA number gave them a call and was able to book the middle seats…took about 3 minutes to complete.
  Hope this helps
  
  Reply
  - Stephen Au May 2, 2019
    
    Hey Ricardo,
    
    Calling Qatar Airways is one of the best ways to reserve your seats. Thanks for sharing!
    
    Reply
Chris Wyatt April 14, 2019

Wow, I want to know more about that epic trip using Asia Miles. I may have to get another Amex card to top off my balance for something like that!

Reply
- Stephen Au April 17, 2019
  
  Hey Chris!
  
  We definitely consider all the options and and there’s tons of ways to get huge, outsized value (we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in flights)!
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
  - Amrit Melwani May 5, 2019
    
    Hi Stephen,
    so for what you mentioned was a “complex itinerary”, we call Asia Miles, and ask them for mile requirements for the aforementioned 6 flights, wont they see each individually which could end up costing a small fortune ?
    
    thanks
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Au May 7, 2019
      
      Hey Amrit, you’ll need to tell them that you want to book a “oneworld multi-carrier reward flight”. You also want to make sure that there’s award availability for all your flights in your desired cabin class before calling. You can do so via ExpertFlyer, for example.
      
      Reply
Andrew April 17, 2019

Does BA&AA use married segments with QR? Also, it seems to me that what AA shows on its calendar doesn’t match what BA shows on its calendar. LAX-SEZ shows 4 J awards seats on 3/13/20 via AA but BA doesn’t show that? Phantom? Or is AA’s calendar more reliable than BA’s. Or is there a glitch for QR on BA.com?

Reply
- Stephen Au April 17, 2019
  
  Hey Andrew, it’s a well-known issue that British Airways’ search engine has difficulty with connecting flights.
  
  To get around this, you can search individual segments and cross reference with Qantas. Thanks for reading!
  
  AA is relatively reliable for QR flights. But BA will still be best.
  
  Reply
Rich April 29, 2019

My wife and I flew Q-Suites BOS-DOH for 70k AA miles per ticket then Doh-ICN for 40k per ticket, spent a couple hundred bucks and flew from ICN to Jeju island then Jeju to Tokyo… Then we splurged and flew home JAL first class NRT-BOS for 80k AA miles per ticket.

Petty incredible that both of us had 2 Q-Suite flights and JAL First Class for 190k AA miles a piece…

Reply
Adi Makhija May 31, 2019

This is an awesome article. Thank you for the detailed information. I tried booking QSuites back in Feb 2019 from Delhi back to US and I am trying to do the same for Labor day weekend, but neither BA not Qantas is showing any availability. Also, Qnatas usually doesn’t display DOH as a starting point. Any suggestions? I am trying to fly on Sep 2 from DEL-DOH and DOH to PHL or JFK or DFW. We are two passengers and I can’t wait to try the QSuites, if I can. I can use AA miles or JAL (tranfer from Marriott)

Reply
- Stephen Au May 31, 2019
  
  Adi,
  
  As is the case with all excellent business class products, you’ll need to be flexible to successfully book. If not, you’ll have to plan very far out in advance (~11 months out). Use BA to search from Doha since Qantas won’t show any flights FROM Doha. If you fly TO Doha, you can use Qantas to search. Otherwise, stick with BA and AA. Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
Raju June 10, 2019

I’m planning to travel to India in May 2020. I’ve 71K Citi points & 48K Capital One points. If I transfer to Asia Miles, I would have around 107,000 miles. I would like to visit an Asian country like Singapore or Hong Kong. Can you please help me book a oneway business class ticket to Hyderabad via Singapore, Hong Kong or any other country to spend 2 to 3 days en route to Hyderabad, India?

Reply
- Jarrod West June 23, 2019
  
  Hi Raju,
  
  What city/country would you be starting your itinerary from? Knowing that will make all the difference in determining what routing will be possible for you with the number of points you have. Have you seen our post on the best ways to fly to India with points and miles? You can check it out here: https://upgradedpoints.com/best-ways-to-fly-to-india-with-points/
  
  Reply
Ambarish Vachhani June 18, 2019

I am planning to travel LAX-DOH in NOV and trying to use AA miles to book QSuites but i am not able to find any flights. Somehow i am not able to find any flights from any of the US airports. I even called the AA and it was not showing for them as well. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to proceed?

Reply
- Stephen Au June 18, 2019
  
  Hey Amabarish,
  
  As always is the case, you need to be as flexible as possible. QSuites are a very hot product, and many travelers plan up to 11 months in advance. If you’re looking for November flights (5 months away), you won’t have much luck. Best advice: Plan further out in advance or look again within 1-2 weeks of departure. Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
Michae July 2, 2019

BA and AA are not showing any direct flights from LAX-Doha. They are all routing to Europe first with a connection to Doha. Any idea what the issue is?

Reply
- Stephen Au July 2, 2019
  
  Hi Michae,
  
  Award availability is always subject to the airlines’ rules and inventory. As such, we always suggest to keep look for the itineraries you want and be flexible with dates. Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
Kyah July 19, 2019

Hey guys,

I’ve had a one-world award trip planned for many months now but at the crucial time of booking for an approx June/July 2020 trip I can’t find a single DOH-JFK flight in business available for awards. Is it possible that these are so rare that unless I’m there the moment they open they are all being booked by someone else. Literally can’t find any dates at all – even in the months prior.

Reply
- Stephen Au July 21, 2019
  
  Hey Kyah,
  
  Thanks for reading. There’s something weird going on with Qatar Airways QSuites availability on North American routes right now. Please keep trying and hope for the best. Thanks!
  
  Reply
Ruy July 31, 2019

I have been looking for QR space for any flights back to the US from Doha for April of next year and I have found zero availability for the first three weeks. Something is certainly going on.

Reply
Lindsey Jensen August 6, 2019

Is there a time limit between stopovers/open jaws for a oneworld multi-carrier award? I’m trying to get from KUL – FRA (via DOH) and have onward travel to other European / African destinations over the next 6 months (I’m traveling full-time). Wondering if I can combine them — i.e. book the KUL – DOH – FRA over a couple of days in October, then book another routing (say, VLC – CPT) 3 months later

There’s no mention of it in their rules
https://www.asiamiles.com/en/terms-and-conditions/service/flight-award-oneworld-multi-carrier-awards.html

Reply
- Stephen Au August 6, 2019
  
  Hey Lindsey,
  
  No restrictions besides the fact that all travel must be completed within 1 year of ticket issue.
  
  Reply
Kristina August 8, 2019

Great article and very helpful as I’m planning our trip to India. Any idea why the Boston route is listed only until October 25th, 2019? Our trip is after that; do you anticipate the route being discontinued? Wondering if flying out of JFK might be the safer option to ensure Q suite. Thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au August 9, 2019
  
  Hi Kristina, the QSuites is currently showing past October 25, 2019 via ExpertFlyer’s Seat Map. If you have ExpertFlyer, I would highly encourage you to check the schedule prior to booking again. Thanks for reading.
  
  Reply
  - Kristina August 16, 2019
    
    If I go to pretend book on the exact day and flight number I want in January on Qatar’s own website, it is showing QSuites. Will ExpertFlyer be more reliable even than that, or is it safe to assume availability? Thanks so much again.
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Au August 16, 2019
      
      Kristina,
      
      We don’t suggest searching for availability using Qatar Airways’ website. The reason why is because they might reserve more QSuites for their own loyalty members. Unless you’re planning on booking using Qatar Airways Qmiles (which is a terrible idea), then we would suggest using AA or BA to search.
      
      Reply
kevin August 27, 2019

I’ve been checking AA’s website very day for 331 days out…Business awards show up at midnight (Dallas time or LA if that’s the departure city), and the Qatar Business awards show available, with flight numbers and times. When I select a flight and click “Continue” the system comes back with “the flight you selected is no longer available”. Yet, if I search again (all day long) those flights show available until midnight the next day, when the process starts over. This is true for all US gateway cities (JFK, IAD, ORD, etc). Am I missing something? Are these seats really available?

Reply
- Andrew Kunesh August 27, 2019
  
  Hi Kevin, good question. You may want to try to call American Airlines to book these award tickets. Unfortunately, they have a history of failing when being booked online, despite the seats actually being bookable. Rest assured that this is a pretty quick process over the phone.
  
  Reply
rodrigo v August 28, 2019

Stephen…. i’ve been trying to get the Qsuites for DAL-DOH and when i clickin the business/first Milesaver for 70k, when the flight show up it Will only display flight to DOH via LHR. When i click on economy milesaver then it Will show flight QR730.. do you know why? Not even in the first milesaver 115k would it let me (here it sends flight to FRA)

Reply
- Stephen Au August 30, 2019
  
  Rodrigo,
  
  You need to find availability in the cabin that you want. So, finding economy awards on a specific flight doesn’t mean business or first class will be available. In fact, most flights will always have economy availability, but very few will have business or first. You’ll need to search harder for real non-stop award availability.
  
  Reply
Rahul August 31, 2019

1) BA has no direct flights to Doha from any USA airport available on QATAR, i tried all airports (starting from Cleveland BUT searching from PHL/IAD/IAH/LAX/ORD etc to DOH) and no direct flights available from USA To DOH from tomorrow to as far as searching in 2020 that BA website allows. All flights go via LHR and it’s either BA on one or both legs…. If Qatar is there for LHR to DOH, Qsuites are not available. Something has to be wrong……Even called AA directly and agent on phone could not see any Business class seats at all…..Either something is wrong/has a glitch…or am i missing something?
2) From DOH to AMD (Ahmadabad) or Mumbai, again no Business class award seats available from tomorrow till May/June/July 2020…..Guess all freebies have snatched them i guess (When freebies/sale is there, U will see Indians like “flies on open sweets”

Pardon the Sarcasm but if there is an issue, let us know as neither BA search or AA website/phone call is finding any direct USA flight to DOH under Business award seat/Qsuites, nor is any Business seat available from DOH to AMD or MUM……..annoying and frustrating it is

Reply
- Stephen Au August 31, 2019
  
  Hi Rahul,
  
  Please remember that QSuites are among the most competitive in the world to book using points and miles. If you can’t find any award availability far in advance. The best move is to book availability close-in just before departure.
  
  Cities such as Houston and New York City (JFK) tend to have better award availability.
  
  Reply
  - William Barlow September 14, 2019
    
    I have had the same issue trying to book business class on Qatar. The AA website will show it is available and then when I try to book it says there is an error and doesn’t allow me to book it. I am trying to book dates that are just coming into their system. I have called AA multiple times and they have been no help either. Someone told me it might be phantom space but when I have tried to book an economy ticket on flights from different departure cities to DOH I get the same error message. It always shows me the flight is available up until I actually try to book it. It sounds to me like Qatar isn’t really a partner with Oneworld. If they aren’t allowing people to book an award with AA miles then why are they even listed as a partner. It makes no sense to me.
    
    Reply
GD September 7, 2019

Hi Stephen, thanks for the wonderful article again. I have a question: I want to travel in December from LAX to ATQ (Amritsar) on Qatar Qirways. The flight goes from LAX-DOH-ATQ. I have 180,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points that I can transfer to British Airways Executive Club. But I am not able to find any reward flight. How can I find the connecting reward flight for this route. Thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au September 9, 2019
  
  Hi GD,
  
  Unfortunately, the airlines very carefully regulate the number of award flights. Many of these people who booked these long-haul flights in amazing business class seats plan a full year in advance. Although your chances of getting that flight are slim, you can keep searching on British Airways or use American Airlines to view a monthly calendar.
  
  More award seats might be released a few days before departure, but it’s unlikely. Thanks for reading.
  
  Reply
Young traveler October 20, 2019

Hi. I bought a one-way economy ticket from Chicago to Kuala Lumpur on Qatar Airlines. Can I use my friends’ or my AA miles to upgrade to business class?

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton October 21, 2019
  
  Hello. You can use AAdvantage miles to upgrade on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights but unfortunately you cannot use them to upgrade on Qatar.
  
  Reply
Sean January 16, 2020

Hi Stephen!

I realize this is an older post, and I’m sorry for keeping the thread going. From what it looks like, QR availability really does seem to be hit/miss (leaning more on the miss side). I’m trying to book two QSuites seats for the last week of December 2020/first week of January 2021, using AsiaMiles (as part of an RTW ticket (last leg is KHI-DFW via DOH)). Is 11 months out still the best timeframe to book? I have a daily search scheduled on AwardNexus via both BA and AsiaMiles, but no dice so far.

Thanks again for such a helpful and thorough writeup.

Reply
- Stephen Au January 22, 2020
  
  Sean,
  
  The best advice is to book closer to departure. You’ll notice a good wealth of award space opening up on some routes, such as Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Chicago (ORD), and Boston (BOS).
  
  Reply
Deb B March 25, 2020

RE: Chicago to SJJ (Sarajevo) on Qatar. If your destination is actually Europe, would your AA miles cost be 70,000 in biz (The mid-east coast) or some lesser amount? Thank you.

Reply
- Stephen Au March 29, 2020
  
  Hi Deb,
  
  You’re actually not allowed to transit through a more expensive region when using AA miles. If you want to book ORD-DOH-SJJ, you’d have to split it up into 2 separate flights. You’ll pay the individual prices for each flight. That means 70,000 miles plus 42,500 miles for the entire itinerary.
  
  Reply
Eric May 22, 2020

Are there Qsuites on the Miami route? Got some biz class seats on hold, but how to confirm that?

Reply
- Jarrod West May 25, 2020
  
  Hi Eric,
  
  When is your flight and what type of plane are you scheduled to fly on? QSuites routing from MIA to Doha is scheduled to operate from August 1 through October 24, 2020, on the A350-1000.
  
  Reply
Meghan August 27, 2020

Are all ORD-DOH QR 725/726 flights Qsuites, even if Qatar’s site doesn’t identify them as Qsuites? I’m seeing those flights on the. 777-300ER. Does it mean they’ve been retrofitted and maybe the system hasn’t caught up to that yet?

Reply
- Stephen Au September 9, 2020
  
  Hi Meghan,
  
  To figure out if the 777-300ER you’re looking at has QSuites, you’ll want to look at the seat map. I’m almost 100% sure that your flight has QSuites. If there are 4 seats across in a 1-2-1 configuration for the 777-300ER, you’re looking at QSuites. If there are 6 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration for the 777-300ER, you’re looking at an older business class, though this plane is usually only flown for shorter routes.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  Reply
Sarah September 28, 2020

Hello!
Looking to book the easiest Qsuites US-MLE route, doesn’t matter which airport I’m departing from in the US. I just can’t get AA to give me availability, keep getting errors no matter what route (ORD/PHL/JFK/etc). Do I have to book US-DOH separate from DOH-MLE? I hope not, trying to do this for the 140k AA miles in biz and I thought the route qualified for that…thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au September 30, 2020
  
  Hi Sarah,
  
  For this specific route, you’ll need to find availability on both segments. Then and only then will you be able to book the U.S. to Male in business class.
  
  Unfortunately, Doha to Maldives is rare to find.
  
  But if you feel like you’d get value from a service that will optimize your award travel and offer ultra-personalized points wealth management, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] to inquire about a monthly subscription service as little as $97 per month
  
  Reply
Carmelita Valera November 22, 2020

Thank you for the wealth of information here. What I’m really interested is using Asia Miles for 6 countries, 6 airlines itinerary. I will be retiring Oct 2021 and will have more flexibility, i currently don’t have all the miles needed yet. I am working on Chase UR points and Amex rewards. When is the best time to start looking for award availabilities for travel starting Dec. 2021 into 2022?

Also, does the itinerary allow for stopovers on each of those countries or side trips? While in HK, I would like to fly to Philippines and visit family before continuing to the next destination.

Reply
- Stephen Au November 22, 2020
  
  Hi Carmelita,
  
  Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for reading!
  
  When it comes to planning a multi-country itinerary as you’re describing, it’s important to note that every airline releases award availability differently.
  
  It’s all about juggling many different trends to maximize success.
  
  To answer your question about the stopovers/side trips, yes, stopovers are allowed in almost all situations. Because these are round-the-world trips, the airline almost expects you to stop for at least a few days to explore the new country!
  
  After all, what’s the point in flying all over the world if you can’t see new cultures and have new experiences on the ground? 😉
  
  If you’d like to look into an award planning or booking service, please reach out to me directly at [email protected], and we can discuss some options that would fit you.
  
  Thanks!
  
  Reply
Ronald Gene Robinson November 26, 2020

So I cannot book with AA miles from DFW to BKK?

Reply
- Jarrod West November 27, 2020
  
  Hi Ronald,
  
  Yes, you can use AA miles to fly from DFW to BKK.
  
  Reply
Prabhu September 15, 2021

This doesn’t seem to be working anymore. British Airways or AA does not show Qatar Airways on their bookings 🙁 It does not seem to be a proper way to use AA miles to book Qatar.

Reply
- Stephen Au September 16, 2021
  
  Hi Prahbu,
  
  We can confirm that these 2 booking engines still work for Qatar Airways Qsuites searches. Keep searching! And remember, you can always pick up the phone to book your ticket if you find online availability but can’t seem to redeem your miles online.
  
  Reply
Kartik October 4, 2021

I have 80,000 American Airlines points and would like to fly from Washington DC, USA to Mumbai, India in Business Class in December 2021. What would be my best bet? I have been trying for months to book via AA since they offer business class seats from the US to India @ 70,000 point miles on Etihad or Qatar, but cannot find anything. Can you please help me find another alternative? Thank you very much in advance.

Reply
- Stephen Au October 11, 2021
  
  Hi Kartik,
  
  Unfortunately, you’re searching way too late in the game. During this time, there are blackout dates for the second half of December. On top of this, most of the award availability that is going to be released has already been released and booked by other travelers.
  
  The best thing you can do is hope that Qatar Airways opens up more award space. Etihad Airways isn’t searchable on AA’s website, so you can use ExpertFlyer or Aeroplan’s website.
  
  Reply
Pete December 22, 2021

Looking at DFW-BKK in Oct 2022, ideally Q-Suite all the way.

Have about 300k AA points (and 1M Amex)…looks like my best bet is DFW-DOH on AA points, then just book the DOH-BKK with cash due to lack of reward availability, anyone disagree? I want to get the flights booked early so I can plan the rest of the trip, so can’t really gamble and leave it to the last minute.

We flew DFW-MLE on Qatar (amazing!), but had the points go to AA, rather than Qatar. It got us Platinum for another year, but if I’m planning on more travel with Qatar over the next few years, is it better to just get QMiles?

Reply
- Stephen Au December 28, 2021
  
  Hi Pete,
  
  Everybody’s travel plans are different — ultimately, it’s always better to get plans confirmed earlier than later (hopefully, you agree).
  
  Qmiles are much less valuable than AA miles, but the value of each elite status is subjective. Again, it’s a judgment call on your end, but AA miles can be redeemed for more value.
  
  Reply
Pete December 25, 2021

Hi Stephen

I booked Economy on Qatar Airways , I want to upgrade to Qsuite for my family of 4 as a one time experience, Should I call Qatar Airways for upgrade? we have plans on FEB-6 & MAY -01 . what’s the best way to get Qsuite ( IAD –> DOH–>BLR )? Please let me know.

Reply
- Stephen Au December 28, 2021
  
  Hi Pete,
  
  It depends on your ticket booking class. Some tickets are upgradeable, and others are not. If you booked the economy ticket using AA miles or any other points besides Qatar Qmiles, your only shot is to pay for an upgrade at the airport. That’s because if you redeemed AA miles, the ticket is issued by AA, not Qatar. Qatar cannot touch any tickets issued by other airlines, including for upgrades.
  
  Reply
Sam T December 26, 2021

Hi,

Any idea why AA website doesn’t show Qatar airways flights from BOS-BOM? I get QR flights in results when I try to book BOS-DOH but not for BOS-BOM? Does AA website only show QR flights for flights originating/ending in DOH?

Reply
- Stephen Au December 28, 2021
  
  Hi Sam,
  
  You’ll need to find availability on each segment separately on back-to-back dates, since AA doesn’t allow stopovers. First, search BOS-DOH. Then, search DOH-BOM. Then, circle the dates with availability as a continuous itinerary. Those are the available dates for redemption.
  
  Reply
M Brown January 11, 2022

I am so lost! Looking to book ATL-DEL via DOH at the end of the months and really wanted to do it with points. Only have a bunch of Amex points and for whatever reason my brain is so confused! Can you help?!

Reply
- Stephen Au January 18, 2022
  
  Hi M Brown,
  
  You need to plan further in advance if you want any chance at booking these Qsuites flights with points. You are probably not seeing any availability because there is none. We recommend following the instructions in this guide and planning further out in advance.
  
  Reply
Steven Block January 24, 2022

Looking for Qsuite to BKK for family of 5 Oct 2022, from any of options in US. How difficult to find a flight for all 5 on same flight? Will be very difficult to arrange lodging, tours, etc, and have to cancel week prior if the other seats do not open up.

Reply
- Stephen Au January 30, 2022
  
  Hi Steven,
  
  It’s doable, not impossible. But you’re already planning a bit too late for an early October departure date. That’s around 8 months before departure, but the ideal timeframe to start is 11 to 12 months before departure. I would recommend being flexible and searching for multiple date ranges and departure cities. Good luck!
  
  Reply
Mave March 14, 2022

Hi,
I want to try and book Qsuites for a trip I have booked for next March. I see that AA is the best way to do that, and while I know there are no flights for March yeat (only up to early Feb of next year), I want to be prepared. Is there a certain time they release these award seats and how fast do they go? Is it completely random when they do? I’m trying to either fly from SFO or LAX. my reservation is for Monday-Friday so I would need to take a Saturday flight here to land there on Monday. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

Reply
- Stephen Au March 16, 2022
  
  Hi Mave,
  
  The best way to succeed here is to check back frequently. AA has access to Qsuites up to 331 days before departure, so I would calculate what exact date you should start looking and confirm it immediately from there. However, Qatar Airways has a reputation of adding more flights than it truly intends on offering, so be prepared to re-book or change your booking if they cancel your flight closer to departure.
  
  Reply
Origami March 27, 2022

Quick note: Qatar Airways seat maps include Q Suites for Seoul, South Korea (flights 858/859), as do some other points/miles sites (verified QR 3/27/22). Seat Guru does not, not sure if ExpertFlyer shows this. Nevertheless, the “current” QSuites flight list might need to be updated.

Reply
R April 2, 2022

Amex to Aer Lingus Avios (+40%) limited time, Avios to Qatar and book directly? any advantage/disadvantage?

Reply
- Jarrod West April 9, 2022
  
  Hi R,
  
  I’d recommend transferring to British Airways over Aer Lingus. In terms of booking through BA or Qatar directly, if you’re just trying to fly QSuites to Doha, you should see the same pricing regardless of which program you book through. If you’re looking to layover in Doha, and then travel on to another destination, the pricing is often better by booking through Qatar directly. Safe travels!
  
  Reply
  - Braulio April 18, 2022
    
    Hi Jared,
    
    I did this too, I transferred MR points to BA for the 1.4 rate till May 15th 2022. Qatar said that I need 150000, for a business class round trip ORD – DUBAI. So I transferred my avios to Qatar. Then while booking thru Qatar, I found out that points needed is 322,000 so I’m confused why it is expensive. Then I see some flights at BA that requires only 150000 with Qatar Airlines. My question is can I transfer back again to BA my avios? Thank you
    
    Reply
    - Jarrod West April 18, 2022
      
      Hi Braulio,
      
      Yes, you can transfer your Qatar Avios back to British Airways to book the cheaper ticket.
      
      Reply
Keith Lewis April 25, 2022

Hi Stephen,
I have recently found Qatar and Qantas business availability through Avios (and Qantas), and called AAdvantage reservations for booking, only to be told each time, that flights not displayed on AA.com are ineligible for booking through AA (period). Please advise.
Thanks,
Keith

Reply
- Stephen Au May 19, 2022
  
  Hi Keith,
  
  I would recommend feeding the flight numbers manually to an experienced AAdvantage reservations agent. They should be able to help book these flights. Sometimes, AAdvantage doesn’t have access to the same availability as other airlines do.
  
  Reply
- Jon November 17, 2022
  
  I get that response all the time too, even if I provide flight numbers etc.
  
  Reply
matt April 30, 2022

Hi, Anyone know if there is a way to book with a layover in DOH and fly 2 classes of service via points. Call Qatar?

Reply
- Stephen Au May 19, 2022
  
  Hi Matt,
  
  If you are booking using AAdvantage miles, simply call AAdvantage and ask to book a mixed cabin award itinerary. You’ll then feed the agent the flight details and they should be able to help.
  
  However, different frequent flyer programs have different rules about mixed cabin bookings, so this only works for certain frequent flyer programs.
  
  Reply
Christine Flowers July 9, 2022

Hi Stephen,
This article was extremely helpful; however, every time I try to book a one way flight from SFO or LAX to DOH in September, Qatar Airways wants to charge me 140000 Avios instead of 70000. What am I doing wrong? Many thanks for your insight.

Reply
- Jarrod West July 11, 2022
  
  Hi Christine,
  
  There must be saver award space available on the dates that you want to fly in order to book the 70k pricing. Keep in mind that this availability on popular routes can be booked up quickly, so you’ll want to book as far in advance as possible.
  
  Reply
Alfredo Parker August 8, 2022

Hello!

Love the article. Wanted to fly from MIA to DOH on a qsuite but was confused having so many different sources for points. I have 70k bonvoy, 200k chase ultimate, and 60k Amex points. I’m guessing bringing them all to bonvoy and then to British airways or American is the best way? Saw that bonvoy was 3:1 via avíos. Or maybe go straight to British or American? Any recommendations on how I can maximize my points to get the best deal for a qsuite?

This is amazing article btw!

Reply
- Jarrod West August 15, 2022
  
  Hi Alfredo,
  
  Your best option would be to transfer your Amex or Chase points directly to British Airways at a 1:1 rate, and then link your British Airways account to Qatar. Then you can easily book a Qsuites ticket through either program depending on the availability for your dates.
  
  Reply
Mei August 17, 2022

Have you ever seen Business award availability on last minute flights ? Planning a last minute LAX-DOH next month. Thanks!

Reply
- Jarrod West August 22, 2022
  
  Hi Mei,
  
  Yes, you can certainly find last minute award availability at times.
  
  Reply
David Walter November 15, 2022

Expert Flyer doesn’t help with BA or Qatar. Do we know why?

Reply

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