ReviewSity

My wife and I flew Qatar Airways business class from Karachi to San Francisco in April 2021. It was during pandemic but after vaccines were out. We went (we took Turkish on the way out) exactly two weeks after getting our shots. I used American Airlines miles to book this ticket, it cost 70k points. This journey consisted of two legs: Karachi to Doha on a 787 Dreamliner and Doha to San Francisco on a A350-1000. The second leg is equipped with Q-Suites, widely reputed to be the best biz class around (spoiler alert: I agree). 787 - KHI to DOH 1-2-1 configuration, we took the middle two seats. The seating was modern, spacious and comfortable. Crew was great. We flew during ramadan and they made a suhoor announcement so that people could start their fast on time (we elected not to fast on that day because we were traveling on an especially long westbound journey). I got up and prayed fajr in the door/galley area between the two biz class cabins. The crew didn't object (though they could have, see later). The restroom was decent (with a window!) with good amenities (including toothbrush/toothpaste). The plane was relatively quiet at 64DBm Doha Stopover We started off on the wrong foot as we had to deplane via stairs, not a jetty so a bit of an issue if you have mobility issues. The airport (once we were bussed to the terminal) is spectacular - huge, ultramodern and great facilities, shops etc. The business class lounge is also great, probably one of the best around. A350 - DOH to SFO 1-2-1 configuration and again we took the two middle seats in row 1. Seats/cabin are spectacular - not as wide as Singapore's but otherwise a bit better. The two main standout things are doors from the aisle (so then you are in a pseudo cocoon [still open at the top]) and the seats are close enough together and you're almost in a double bed configuration. The food is great and the service outstanding. Everything is halal (but they do serve booze). They several cameras (including my favorite tailcam) and prayer direction (though, like almost all other systems, it gives the wrong direction near SFO). One thing I found strange was that they ask you to sit in your seat while praying - they are the only airline that explicitly does that and it doubly strange coming from a conservative muslim country. The timing of the westbound flight is such that one doesn't have to pray on the plane at all (despite being 14 hours) but I imagine this being an issue on an eastbound journey It was also very quiet - slightly quieter than the dreamliner.

We flew Turkish from San Francisco to Karachi via Istanbul back in September. We used Chase points to directly purchase on the Chase travel site. That was cheaper than transferring points to (say) United and then getting the ticket using Mileage Plus. The ticket was just over $900 which included a stop over in Istanbul on the way back. I've covered Turkish before so I'll only highlight that things that stood out. Infotainment They have forward and downward cameras, which come in handy when you're looking for dawn, sunrise etc. And their navigation explicitly provides Qibla direction and the upcoming prayer time. This is great. Except it is for the current location, not here you'll be when dawn actually breaks. So doesn't take into account time compression when flying eastwards. But then I have not seen any infotainment provide that so this is state of the art. Food Turkish still has a strictly halal menu and their food is decent, even in economy. Place for prayers There is a decent "aisle" int he rear galley. And if the staff is accommodating, they allow you to use that for prayers (meaning they leave). Neat.

I flew Virgin Atlantic from San Francisco to London back in May. Used Delta points for the flight, it cost 35k points which is not bad. Sometimes it can be much higher than that. Overall I was distinctly unimpressed with this flight. Seats The seats were mediocre, there was something about lumbar support or something that was digging into my back and I just couldn't get comfortable. I got a whole three seater so could lie down to sleep on a red eye but still couldn't get fully comfortable with the belt anchors and the immovable armrest by the window. Leg room and seat width weren't great. Food Probably the worst food I can remember on any long distance flight. Totally bland and meagre. At least there was a vegetarian option. Infotainment Once upon a time, Virgin was a leader in this area. Not any more. Selection was ordinary, screen was small and not high resolution. No camera and the navigation was poor (e.g. no day night view). Restroom. Were small but functional with auto sensing taps. Place for prayers In the rear galley. The staff was kind enough to let me use it (they left and drew a curtain for privacy - very sweet of 'em). I was traveling in summer, yet the 9:30 departure meant that it was after Maghreb (I combine Maghreb and Isha when traveling) and the late sunset in London allows one to only worry about fajr on this flight.