On April 1st, 2018, Qatar Airways will being flying their Qsuite business-class product to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). Qatar's Qsuite business class product is widely considered to be the best business class product in the sky, and the best part is it can be booked for only 70k American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
With the addition of Chicago, Qatar is now offering the Qsuite product on three different U.S. routes, including New York (JFK), Washington DC (IAD) and Chicago (ORD).
The route will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER and will be the longest route that is features the Qsuite business class product. The Qsuite product will run once per day on the following schedule:
Doha (DOH) 8:10am Departure – Chicago (ORD) 2:55pm Arrival
Chicago (ORD) 6:50pm Departure – Doha (DOH) 4:10pm Arrival
Our Take
This is exciting news as booking Qatar Airways flights is one of our favorite ways to use American Airlines AAdvantage miles. American Airlines has one award chart for all partner redemptions. You will have to select your departure region to determine the amount of points required.
Routes from the United States to Doha, Qatar start at 40k AAdvantage miles in economy or 70k miles in business class. That's a heck of a deal for 13-14 hours in world's best business class product. You will also get access to the Al Mourjan Business Class lounge upon your arrival in Doha, Qatar.
How to Search
While you are using American miles to book, the award space on Qatar Airways is not searchable through the AAdvantage website. Award space can be found by searching for award tickets through partner British Airways. Award availability will vary by route, and I’d recommend booking as early as possible. Qatar Airways redemptions have incredibly low taxes & fees of $25-$50 per segment.
Thrifty Tip: Search for space segment by segment. If you are planning on going from Chicago to Bangkok, first search ORD – DOH and then DOH – BKK. This way you can build one itinerary when you call in book.
How to Book
Once you’ve found Qatar Airways award availability, via British Airways, all you need to do is call American Airlines at 800-882-8880 to book. Once you get an agent on the line, feed them the flights and they will book it with your AAdvantage miles. There should not be any phone booking fees. An average booking takes around 15 minutes via phone. It’s easy to build an entire trip by piecing together different segments.
Bottom Line
It appears award availability on the Chicago route is disappearing fast. Mr. TT and I are hoping to fly the Qsuite product later this year but availability in the spring through summer looks scarce. Being able to fly one of the best business class products in the world for 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles is an incredible deal and one we plan to take advantage of.