Day 44 - Sunday 4th June 2023

Today we'd be flying from Madrid to Kuala Lumpur via Doha with Qatar Airways.

The flight for the first leg was due to leave at 9:05am and they recommend that you get to the airport three hours beforehand for an international flight. So it was an early start. We set the alarm for 5am, left our room at 6pm and went down to the foyer to get the 6:15 shuttle bus to the airport.

However, there was no shuttle bus waiting and at about 6:20, we gave up and caught one of the taxis that were waiting near the entrance. We reached terminal 4 at 6:30.

We'll never know whether or when the shuttle bus turned up at the hotel but we would have reached the airport later than we had by taxi - especially considering the bus goes to each terminal. The taxi was a much less stressful solution.

There was a small queue at the business class check-in. Surprisingly, they wanted to weigh our carry-on bags too.

They gave us cards for the fast track VIP security lane. This turned out to be very different from the normal security. It was a separate area and wasn't crowded. It was like getting personal service.

Suzy set off the alarm when she walked through the scanning archway. She thinks that might have been caused by the metal in her arm from the operation for her broken bones. Her handbag also set off the scanner alarm - this time just because of a pen.

Next we needed to catch a train to terminal 4S by going down several flights of escalators. The train reminded me of the new Sydney metro system. It was a five minute journey.

After passing through security, we went up escalators to the departure gates. Altogether there was a lot of walking in the various terminals before we eventually arrived at the Iberian lounge where could relax and have breakfast.

Boarding started earlier than expected at 8:20. There were two air bridges to board the plane - one for business class and another for economy. We had window seats. The seats were placed at an angle - like we had seen on one of flights with Japan Airlines.

The flight attendant gave us a menu and a wine list. The menu was a la carte and stated that it was available at any time during the flight. I told him that I'd just had breakfast and so I would have it later. He said he would bring it to me 3 hours after take-off and asked my permission to wake me if necessary.

At about 12:15 (Madrid time), he asked if I was ready for my "dining experience". This sounded like a fancy term for lunch but it turned out to be very appropriate.

He laid out a white table cloth and the hot bread rolls, butter, etc and placed a large white napkin on my chest. Next was a delicate single prawn in a small dish - I guess this was some sort of pallet cleanser. Then he brought my chicken main course and a glass of red wine.

Speaking of wine, there was turbulence after my meal and I was worried my wine would spill. So I had to hold it down on the table and watch it rock and forwards in the glass. Clearly the only real solution was to drink it when it was safe to do so.

I was extremely impressed with the service from the staff on this flight. The staff were friendly, attentive, responsive and lots of other positive adjectives. It was a great experience. And they spoke good English and understood what we said. Full marks. Hard to fault them.

We landed on time at 4:30 (Doha time) after a flight of about 6 hours 30 minutes. The outside temperature here was 34C.

There was no gate allocation yet for the next leg of our flight and so we needed to find the business lounge - which wasn't easy because this is such a large airport.

After waiting for too long at the information desk, I asked a staff member nearby in a green jacket and he pointed me in the right direction. He emphasised that I should look for staff in red jackets.

We found the business lounge and we found lots of staff in red jackets. It was almost overwhelming. There were so many people offering to help. Would you like some coffee? Would you like some water? Would you like to have dinner? Do you want a buffet?

Even when I went to the gents, there was someone opening the door for me, wiping down the seat, Good grief. Perhaps a bit creepy.

How on earth do they manage to have so many staff? How do they do such a great job of recruiting them and training them? How do they create such a positive customer-friendly attitude?

Speaking of the gents, the bloke next to me was having trouble working out how to turn on the water tap in the basin and a staff member rushed over to show him. I commented on how each place has a different system. He said it was the first time he'd been in a business class lounge. I told him he had started with the best and others in future wouldn't live up to the standard in this lounge.

The layout and scenery in this airport terminal is also impressive. There used to be a big yellow teddy in the middle but I think that has now been replaced. They still have great architecture and a forests of trees.

Mind you, it's big and it takes a long time to walk to the departure gate.

We did have a light dinner in the lounge at about 6pm. I sampled the buffet and had the best beef that I'd enjoyed on the entire holiday. It was delicious and perfectly cooked (and it came from a buffet). We both had a glass of red wine - the same excellent French wine that I'd had on the plane.

While I was enjoying my meal, Suzy said that she saw Nick Greiner walk past.

For the next leg of our journey, we'd heard that you need to go through security and passport checks at the gate and so we made sure we got there more than an hour before departure. It was chaotic and disorganised but we got through it in the end.

Boarding started at about 7:15pm via two air bridges once again but onboard there was a lot of pushing and shoving when the two group merged in the aisle on the plane.

It turned out that we'd both been allocated Qsuites. They were in the centre of the plane - not near the window. Each one is like a self-contained cubicle.

Qatar promote these seats Qsuite partly because they offer more privacy. However, I found them hard to get in and out of and found it's like sitting in a box. The seats do fold down so you can lie flat and horizontal to sleep. There is a sliding door to provide the privacy.

The plane pushed back from the terminal at about 8pm for the 7 hour flight. Suzy changed into the pyjamas they'd supplied. One of the staff set up the bed ready for her to have a sleep. She seemed to have a good sleep because she can sleep anywhere.

It was too early for me to sleep and so I arranged for them to bring me my dinner later. It arrived at 10:30 (Doha time). This time I tried the other two red wines - one from the USA and the other a Penfolds wine from SA.

Then they got my bed ready for me to have a sleep. By this time it was about 11pm.