Qatar A350 Super Diamond Review: Larnaca–Doha–Málaga in Business

The short version: Three months after my first Larnaca–Doha trip on Qatar's old A320, I flew it again on 17 October, spent an eight-hour night connection in Doha, and continued on 18 October to Málaga in an A350-900 with the Super Diamond business seat. The A320 is still a sofa with wings. The lounge food is still excellent. And the service, from the Al Maha escort on the ground to the crew in seat 1A, was the best business class service I have had anywhere: as attentive as First, without the stiffness.

Larnaca to Doha: the A320, revisited

I knew what I was boarding this time. The Business Class seat on Qatar's A320 is a big, soft recliner from another decade, the kind of chair that reminded me of my grandfather's sofa in July and still does. It is not a bed and it is not trying to be one. But on an evening sector of three and a half hours, with a glass of champagne and a bowl of warm nuts before the meal, it does its job, and there is more legroom than you would guess.

The meal opened with a mezze trio, beetroot hummus, smoky moutabal and labneh with olive oil, with warm bread, and continued with a beef fillet on sweet potato mash. Three and a half hours, a galley the size of a wardrobe, and the crew still pulled off a plated, hot, properly paced dinner. That was the point of my first review and it holds: on this route you upgrade for the people, not the plane.

The hardware on this route has not changed since July. Neither has the service, and that is a compliment.

Al Maha: met at the aircraft, walked to the lounge

This time I was met by Al Maha, the meet-and-assist service at Hamad International, which comes with my Privilege Club status. An agent was waiting as I came off the aircraft and walked me through the airport to the lounge, past the queues and through the quiet corridors you never see otherwise. Hours later, a colleague collected me from the lounge and walked me to the departure gate. On a long night connection, after a full day, that kind of handover takes all the friction out of a big hub. It felt like being expected.

Worth knowing: Al Maha meet-and-assist is complimentary for Privilege Club Gold and Platinum members. You book it with Al Maha Services at least 12 hours before the flight, and it applies to flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways on a Qatar Airways ticket (number starting 157), so not to codeshares or other oneworld programmes. Lower tiers get a discount instead. Check the current terms on qatarairways.com before you rely on it.

Eight hours in the lounge: sushi, potato salad and eggs Benedict

I had eight hours, and I spent most of them in Al Mourjan The Garden in the North of the terminal, the lounge whose menu I wrote about a week ago. It is even better in person. The sushi was tuna nigiri and cucumber maki, cut fresh. The Japanese potato salad, the reason I flagged the new menu at all, is exactly as good as I had hoped. Champagne was poured without anyone counting.

At breakfast the kitchen switched to eggs Benedict, one with smoked salmon, both under a generous, proper hollandaise. With the long wait ahead, the showers were the other highlight: large, spotless and stocked, the kind of reset that turns a night in an airport into something close to a hotel stay.

A word on the quiet rooms. They are meant for sleep, and they are taken seriously: dim, hushed, with a reclining chair, a lamp and a blanket. I will admit that I took the blanket, which is enormous, and slept on the carpet instead of the chair. Nobody minded, and I woke up feeling far better than I had any right to.

Doha to Málaga: the A350-900 and the Super Diamond seat

The flight to Málaga on 18 October was an A350-900 in the older business configuration: not Qsuite, but the Super Diamond reverse-herringbone seat. Every seat faces the aisle at an angle with direct aisle access, and there is no door.

Here is the thing nobody tells you: I did not miss the door. The Super Diamond feels a touch wider than Qsuite, the shell is generous, and with the seat in bed mode I slept like a baby for a good part of the flight. Seat 1A, alone at the window in the first row, made me feel like royalty. If you ever get the choice on this aircraft, take it.

Even though this was a daytime flight of seven hours and forty-five minutes, the crew handed out the Qatar loungewear, a soft set in a recycled pouch. I did not expect it on a day flight and I wore it gratefully.

Breakfast was served on a white tablecloth with a small lantern, pastries from the basket and a fruit plate of mango, papaya, melon, dragon fruit and berries. Nothing on board was rushed, and nothing had to be asked for twice.

The service: First Class attention, Business Class ease

I have flown a lot of business class this year, and this trip set a new bar. The crew on both flights, the Al Maha team and the lounge staff were attentive in a way I would normally only expect in First, but never stiff or scripted. They were simply friendly people who were good at their jobs, and who seemed to enjoy them. That combination is rare, and it is what made an old A320, a night in an airport and a seat without a door add up to one of my best trips of 2026.

	Super Diamond (A350-900, this flight)	Qsuite
Layout	Reverse herringbone, every seat with aisle access	Every seat with aisle access, with sliding doors
Privacy	Open suite, high shell, no door	Closing door
How it felt	A touch wider, very easy to sleep in	More private, slightly more enclosed
Best seat	1A, a window seat in the first row	Depends on the aircraft

Planning the same trip? See what the flights earn in our Qatar Airways Avios & Qpoints calculator, every Doha lounge with access rules in the Doha lounge directory, and the Qsuite for comparison in our 777-300ER Qsuite review.

Flown 17 October 2026 (Larnaca–Doha, Airbus A320) and 18 October 2026 (Doha–Málaga, Airbus A350-900). Al Maha conditions checked on qatarairways.com on 22 October 2026. Photos: Avios Intelligence.