Qatar Airways has just unveiled its highly anticipated new Business Class suite, dubbed ‘Qsuite Next Gen’ which features foldable TV screens that will allow passengers to open up their suites and share their space with someone else.
As the name suggests, the Qsuite Next Gen is the next-generation version of the Doha-based carrier’s original Qsuite Business Class suite, which was first unveiled in 2017.
The new version was made public on Monday during the first day of the Farnborough Air Show, with the airline’s CEO Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer saying that Qatar Airways had decided to make its own bespoke seat yet again after failing to find anything on the market that met its exacting needs.
Think of Qsuite Next Gen as evolution rather than revolution. The seat builds on what made the Qsuite so popular in the first place and addresses some pain points.
The airline has also added some new technology, while the standout new feature is the addition of adjustable and foldable 4K OLED Panasonic TV screens which create new social and dining spaces.
For example, one of the principal features of the original Qsuite is its quad seats with movable dividers that allow four people to share the same space. By adding adjustable screens, the space opens up even more with the screens not blocking anyone view.
But what’s really special about having adjustable screens, however, is how they transform window-side ‘companion seats’ which face forward and backwards. With the adjustable screens, window seat passengers can finally share a social and dining space together by folding the screens away and opening up the two-facing suites.
Qatar Airways has added even taller dividers, which are now digitally controlled, and has updated its design language with new seat colors, textures, and finishes. In addition, new ambient lighting options have been added, along with wireless device charging and Bluetooth headphone connectivity, along with enclosed drawers for passengers to store small items.
Unfortunately, it might be a while before you get to fly in the Qsuite Next Gen. The seat will be rolled out on the Boeing 777X, and Qatar Airways may or may not receive the first of these planes next year – subject to certification delays at Boeing.
For now, at least, Qatar Airways hasn’t revealed any plans to retrofit aircraft with older generation business class seats with these new suites.
